But this time there's a twist. In 2021 and 2022, the Lightning were the defending Stanley Cup champion; this time the Panthers are. Each time the two teams have faced each other, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Three years ago, during the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Florida Panthers saw their season mercifully end at the hands of their in-state rivals in the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers’ high-flying,