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Panthers continue to dominate Battle of Florida
The Battle of Florida now feels like a one-sided rivalry.
On Wednesday night, the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5 on the road, advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The defending Stanley Cup champions will face the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Ottawa Senators in the second round. The Lightning, meanwhile, have been eliminated in the first round for a third consecutive season.
"Every year, [the Battle of Florida] just keeps getting harder and harder," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said, via Jameson Olive of the team website.
While it has been a heated rivalry, its scales are clearly tipping toward the Panthers.
Since the 2020-21 season, the Lightning and the Panthers have met in the playoffs four times. Tampa Bay won the first two matchups. It eliminated the Panthers in the first round in the 2021 playoffs and in the second round the following season.
Since the Panthers acquired left winger Matthew Tkachuk in a trade with the Calgary Flames in July 2022, they have dominated the rivalry, winning the last two playoff matchups.
"It was our turn. Now it's theirs," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of the Panthers postgame, per The Athletic's Josh Yohe.
More importantly, the Lightning's future seems more uncertain than that of the Panthers.
Cooper is under contract through the 2025-26 season. However, on Wednesday, the New York Post's Larry Brooks tweeted he may leave Tampa Bay for the Utah Hockey Club. Utah head coach Andre Tourigny is under contract through the 2026-27 season, but the team missed the playoffs this season.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have Tkachuk under contract through the 2029-30 season and have a strong chance to repeat as champions. As of Wednesday night, FanDuel Sportsbook gives them the best odds (+390) to win the Stanley Cup.
Both teams seem to be heading in different directions, which could make the Sunshine State's rivalry far less competitive.
More must-reads:
- Alex Ovechkin lifts Capitals into second round of Stanley Cup playoffs
- Five RFAs with plenty to gain during 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs
- The 'Most NHL goals scored in a season by U.S. born players' quiz
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Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
Maple Leafs are reportedly looking to make a splash trade
With the Toronto Maple Leafs losing star Mitch Marner this offseason, the team has had to fill a massive hole in the lineup. The Toronto front office has done a decent job so far, and the roster looks a little more well-rounded. But it seems that the Maple Leafs may not be done making moves this summer. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto could trade away defensemen Morgan Rielly or Brandon Carlo in an attempt to add more offense. "While we do also have Morgan Rielly on this list, if the Leafs move a defenseman it'll likely only be one of them. But while Rielly comes with the complication of a no-movement clause, Brandon Carlo has just an eight-team no-trade list and so is also worth putting on the trade board. "Making $3.485M against the cap for another two years, Carlo was a welcome addition to the Leafs' defense corps, averaging 19:13 of ice time per game and nearly two minutes on the PK. In the playoffs, he was among the team's shot-blocking leaders," Kypreos wrote. Marner accounted for 27 goals and 75 assists last season, which will be very tough for the Maple Leafs to replace. But the team does have a limited number of tradable assets to work with, which could potentially be why they are thinking of trading a defender. The Toronto front office remains very active on the trade front and it could lead to a deal taking place. There is still plenty of time left between now and the start of the regular season, giving the Maple Leafs some needed optionality before the new year.
WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Hall of Famer believes this AFC QB will win Super Bowl first
Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon just made headlines during a recent appearance on "Up Adams," where he gave his take on one of the NFL’s most debated questions. When asked which star quarterback will win a Super Bowl first, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, Moon without any hesitation went with Jackson. “We have Josh Allen, MVP, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, they wrecked the league last year… Which one of those three do you think has the best shot to get one this year?” Kay Adams asked. Moon responded, “I think Lamar.” Moon’s reasoning for this take was not due to stats or accolades, because both have great numbers and awards, rather Moon was focused on the surrounding cast around Jackson. While he was complimentary of Allen and the team around him, he emphasized that the Ravens had a strong secondary, incredible running back and solid wideouts that could allow them to be a serious threat to win it all. It is easy to see why Moon made his opinion clear and without hesitation. Jackson is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, with four Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro selections and two MVP awards. He is the best dual-threat quarterback in the world, and now with an incredible roster around him, Jackson has become much scarier. However, pressure is mounting on the superstar QB, and Moon did make the case for Allen to also potentially win first. “Josh Allen, they’ll be right there too. I think it depends on who plays who in the playoffs … You have to go through playing both Kansas City and Baltimore if you’re Buffalo, and same thing if you’re the Ravens, you gotta play both of those to get to the Super Bowl … But if you only have to play one of them, that would be great.” Allen is also regarded as one of the league’s best QBs too, and Moon's argument has a lot of merit to it. Both Buffalo and Baltimore are flooded with talented pieces that are hungry to make that Super Bowl run. It could come down to matchups come playoff time. If one squad has an easier route to the AFC Championship game, then it might be the one who ultimately comes out on top. As for Burrow, Moon did not mention him in the conversation, but clearly it was not meant to be a slight on him as a player. Rather, for obvious reasons, it seems that Moon might have Baltimore and Buffalo as overall rosters in a higher tier from Cincinnati. Ultimately however, time will tell who breaks first. But if Moon is correct, Jackson might finally be able to silence his critics, and make his mark on NFL history.
Caleb Williams wants to do something no Bears QB has ever done
There is an expectation that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is going to take a big leap forward in Year 2 of his career. He is not only looking for a big step forward, he is looking to re-write the Bears' franchise record books. Williams said on Tuesday that one of his goals for this season is to become the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, while also completing more than 70% of his passes. “Obviously I have self goals, and that’s being the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history.” Williams said. “That’s a goal of mine. Seventy percent completion helps the team, keeps us on the field, puts us in better positions, and then other than that just trying to go down and score the most points that we can with each drive that we have. That’s kinda my self goal and obviously, other than that, you gotta go win. That’s success for me, that’s success for the team, and that’s all we wish for and all I wish for.” Williams arrived in Chicago with huge expectations prior to the 2024 season after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick. The hope was always that he could finally give the team a franchise quarterback that could put it on a Super Bowl contending level. His rookie season had some ups and downs, but it was easy to see the talent and potential. It was also easy to dream on him if you are a Bears fans given some of the plays he made. He ultimately threw for 3,541 yards, completed 62.5% of his passes and threw 20 touchdown passes to only five interceptions. He is not only entering Year 2 with a full season of NFL play under his belt, the Bears have also surrounded him with playmakers at every position and given him a young, innovative head coach in Ben Johnson. Johnson was one of the masterminds behind the Detroit Lions' offense, and there is an expectation that he can do the same thing with the Bears given the young quarterback and talent around him. The Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer in franchise history, and Williams certainly seems to have a strong chance of achieving it. If not this season, then certainly at some point in his career. The single-season franchise record is 3,838 yards set by Erik Kramer during the 1995 season. If Williams can get 4,000 yards and complete of 70% of his passes — as he wants to do — there is a good chance the Bears offense would be one of the best in football. It would also probably mean they win way more than the five games they did during the 2024 season.
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