The Florida Panthers’ path for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs and their quest to defend their title from last season is now set.
And it begins with a rematch of their first-round matchup from last season’s Cup run.
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First up: The Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa Bay was locked into the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday after the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Buffalo Sabres, a victory which clinched the division title for Toronto. The Panthers are the No. 3 seed in the division.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best-of-7 matchup.
When will the Panthers-Lightning playoffs series begin?
Game dates and times have not yet been announced for the best-of-7 series.
The Lightning will host Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary). The Panthers will host Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary). The series can start as early as Saturday, although Sunday or Monday is more likely since Tampa Bay finishes its regular season on Thursday.
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31), defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27), and defenseman Emil Lilleberg (78) defend against Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the second period of an NHL game at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.
How did the regular-season series between the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning unfold?
Florida (47-31-4) and Tampa Bay (47-26-8) split the four-game regular-season series, with each team winning a game at home and on the road. The Panthers won 4-2 on Dec. 22 in Tampa, lost 4-0 on Dec. 23 in Sunrise, won 2-1 on March 3 in Sunrise and lost 5-1 in Tampa on Tuesday.
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On Tuesday, the Panthers rested several of their top players, including Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling since their place in the standings was already settled.
Tampa Bay took advantage, scoring the first four goals before Brad Marchand broke up the shutout early in the second period.
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates a goal by Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the third period of Game 5 of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday, April 29, 2024, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The Florida Panthers won 6-1 and won the series.
How did the Panthers and Lightning fare in the playoffs last year?
The Panthers and Lightning met in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year after Florida won the Atlantic Division and Tampa Bay advanced as the Eastern Conference’s top wild card.
Florida won the series 4-1, winning the first three games 3-2, 3-2 in overtime and 5-3 before dropping Game 4 6-3 and clinching the series with a 6-1 win in Game 5. It was the first time in three tries that the Panthers beat the Lightning in a playoff series.
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After that, Florida went on to beat the Boston Bruins in six games in Round 2 and the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference final before beating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) tries to get the puck from Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) during the second period of a game on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
Who are some players to watch from the Florida Panthers?
▪ Sam Reinhart: Reinhart finished the season leading the Panthers in goals (39) and points (81). He also once again showed that he’s one of the league’s top two-way forwards.
▪ Aleksander Barkov: The Panthers’ captain and arguably the top two-way center in the NHL was once again a stalwart on the ice this season. Despite missing 13 games, he has 20 goals and a team-high 51 assists.
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▪ Sergei Bobrovsky: Bobrovsky went 33-19-2 this season with five shutouts, a .906 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average. He was integral for the Panthers in the playoffs last season, posting a .906 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average with two shutouts in 24 games.
▪ Gustav Forsling: The top-pair defenseman, in the first year of his eight-year deal signed last season, has been critical on a Florida blueline that was missing key players down the stretch in Dmitry Kulikov (upper-body injury) and Aaron Ekblad (suspension). In addition to scoring 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists), he has a team-high in plus-minus at plus-33, which ranks tied for eighth in the league.
▪ Brad Marchand and Seth Jones: Florida’s two major trade deadline acquisitions will be critical for the Panthers in their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Marchand brings a veteran presence with postseason experience to the forward group, similar to Vladimir Tarasenko last year. Jones gives the Panthers a top-four right-handed defenseman to work with Forsling, Niko Mikkola and Ekblad (once he returns from suspension).
Who are some players to watch from the Tampa Bay Lightning?
▪ Nikita Kucherov: An annual contender for the Hart Trophy given to the NHL’s most valuable player, Kucherov leads the league with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists). This includes 45 points on the power play.
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▪ Jake Guentzel: One of Tampa bay’s primary additions in the offseason to replace the loss of Steven Stamkos, Guentzel has 41 goals and 79 points this season for the Lightning.
▪ Victor Hedman: The top-pair defenseman has 66 points (15 goals, 51 assists), which ranks sixth among all defensemen in the league.
▪ Andrei Vasilevskiy: Consistently one of the league’s top goaltenders, Vasilevskiy has a 38-20-5 record and six shutouts this season to go along with a .921 save percentage and 2.18 goals against average.
Who would the winner of the Panthers-Lightning matchup face in the second round?
The winner of the Panthers-Lightning matchup would face the winner of the Toronto-Ottawa matchup in the second round.
The Maple Leafs would have home-ice advantage in the second round if it advances, while the Florida-Tampa Bay winner would get home-ice advantage if Ottawa advances.