TAMPA BAY – Game 82 of 82.
In what could be a Round 1 preview, the Florida Panthers (47-30-4) will complete their regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning (46-26-8) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena.
“We’ll play as hard as we possibly can with the players that we have,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “Real short shifts and a real simple game of hockey.”
Following their 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers are now locked into the third seed of the Atlantic Division.
While the team is set to start the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road, where they will fly is yet to be determined.
What is decided, however, is the that the plane will either fly across the state or north to Canada.
With 104 points, the Toronto Maple Leafs can clinch the Atlantic Division with a point in either of their remaining two games.
In second place, the Lightning (100 points) will need to win their final two games and have Toronto lose out in regulation.
If the Lightning finish second, they’ll have home-ice advantage against the Panthers in Round 1.
“We have kind of known for the last week or two who it is going to be against, two teams who have been there a lot over the last couple of years,” said Sam Reinhart of the team’s Round 1 opponent. “The first round of playoffs is always a battle that can go any way. We are looking forward to it.”
Heating up at the right time, the first line of Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Reinhart is rounding off into playoff form.
Barkov, who was named the second most complete player in the NHLPA Player’s Poll and nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy on Tuesday, has tallied four points (goal, three assists) and a +4 plus/minus rating over his last three games.
Turning the swag on, Verhaeghe has lit the lamp in three straight games and boasts a +5 plus/minus rating over his last four games.
Also carrying a hot stick, Reinhart added his 38th and 39th goals of the season on Monday against the Rangers.
Just as important this time of year ahead of playoffs, the trio, along with other many other Panthers, have been able to rotate in and out of the lineup to gain some valuable rest.
“It’s a balance of trying to feel as good as you can when it really matters,” said Reinhart. “I think it’s important to be as prepared and as fresh as you can going into it.”
With no morning skate prior to Tuesday’s tilt, stay tuned for more information on who will be in the lineup and getting the start in net closer to puck drop.
Awaiting the Panthers, the Lightning will try to keep their dream of first place alive.
Owning a 3-1-3 record in the month of April, the Lightning will close out their season against the Rangers on Thursday.
No shortage of offense, the Lightning rode a four-goal second period to a 7-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Likely securing the Art Ross Trophy, Nikita Kucherov added three points (goal, two assists) in the win to bring his season total to a league-leading 119 points.
Another Lightning pushing for some hardware, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is expected to start against Florida, ranks among the NHL’s best goaltenders.
The Russian goalie’s .921 save percentage, 2.20 goals against average, and six shutouts all rank in the top four in the league.
THEY SAID IT
“Timing in the game is different than when you’re practicing out there, I just have to get that back. I felt pretty good today; I felt good reading the game. No complaints.” – Dmitry Kulikov on returning from injury
“I’ve seen what I need to see barring any surprise health issues here. We’re fairly set with our roster.” – Paul Maurice on lineup ahead of Stanley Cup Playoffs
FIVE CATS STATS
– The Panthers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 season finales.
– Sam Reinhart leads the team with 40 road points.
– Aleksander Barkov’s 56.7% face-off rate on the road ranks 10th in the NHL.
– The Panthers are 2-1-0 against Tampa Bay this season.
– Brad Marchand has 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 50 career games against Tampa Bay.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Stay tuned closer to puck drop for lineup information.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
– April 12: Agreed to terms with F Jack Devine on a 3-year, entry-level contract
– April 6: F Jesse Puljujarvi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– April 6: F Rasmus Asplund recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– April 6: D Matt Kiersted recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– April 2: D Jaycob Megna recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– April 2: D Tobias Bjornfot assigned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Amalie Arena– Tampa Bay, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX / ESPN, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 92.1 WZZR-FM (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 101.7 WCZR (TREASURE COAST); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Watch Party: Funky Buddha
