Florida-in a hockey state of mind!
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware that the NHL playoffs are beginning. Two of the best teams in the league are facing off in the first round. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers begin their journey to the Stanley Cup on Tuesday, April 22 at 8:30 PM in Amalie Area.
Tampa Bay players in a recent hockey game in Tampa
The Lightning enter the playoffs with a 47-28-8 record, finishing 2nd in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. The Panthers’ regular season record was 47-31-4 finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Division. Games 1 and 2 will be held in Tampa’s Amalie Arena, where the Lightning have strong fan support and attendance. Games 3 and 4 will be held in Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena, the home stadium of the Panthers. The two teams are cross state rivals, having met multiple times in the regular season and the playoffs. Both teams tend to play significantly better at home as shown by their home vs. road win percentages.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay’s starting goalie.
Vasilevskiy will likely start in goal vs. the Panthers. Sergei Bobrosky is expected to be in the goal for the Panthers. Both players are masters at shutting down (and shutting out) their opponents. Their statistics are similar with a slight edge going to Vasilevskiy.
The Florida Panthers have appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals three times: 1996, 2023, 2024 and won the championship in 2024. By contrast the Lightning won the Stanley Cup 3 times: 2004, 2020, 2021. They have appeared in the finals 5 times. As you can see these teams have a storied history.
On March 5, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a hockey joke directed at the Canadians. He said, “3.3 million visitors from Canada. That is not much of a boycott, in my book. Maybe they wanted to get a look at what a Stanley Cup hockey team looks like.” I think the gauntlet has been thrown down. Time will tell if one of the Florida hockey teams will win the Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena in February 2025
Let the playoffs begin!
All the best,
Jennifer
