{"id":452701,"date":"2026-02-09T23:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T23:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/452701\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T23:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T23:39:12","slug":"lightning-hope-to-keep-things-rolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/452701\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightning hope to keep things rolling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tampa<\/a>Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix (48) celebrates with the bench after his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O’Meara)<\/p>\n

The Sunshine State has become one of the NHL\u2019s most competitive battlegrounds, and the 2025\u201126 season is no exception. As the league pauses for the Milan\u2011Cortina Olympics, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers sit in dramatically different positions\u2014one near the top of the Eastern Conference, the other fighting to stay above the playoff line.<\/p>\n

Lightning Surge Into the Break as a Conference Power<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay enters the Olympic break as one of the NHL\u2019s elite teams. With 78 points through 55 games and a 37\u201114\u20114 record, the Lightning sit atop the Eastern Conference standings. Their +59 goal differential is among the best in the league, and their road dominance (19\u20115\u20114) underscores their championship\u2011caliber consistency. Their recent 8\u20111\u20111 stretch shows a team peaking at the right time. Tampa Bay is not just a playoff lock\u2014they are a legitimate Presidents\u2019 Trophy contender.<\/p>\n

Panthers Battling in the Middle of the Atlantic<\/p>\n

The Panthers enter the break in a more precarious position. With 69 points through 57 games and a 32\u201120\u20115 record, Florida sits in the middle of the Atlantic Division pack. Their +13 goal differential and strong home performance (21\u20118\u20111) show they remain a dangerous team, but their road inconsistency (11\u201112\u20114) has kept them from climbing higher. Their recent 6\u20111\u20113 form suggests they are stabilizing at the right time, but the margin between third place and falling into the wild\u2011card chase remains thin.<\/p>\n

What Must Happen After the Olympics<\/p>\n

For Tampa Bay, the mission is simple: maintain pace, stay healthy, and secure home\u2011ice advantage. Their depth, scoring balance, and defensive structure make them one of the league\u2019s most complete teams.<\/p>\n

For Florida, the path is more complicated. They must tighten defensively, improve their road play, and avoid multi\u2011game skids that could drop them into a crowded wild\u2011card race. The Panthers have the talent to surge, but the post\u2011Olympic schedule will test their resilience.<\/p>\n

A State Divided\u2014But Poised for Drama<\/p>\n

The Lightning look like a powerhouse. The Panthers look like a bubble team with upside. Together, they set up a compelling final two months of the season\u2014one chasing a top seed, the other fighting to secure a spot in the dance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix (48) celebrates with the bench after his goal against the Toronto Maple…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5105],"tags":[42517,54900,5,189,54901,4,20482,54902,54903,540,92,5168,5167],"class_list":{"0":"post-452701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-lightning","8":"tag-atlantic-division-standings","9":"tag-florida-nhl-teams","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-lightning","12":"tag-lightning-playoff-push","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-nhl-2025-26-season","15":"tag-olympic-break-2026","16":"tag-panthers-playoff-race","17":"tag-tampa-bay","18":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","19":"tag-tampabay","20":"tag-tampabaylightning"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116043315424089044","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}