Panthers set for stern test in series opener vs. Lightning

In theory, winning the NHL's Atlantic Division should have given the Florida Panthers an "easier" first-round playoff opponent.

But, if history is any judge, that hardly is the case.

The Panthers will open an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise, Fla.

"I think we're one of the best teams in the league, and we've shown it all season," Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "But we're not getting all the credit we think we deserve. I guess, rightly so -- we haven't really proven anything. It's just the regular season."

The Panthers finished the regular season with 52 wins, which are the second most in franchise history. They also earned 110 points, which ranked tied for fourth in the league this season.

Tampa Bay, which qualified for the playoffs as a wild-card team, finished with 45 wins and 98 points.

However, Tampa Bay is 2-0 in playoff series against the Panthers, and both of those series wins were in the past three postseasons.

In 2021, Florida lost 4-2 in the first round to Tampa Bay, which went on to win the Stanley Cup.

In 2022, the Panthers set their franchise record for wins (58) and points (122). They won the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the regular season, and they won their first-round playoff matchup against the Washington Capitals.

However, Florida's dream season ended with a thud as the Lightning swept the Panthers in four games. Tampa Bay again advanced to the Stanley Cup finals before falling to the Colorado Avalanche.

Last year, the Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for just the second time in franchise history, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.

However, it must be noted that they did not face Tampa Bay in the playoffs.

Still, that 2023 playoff success has really helped the Panthers, according to Tkachuk.

"You can't even put it into words what it's meant and how calm we are," he said. "Even when we're getting dominated in games for five or 10 minutes, there's not a worry in the world for us."

This series will provide a clash between a pair of Russian-born goalies: Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Both of them are 29 and both have at least one Vezina Trophy on their resume as the NHL's top goalie.

This season, Bobrovsky tied for third in the league in wins (36) and had an NHL high-tying six shutouts.

Vasilevskiy, who started the season on the injured list, is 30-20-2 with a 2.90 GAA and two shutouts.

However, in the playoffs since 2020, Vasilevskiy owns a 50-27 record with two Stanley Cup titles.

Then again, the Panthers were 2-1-0 against the Lightning this season, including a 9-2 win in Tampa Bay on Feb. 17. They scored six goals on 22 shots against Vasilevskiy.

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman credits Panthers coach Paul Maurice for Florida's turnaround. Maurice was not the Panthers coach when Tampa Bay eliminated them in 2021 and 2022.

"They're a very talented team," Hedman said of the Panthers. "Maurice has gotten them going."

There are many more storylines for this matchup.

For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov led the league with 144 points, and he was tied for first with 100 assists. Brayden Point led the NHL with 12 game-winning goals.

Florida's Sam Reinhart finished second in the league with 57 goals and first with 27 power-play tallies.

Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling led the league in plus/minus (56).