The Battle of Florida is set to reignite once again—and the stakes have never been higher.
For the fourth time in five seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers will collide in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, opening their First Round series at Amalie Arena on Tuesday, April 22. But unlike previous meetings in 2021 and 2022—when Tampa entered as the reigning champion—it's now Florida that carries the crown.
And if history is any guide, the winner of this clash often goes the distance: each time these two have met in the postseason, one of them has skated all the way to the Final.
This series features two heavyweights from the stacked Atlantic Division, meaning one legitimate Cup contender is guaranteed an early exit. The regular season meetings didn’t offer much separation either, with the two teams splitting their four-game set.
Interestingly, the road side came out on top in the first two December matchups—Florida snatching a 4-2 win in Tampa before the Bolts roared back with a 4-0 shutout in Sunrise just 24 hours later. The Panthers edged a 2-1 victory at home in early March, but Tampa made a statement with a commanding 5-1 win in their most recent meeting on April 15.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning NHL game, plus plenty more.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Date and puck-drop time
The Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning will meet in an epic NHL action on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Date | Tuesday, April 22, 2025 |
Puck-Drop Time | 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT |
Venue | Amalie Arena |
Location | Tampa, Florida |
How to watch Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning on TV & stream live online
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Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning team news & key players
Florida Panthers team news
Sam Reinhart spearheaded Florida's offense this season with 81 points (39 goals, 42 assists), while Aleksander Barkov orchestrated the play with 71 points—51 of those helpers. Matthew Tkachuk added his trademark grit and scoring touch with 22 goals and 35 assists, and Carter Verhaeghe chipped in 20 goals and 33 assists. Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky posted a 33-19-2 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Backup Vitek Vanecek, however, struggled in limited action.
Tampa Bay Lightning team news
For the Lightning, the engine continues to be Nikita Kucherov, who lit up the league with 121 points, including a dazzling 84 assists. Brandon Hagel put together a breakout campaign with 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists), while Brayden Point added 42 goals to his 82-point tally. Victor Hedman was once again a rock on the back end with 66 points, and deadline addition Jake Guentzel delivered 41 goals and 80 points of his own. In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy looked as steady as ever, going 38-20-5 with an elite 2.18 GAA and a .921 save percentage.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning head-to-head record
Date | Competition | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
04/16/2025 | NHL | Tampa Bay Lightning | Florida Panthers | 5–1 |
03/04/2025 | NHL | Florida Panthers | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2–1 |
12/24/2024 | NHL | Florida Panthers | Tampa Bay Lightning | 0–4 |
12/23/2024 | NHL | Tampa Bay Lightning | Florida Panthers | 2–4 |
10/03/2024 | NHL | Tampa Bay Lightning | Florida Panthers | 1–2 |