MIAMI (SNN-TV) – The Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to take the Sunshine State rivalry to the next level when they meet in the Eastern Conference Second Round, beginning tonight.
The Lightning and the Panthers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup First Round last season.
Tampa Bay won in six games in a series where the teams combined for 41 goals and went on to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.
Now the Lightning are on a quest to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders’ run of four straight championships from 1980-83.
After coming back from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, Tampa Bay will face another difficult challenge against Florida, which won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL regular-season leader in points.
The puck drops tonight at the FLA Live Arena for Game 1 at 7pm.
