TAMPA — For the third time in four seasons, the Lightning will face their cross-state rivals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The next Sunshine State series will begin this weekend when the Lightning open the first round of the postseason against the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers won the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night with their 5-2 home win over Toronto combined with Boston’s 3-1 home loss to the Senators. That earned Florida the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and a date with the Lightning, who are in the conference’s first-wild card position.
The series likely will open Saturday or Sunday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The league has yet to announce the postseason schedule. The regular season ends Thursday.
Florida won two of the three regular-season meetings with the Lightning, outscoring Tampa Bay 15-9 over those three games. The Lightning won the most recent meeting, 5-3 in Sunrise on March 16.
On their way to their third straight Stanley Cup final in 2022, the Lightning swept the Panthers in the second round, eliminating the Presidents’ Trophy winners by taking the first two games on the road. They claimed Game 2 on Ross Colton’s winner with 3.8 seconds remaining in regulation before taking the next two games at Amalie Arena.
In 2021, the Lightning opened the postseason against the Panthers, surviving a physical six-game series after Andrei Vasilevskiy posted 29 saves in a series-clinching Game 6 shutout. The Lightning went on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
Last season, the Panthers went from the eighth and final playoff spot in the East all the way to the Stanley Cup final before losing to Vegas in five games.
The Lightning close out their regular season Wednesday against the Maple Leafs at Amalie Arena. After its 4-2 home loss to Buffalo on Monday, Tampa Bay has lost three straight and four of five since clinching a playoff berth.
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tbt/eb37a45b-a545-427b-a048-a4eed8cf9584.png "Eduardo A. Encina - Lightning Reporter")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/_lvluO_Fto57abVk4zvtXW2SPYg=/1200x675/filters:focal(1805x995:1815x985)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/YEKUVDUXLBAXRG2UEUPWCANYRQ.jpg "Lightning’s season on the brink after Game 3 loss to Panthers")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/HRsGitaelo3_GS4AnA3mP4KZ6eI=/1200x675/filters:focal(4995x2255:5005x2245)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JXIOYBUL44BJVKTBBAZMG6IJHY.jpg "NHL playoffs: Lightning-Panthers Game 1 live updates")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/3JyBe4REgfyCjvcV7ogLOV3brPs=/1200x675/filters:focal(3905x1315:3915x1305)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/WSI2RTOMHWIYPLVHXSLYJTUOZA.jpg "Lightning can’t get over hump, drop Game 2 to Panthers in overtime")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/qO8S-Nun_-au_KV-NK947tzjB7o=/1200x675/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/6GIOR6H7JRF6BC72GAAASKFHPA.jpg "Scenes from Game 3 of Lightning vs. Panthers")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/n9uhGJsT7Ro9FDi-pvB3CRxlzmc=/1200x675/filters:focal(1918x885:1928x875)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/Q3OBEFRBFJCNPMDC4DWGOX52GM.jpg "Scenes from the Lightning’s win over the Panthers in Game 4")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/G2yva1Te5TPUycDj6o6qZrONE5k=/1200x675/filters:focal(2365x1135:2375x1125)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/TZUR2HSJO5CZLLN5KL74OQTVIQ.jpg "NHL playoffs: Lightning-Panthers Game 3 live updates")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/S0YdHqT79ogUA7rr7DzqfZ_VZQE=/1200x675/filters:focal(4305x2085:4315x2075)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/4KJNN35Q4HNJYU46L557FUUKUE.jpg "How Lightning can rebound in Game 2 of 1st-round series vs. Panthers")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/trvUAAcfk3Ft37aIjC5atPAMIzg=/1200x675/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/G5W25FWAGVHQRG5XRORGPLXXXM.jpg "On this night, Lightning remind everyone of the team they once were")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/roYInuX8buFMGTJf9E2HvNxvYjM=/1200x675/filters:focal(2255x1355:2265x1345)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/B2ECCV2ILSMUBPXIHIFYY4LSPU.jpg "Facing elimination, Lightning hope to turn tide in Game 4 vs. Panthers")
/www.tampabay.com/resizer/LOnOFKto6D_6ufbrdx2Cxbh0Pdw=/1200x675/filters:focal(3725x2075:3735x2065)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JMCUY3XP4MIN7M7LUREVHVUXIM.jpg "Lightning survive early Panthers surge but drop NHL playoffs opener")