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The Tampa Bay Lightning congratulate the Florida Panthers on their 6-1 win in Game Five of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Panthers’ Potential 1st Round Playoff Opponents

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Joey Ganzi | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 9:05 AM ET

The Florida Panthers are currently fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. With a record of 46-29-4 and 96 points, they sit four points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place.

With the standings in mind, Florida is looking at some familiar faces in the playoffs, along with the potential of seeing a team that hasn’t been to the dance in a while.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a grip on the division as of late and are looking to lock it up. They will look to win their second playoff series since 2004 and their first Stanley Cup since 1967. The Panthers had the upper hand in the regular-season series, going 3-1-0 against them. Additionally, in their last postseason meeting, the Panthers took them down 4-1 in the second-round series of the 2023 Playoffs.

The Maple Leafs’ offense is one of the most dangerous in the entire NHL, sitting eighth in goal scoring at 3.26 per game. This is in part due to their top star forwards consisting of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, who is second in the NHL in goals with 44.

Their goaltending has also found stability after years of inconsistency. Anthony Stolarz, who played with the Panthers last season, is currently fourth in the league in both goals-against average (GAA) with 2.28 and save percentage (SV%) at .922.

However, their defense is about average. They are 13th in the league at goals against per game at 2.88, and their penalty kill is ranked 19th with a 77.8% kill rate. If they were to meet the Panthers, their strong offense has a chance of taking advantage.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning have been surging up the standings and are only two points behind Toronto for the Atlantic Division lead. Currently, Florida leads the regular season series 2-1-0, with the final meeting between the two coming on April 15. As a result, there is a possibility they could be playing each other in eight-straight games. Last playoffs, the Panthers grabbed their first playoff series win ever against the Bolts in the first round by a 4-1 series score.

Tampa has an even stronger offense, as they’re second in the NHL in goals per game at 3.55. Forward Nikita Kucherov is tied with Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon for the most points in the league with 116 (34 goals, 82 assists. Furthermore, they have two top-10 goal-scorers on their lineup. Tied for fifth with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrňák in the NHL is Brayden Point with 41, and tied for seventh with Winnipeg Jets forwards Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele is Jake Guentzel with 38.

Their goaltending is among one of the best in the NHL, with arguably a top-3 goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy. His stats back up that claim, as he’s second among all goaltenders in SV% with .922 and shutouts with six. He’s third in the league with a 2.17 GAA.

Their defense has also been a shut-down force of nature. They sit at fourth among all teams in goals allowed per game with an average of 2.60. This also comes with a seventh-ranked penalty kill at 81.3%. This is led by their captain, defenseman Victor Hedman, who is sixth among all defensemen in points with 63 (15 goals, 48 assists) while boasting a plus-18 rating.

Ottawa Senators

This is the first time the Ottawa Senators have made the playoffs since being eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Game 7 overtime in the Eastern Conference Final back in 2017. The young core of this roster looks to shock the hockey world and create havoc in the playoffs. The Panthers dropped the season series, losing two of their three meetings.

The Senators’ forward core is a young and talented bunch, led by Matthew’s brother, captain, and team-leading goal-scorer, Brady Tkachuk. This also includes forward Tim Stützle, who leads the team in points with 72 (21 goals, 51 assists). With them is also Claude Giroux, who has years of playoff experience, including a Cup Final appearance when he was a Philadelphia Flyer. Ottawa may not be up high in the offensive rankings, but they do have the potential to give a team trouble.

Defensively, they can find ways to lock it down. They are tenth in the league in goals allowed per game with 2.79. Their defense is led by long-time franchise defenseman Thomas Chabot. This season, he is second on the team with a plus-15 rating. Above him is Nick Jensen, who has an impressive plus-19 rating, which is the second-highest he’s had in his career.

Goaltending for the Sens hasn’t been as flashy as Toronto or Tampa, but they have a decent tandem. Goaltender Linus Ullmark has played in 42 games with a 2.68 GAA, four shutouts, and a .911 SV%. Anton Forsberg has dressed for 28 games, tallying a .906 SV% with a 2.66 GAA and three shutouts. They may be the weakest of the three, but no opponent is easy in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You Play the Games You’re Given

Ultimately, if Florida wants to accomplish the dream of a repeat championship, they have to deal with the hand they’re dealt. They have shown that they can compete against these squads both in the regular season and the playoffs.

But no other team has played in more games over the last two seasons than the defending Cup Champions. Once again, they have to answer to the bell and fight through the grueling gauntlet that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting next weekend.