TAMPA BAY – The postseason starts now.

With their place in the playoffs already locked in and with several of their stars resting up, the Florida Panthers suffered a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.

While it was the last contest of 82, the Battle of Florida isn’t quite done yet.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs cruising to a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the evening, the Panthers and Lightning are officially slated to meet in Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I think it’s great,” said Carter Verhaeghe of the Round 1 matchup with Tampa Bay. “It’s always a battle and it’s going to be a good matchup.”

One of the top rivalries in the NHL, the two teams have met in four of the last five postseasons.

Jumpstarting their run to the Stanley Cup, the Panthers eliminated Tampa Bay in Round 1 last year.

“It’s great for hockey here,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the Battle of Florida. “It’s really what I think grows the sport. When we’re walking to the rink today, there’s a whole bunch of Florida Panther fans outside and then there’s a lot of Tampa Bay fans. I think when you have that rivalry in state, especially in a non-traditional hockey market, it brings the communities around more involved and that’s how it grows.”

Striking early for the Lightning, Brayden Point put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 at 1:32 of the first period.

Getting a chance to answer back on the man-advantage, the Lightning killed off the Panthers power play before Conor Geekie made it 2-0 at 15:25 with a one-timer.

Extending the lead to 3-0, Jake Guentzel tallied a shorthanded goal at 18:09.

Adding to his league-leading point total, Nikita Kucherov gave the Lightning a 4-0 lead at 4:42 of the second period, bringing his season points up to 120.

Skating in his 1,100th NHL game, Brad Marchand put the Panthers on the board with his 23rd goal of the season at 5:36.