The reigning, defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers kept their hopes of back-to-back championships alive, and they did it by disposing of one of their division rivals.
Jon Cooper took the words right out of my mouth: “They have an exceptional team. Not just an average team, an exceptional team.” Down a defenseman in Aaron Ekblad, who got a two-game suspension for his hit on Hagel in Game 4, Florida was back to its Game 1 & 2 defensive pairings.
Welcome to our 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs series recap editions, as we present a review of the Panthers and the Lightning. The Battle of Florida returned with all the ferocity of a gator in a golf course pond, and this year, the Florida Panthers knocked their cross-state rivals out of the playoffs again, just like last year.
One of the surprising results of the opening round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs was not that the Florida Panthers advanced to the second round, but how they were able to take care of the Tampa Bay Lightning so quickly in this year’s postseason edition of The Battle of Florida.
The NHL began awarding the Conn Smythe Trophy to the most valuable player of the postseason beginning in the 1965 season. How many of the past winners can you name in six minutes?
For the second consecutive year, the Panthers have won the Battle of Florida. And in Game 5 at Amalie Arena on Wednesday night, Eetu Luostarinen was the unlikely hero, recording four points in a 6-3, series-clinching win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It seems the NHL is in a good place. Ratings are up, talent levels are high, and the league added two teams to get up to 32 in the not-too-distant past.
The NHL Players’ Association has added a few names to its staff, including a familiar name hockey fans. On Thursday, Executive Director Marty Walsh announced that former NHL player and Stanley Cup champion Kyle Okposo will join the union as Business Development and Player Engagement Advisor.
The Florida Panthers joined the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning with an impressive 6-3 win in Game 5 at Amalie Arena.
The Florida Panthers dominated their Florida rival in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and as a send off, they disrespected their rival on social media.
The Florida Panthers put their state rival away rather quickly in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and after Game 5, Matthew Tkachuk had some disrespectful comments for their beaten opponents.
The Florida Panthers closed out their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 6-3 road win in Game 5 on Wednesday night, eliminating
The Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5 to win the series and punch their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Battle of Florida now feels like a one-sided rivalry.
Florida's Eetu Luostarinen had a career night with a goal and three assists as the visiting Panthers closed out their first-round Eastern Conference playoff matchup Wednesday night, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.
The Florida Panthers are headed to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a 6-3 road victory over the Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, the Panthers punched their ticket to the second round as the club moves forward in its feat to capture its second-straight Stanley Cup championship.
The Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup title defense got off to an ideal start, as the defending champions eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in their opening-round matchup.
The Florida Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions. Florida is looking to defend its championship in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had a tough task in round one.
Welcome back to NHL Predictions 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs style, where we break down the matchups, analyze the chaos, and try to predict the future with the accuracy of a Florida weather forecast.
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two playoff games for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, the NHL announced today (April 29).
In a pair of two- and five-minute spans, the Tampa Bay Lightning had their chances of advancing out of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Florida Panthers diminish greatly.
Ekblad is facing another suspension after knocking Lightning winger Brandon Hagel out of Sunday night’s Game 4 with a high hit.
The match was so over until it wasn’t. After a scoreless first period, the next two periods had three goals each. The Cardiac Cats were out in full force as they spent much of the game trailing by one goal until the defense came back in full force offensively to give the Panthers the lead late in the third period.
The Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice shared his take on Aaron Ekblad's controversial hit that took Brandon Hagel out of the game last night. The series between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning has been intense so far, and last night, it was no different.
The Florida Panthers pulled off a late comeback against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4, scoring two goals in 11 seconds to then complete a 4-2 comeback and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs continued on Monday with two more games. Here are our takeaways as the Panthers and Stars moved closer to the second round.
In a flash, the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2-1 Game 4 lead over the Florida Panthers turned into a 3-2 deficit.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not face any supplemental discipline for his late-game hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel in Game 3.
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