FORT LAUDERDALE | For the second year in a row, the Lightning will cross swords with the Panthers in the playoffs. This is only the second time in NHL history that the two Florida teams have met in the playoffs. Last year, Tampa Bay won six games in the first round of the playoffs. If the struggle for the “Sunshine State” attracts attention, it is also a confrontation between two giants. On the one hand are the Stanley Cup winners of the last two seasons with the Lightning. On the other side are this season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Panthers.
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flash sheet
3. Atlantic, 110 pts
82 PD | 51v | 23d | 8 dp
Panther Leaf
1st Atlantic, 122 pts
82 PD | 58v | 18d | 6 dp
GUARDIAN
Jon Cooper made the correct prediction on the morning of Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think we haven’t seen the best of Vasi yet. [Andreï Vasilevskiy]. But one thing I do know, he’s always at his best the higher the stakes. The goaltender played his best game of the series against the Leafs in Game 7. The Russian has never lost two games in a row since the start of the 2020 playoffs. On the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky has a more mysterious side. Despite his monstrous $10 million salary cap, he remains unpredictable. He finished the first round of the playoffs against the Capitals with a respectable 2.79 GAA and .906 save percentage.
DEFENDER
The Lightning literally have a giant on the blue line in Victor Hedman. He won the Norris Trophy in 2018, was a finalist in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and is a finalist again this season. He also has his name on the Conn-Smythe Trophy (2020). But it’s not just Hedman in the Lightning. Erik Cernak is a very good partner for the Swede. Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev complete a luxurious left cross. For the Panthers, Aaron Ekblad will be healthy this spring compared to last year against the Lightning. He has the talent to make a difference in this duel. The Panthers have had even more muscle on the blue line since taking over Ben Chiarot, a player likely to eat big minutes (22min 51s v the Caps). MacKenzie Weegar and Gustav Forsling are the other two members of the Top 4.
FORWARDERS
There is a big black cloud in the lightning sky. Injured his right leg in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs, Brayden Point is a questionable case. Cooper spoke of a daily evaluation. Point’s absence could hurt. But there is still a lot of talent and depth in Lightning. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn have experience in crucial encounters. And Julien BriseBois has again made important additions to his third line with Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel. The Panthers led the NHL with 337 goals this season. They have two impressive weapons in Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Carter Verhaeghe had a phenomenal first round with 12 points in six games. Good old Claude Giroux, taken over by the Flyers, is also looking for a first coronation.
SPECIAL UNITS
The Panthers knocked out the Capitals in the first round without scoring on the power play (0 to 18). Head Coach Andrew Brunette will pull out his chart to find solutions. The Panthers also struggled with a man down and gave up seven goals in the first round with 24 chances (70.8%). The Lightning showed much more respectable numbers with at least a man ahead at 21.2% and shorthanded at 85.7%.
CONFRONTATIONS 2021-2022
lightning 2-2-0
Panthers 2-1-1