Stanley Cup Playoffs Trophy — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Leonard Zhukovsky
In the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, seven of eight first-round series have already started, and Tuesday marks the start of No. 8.
Both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers appear to be serious Stanley Cup contenders when the Battle of Florida gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Following New Jersey vs. Carolina (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Ottawa vs. Toronto (7:30 p.m., ESPN2), and before the nightcap, Minnesota vs. Vegas (11 p.m. ET, ESPN), Cats vs. Bolts is the third of four games on the ESPN family of networks on Tuesday.
The two Sunshine State teams have faced off in the postseason four times now, with each match taking place since 2021.
The series winner has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each case—the Lightning in 2021 and 2022, the Panthers in 2024—while the 2021 Lightning and 2024 Panthers took home the trophy.
Not surprisingly, with 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 15 games, Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay in scoring against Florida. In 15 games, Aleksander Barkov has 13 points (three goals, ten assists), making him the Panthers’ top scorer versus the Lightning.
In the regular season, the two teams split their matches; the Lightning won the most recent one on April 15 by a score of 5-1.
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Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
