Florida went 2-1-0 against the Lightning, but played well in all three games

In a couple days the Florida Panthers will begin their latest playoff journey, and they’ll be doing it against one of their oldest and most hated rivals.

There is no love lost between Florida and their cross-state rivals in Tampa Bay.

This season, the Cats and Bolts faced off only three times, which feels a little low considering the teams play in the same division, but alas, here we are.

Before we start looking ahead to the upcoming playoff series, let’s go back and review the three meetings between the Panthers and Lightning from the 2023-24 hockey season.

Wednesday, December 27: Panthers win 3-2 in Tampa

A big night for Florida’s top line and starting goaltender resulted in a rare road win in Tampa. The Panthers have traditionally not fared well inside Amalie Arena, though this season things felt different. Sam Reinhart scored a pair of goals, Sasha Barkov logged three assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves in the one-goal victory.

THN Florida Recap / Three Takeaways

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfavZdr7KTI[/embed]

Saturday, February 17: Panthers win 9-2 in Tampa

Talk about a strange evening in Tampa Bay. The Panthers fell behind early and then exploded to put up nine consecutive goals on Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning.

THN Florida Recap / Three Takeaways

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ge4QGaAP50[/embed]

Saturday, March 16: Tampa wins 5-3 in Sunrise

The Panthers were expected to face an inspired Tampa team considering the way they’d shellacked them during their previous meeting, and that’s exactly what they got. Well, that and an unreal effort by Vasilevskiy. Florida outshot the Lightning 50-16 and yet somehow lost 5-3.

THN Florida Recap / Three Takeaways

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfDc2UGNbXI[/embed]

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

'A perfect opportunity for us': Panthers looking forward to playoff rematch with Tampa Bay

Game 1 between Panthers and Lightning will take place Sunday

Matthew Tkachuk shows off lettuce in 'Show Your Flow' campaign with NHL, Great Clips

Panthers captain Sasha Barkov nominated for King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Three takeaways: Panthers finish strong, Verhaeghe shows no rust