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The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Florida Panthers in the second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning are coming off a seven-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Florida Panthers went six games with the Washington Capitals.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay down 3-2 in the Toronto series and won the last two games in overtime. In Game 6, the Lightning were trailing 3-2 in the third period when Nikita Kucherov scored during a power play. The game did not see anymore scoring in regulation and went into overtime. One minute and 56 seconds into overtime, Brayden Point scored to tie up the series. In Game 7, Nick Paul scored his first and second postseason goals of his career, helping the Lightning past the Maple Leafs and onto the second round.
https://twitter.com/TBLightning/status/1526252135838523393
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers won their first playoff series since 1996, when they went to the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers beat the Washington Capitals in six games after being down 2-1 following Game 3. Florida rattled off three straight wins to advance. The Panthers were led by Carter Verhaeghe who had 12 points in the series, including six goals.
This is the first season the Panthers accumulated over 50 wins.
WE’LL SEE YOU IN THE SECOND ROUND!!!#TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/BpBV1R1Tzc
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 14, 2022
The two teams faced off four times this season where they split the series two games apiece. The closest game between the two teams was a 3-2 overtime victory for the back-to-back champs.
In-State Rivalry
This matchup is the second time ever the teams have met in the postseason. The 2021 playoffs was the first series between the two teams. Tampa Bay won that series in six games. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper says the fans are excited to see the two teams face each other in the playoffs.
The back-to-back champions were not surprised to be in this position. After being down in the first round, the team knew how to respond.
The first game between the Lightning and Panthers begins Tuesday.
