Panthers eliminate bitter rival Lightning in five games ... again

The feat also marks the second consecutive spring in which the Panthers have ousted the Lightning in a five-game opening-round set. In all, the state rivals have met four times in the postseason, each winning two series. The winner has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final each of the previous three times.

With the victory, the Panthers will now face off against the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs currently hold a 3-2 series edge, with Game 6 coming Thursday in Ottawa. Of note, the Panthers took three of four regular season contests versus the Maple Leafs, while the Senators defeated the Panthers in two of three meetups this year.

In search of their second-straight Stanley Cup championship, the Panthers loaded up ahead of this year’s NHL trade deadline, bringing in former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand as well as Chicago Blackhawks blue-liner Seth Jones.

Florida has also seen the return of its full roster for the postseason after closing out the regular season without power forward Matthew Tkachuk, who suffered a groin injury while competing with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, while veteran blue-liner Aaron Ekblad was suspended for a 20-game stretch that bled into the postseason after violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.