RECAP: Lightning 5, Panthers 1

TAMPA BAY – The postseason starts now.

With their place in the playoffs already locked in and with several of their stars resting up, the Florida Panthers suffered a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.

While it was the last contest of 82, the Battle of Florida isn’t quite done yet.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs cruising to a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the evening, the Panthers and Lightning are officially slated to meet in Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I think it’s great,” said Carter Verhaeghe of the Round 1 matchup with Tampa Bay. “It’s always a battle and it’s going to be a good matchup.”

One of the top rivalries in the NHL, the two teams have met in four of the last five postseasons.

Jumpstarting their run to the Stanley Cup, the Panthers eliminated Tampa Bay in Round 1 last year.

“It's great for hockey here,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the Battle of Florida. “It's really what I think grows the sport. When we're walking to the rink today, there's a whole bunch of Florida Panther fans outside and then there's a lot of Tampa Bay fans. I think when you have that rivalry in state, especially in a non-traditional hockey market, it brings the communities around more involved and that's how it grows.”

Striking early for the Lightning, Brayden Point put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 at 1:32 of the first period.

Getting a chance to answer back on the man-advantage, the Lightning killed off the Panthers power play before Conor Geekie made it 2-0 at 15:25 with a one-timer.

Extending the lead to 3-0, Jake Guentzel tallied a shorthanded goal at 18:09.

Adding to his league-leading point total, Nikita Kucherov gave the Lightning a 4-0 lead at 4:42 of the second period, bringing his season points up to 120.

Skating in his 1,100th NHL game, Brad Marchand put the Panthers on the board with his 23rd goal of the season at 5:36.

“The first thing I was mentioning was hands, but really it's his competitiveness,” Maurice said of Marchand. “He just wants to play so well for his teammates, right? He wants to be a big part of that and he's excited.”

Striking on the power play in the third period, to provide some insurance for Tampa Bay, Darren Raddysh sounded the goal horn with a one-timer at 11:22.

Holding the score, the buzzer sounded with a 5-1 win for the Lightning.

Ending with a 47-31-4 recorded, the Panthers ended the 2024-25 regular season with their fourth-most points (t-98) and third-most wins (t-47).

“I think we did a good job,” said Eetu Luostarinen of the team’s regular season. “It’s been a bit tougher schedule, but everybody’s really excited for playoffs.”

THEY SAID IT

“He's always in the right spot. He never cheats the game. There's no easy ice playing against him, they (opposing players) respect that.” – Paul Maurice on Aleksander Barkov being named one of the most complete players in the NHLPA’s Player Poll

“It’s going to give us a lot of energy and we’re just excited to get back on the ice.” – Carter Verhaeghe on players returning to the lineup for the Stanley Cup Playoffs

CATS STATS

- Niko Mikkola had five hits.

- Brad Marchand led the Panthers with 21:09 time-on-ice.

- Mackie Samoskevich recorded three shots.

- Seth Jones, Uvis Balinskis, and Nate Schmidt each blocked two shots.

- The Panthers stopped four of five Lightning power plays.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Playoffs!

Stay tuned for more information on FloridaPanthers.com and social media for scheduling.

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