The Tampa Bay Lightning sent a strong message to the Florida Panthers with a decisive 5-1 victory at Amalie Arena, closing out the regular season and locking in home-ice advantage for their upcoming first-round playoff clash.
Brayden Point led the charge for Tampa Bay, scoring just:3 into the game and finishing with a goal and two assists. The Lightning dominated the first period, with rookie Conor Geekie and Jake Guentzel adding goals to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 cushion before the first intermission. Nikita Kucherov, who continues to lead the league in points, extended the lead in the second period, while Darren Raddysh capped the scoring on a power play in the third.
Florida, resting several key players ahead of the postseason, managed just one goal from Brad Marchand. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was solid in net for Tampa Bay, making saves.
With this win, the Lightning secured the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division and will face the Panthers—who finished third—in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The two teams have developed one of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries, meeting in four of the last five postseasons. Last year, Florida eliminated Tampa Bay in the first round, setting the stage for another heated "Battle of Florida" as the playoffs begin.
Will Tampa Bay’s momentum carry over, or will Florida flip the script? The next chapter starts soon.
