The Tampa Bay Lightning got started in the 1992-93 season, but they would not have to wait long for some in-state competition as the Florida Panthers got their start in the 1993-94 season. While the early years of the rivalry failed to see any playoff matchups between the two franchises and the young clubs struggled to find their footing (save for the Panthers’ Stanley Cup Final appearance in their second season), those formative years helped shape the relationship between the Lightning and the Panthers for years to come.
As the two teams have really come into their own over the past decade and the sport has surged in popularity in the state, the matchup has become must-see TV. When looking at the standings, it’s hard not to get excited at the prospect of the Lightning and the Panthers going at it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring. With this rivalry soaring to new heights and having the potential to become even more prominent, it’s worth taking a look at how the last few seasons have really put this rivalry on the map and what could come next.
2019-20
The 2019-20 season featured four matchups between the Lightning and Panthers and is interestingly the last time that the Lightning have had a winning record in the regular season against their South Florida rival. The Lightning got off to a strong start in the season series on Oct. 3, 2019, with a 5-2 win over the Panthers. It was a team effort with five unique goal scorers for the Lightning, with players such as Kevin Shattenkirk and Ondrej Palat chipping in. Mikhail Sergechev had a respectable game with three assists, but the standout was (perhaps unsurprisingly) Andrei Vasilevskiy with 35 saves on 37 shots. The Panthers did not have to wait long to get their revenge, as the two teams faced off again just two days after their initial contest. After falling into a 3-0 deficit in the first period, the Lightning just did not have it in them to make a comeback. They got close, but not close enough, and the Panthers walked away with a 4-3 win, thanks in part to a two-goal game from Mike Hoffman.
That was the last win the Panthers got against the Lightning in the 2019-20 season, though. In December, the two teams had their last two matchups against each other for the season, and while the winning side was the same for both games, the two meetings could not have been more different. The first was a 2-1 nail-biter, with just a single goal coming in each period. The Lightning mustered a whopping 48 shots, which only resulted in two goals (one from Steven Stamkos and one from Alex Killorn), but in the end, that was enough to get the job done. Later that month, they ran the Panthers right out of the building with a 6-1 beatdown. The goals rained down early and often for the Lightning as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Panthers did get a chance to answer and make it 3-1, but it immediately went back to the scheduled programming as the Lightning tacked on another three goals.
Like the other Lightning wins, it was very much a team effort, but there were a couple of performances that really shined through. Victor Hedman had two goals and an assist on the night, while Brayden Point had one goal and three assists. Unfortunately, the playoff matchup between the two was not meant to be as the Panthers got bounced in the qualifying round of the playoffs (a round added because of the COVID pandemic), but a Stanley Cup for the Lightning was a nice consolation.
2020-21
The 2020-21 season had a staggering eight matchups between the Lightning and Panthers, something that has actually happened before but is unlikely to ever happen again. This season, it was the Panthers that snagged the first win with a 5-2 victory over the Lightning. Point had two goals, and that was more or less the only positive the Lightning had that night. For a moment, it was a 2-1 game in favor of the Panthers in the second period, but that moment was gone all too soon. When the buzzer sounded and the period was over, it was 4-1 for the Panthers, and the Lightning were unable to get anything going in the third. Just like the Panthers in the previous season, the Lightning only had two days to wait for a bounce-back win. More than that, it was the same scoreline as the last time the Lightning beat the Panthers, 6-1.
After a scoreless first period, the Lightning went to work in the second and put up four goals, with two coming from Tyler Johnson. The Panthers did answer in the third, but Alexander Volkov ended any chance at a comeback while Barclay Goodrow tacked on one more goal for good measure. On Feb. 15, 2021, the teams played each other for the third time that season, and the Lightning got off to a good start with a goal from Stamkos. The Panthers, unfortunately, had other plans for the evening and promptly answered with four goals of their own.
While the Lightning did manage to wake up a bit and make the scoreline more respectable, they still lost 6-4. Once again, it was the Lightning’s turn to answer with a win of their own. The game was a back-and-forth contest, and the teams were level at 3-3 in the third period, but a power play goal from Johnson made all the difference. After that, it was desperation time for the Panthers, and Point capitalized on an empty net to seal the deal for the Lightning and end the game 5-3.
Finally, the Lightning were able to take the series lead on March 15 with a hard-fought 3-2 win. They were trailing in the third but managed to tie the game thanks to Ross Colton, and Hedman finished the job in overtime. That, however, was the last regular-season win that the Lightning got against the Panthers that season. They dropped the remaining three contests by a combined score of 14-4. The 5-3 loss was the only game in which they showed a pulse, with the other games being 5-1 and 4-0 embarrassments. When people think about the Lightning and Panthers’ rivalry in the context of the 2020-21 season, they do not think of it as a Panthers’ victory. That is because the story was not quite over. When the regular season ended, the Lightning and Panthers were positioned to face each other in the playoffs for the first time ever, and it was quite a series.
Game 1 was a high-flying matchup that ended in a 5-4 win for the Lightning thanks to a pair of third-period goals from Point. They followed that up with another win (this time 3-1), largely on the back of first-period goals from Stamkos and Palat. The Panthers were not going down without a fight, though, and answered with a 6-5 overtime win. Victory looked certain for the Lightning, but the Panthers clawed their way back and found a way to win. Similarly, they were now only down 2-1 in the series. The defending champions were ready, though, and Game 4 ended in a 6-2 win for the Lightning. Game 5 was a bit of a deflated effort by the Lightning and resulted in a 4-1 Panthers win to put the series at 3-2. Determined to not let the series go to seven games, the Lightning reminded the hockey world why they were elite and ended the series with a 4-0 shutout. Within a matter of weeks, they won their second straight Stanley Cup, and the rivalry was finally starting to feel very real.
2021-22
The 2021-22 season was back to business as usual, with four regular-season games played between the Lightning and Panthers. As is often the case, their first showdown was in the first month of the season, on Oct. 19, 2021. The game got off to a slow start, with the only goal in the first two periods being a second-period power play goal for the Panthers by way of Brandon Montour. Point and the Lightning were able to get even in the third, but it did not last. The Panthers poured on three goals in the third to end the game 4-1.
A month later, the Lightning were able to turn the tide and even the regular-season series. They tried their best to give the game away after going up 2-0 by letting the Panthers level the score at 2-2. After a scoreless third, though, Point was able to come up clutch in overtime and hand the Panthers a loss. The next two matchups were once again split between the two clubs, and both games were very lopsided. First, there was the 9-3 win for the Panthers on Dec. 30. Jonathan Huberdeau put on a clinic with one goal and four assists, while Anthony Duclair had a strong showing too with two goals and an assist. The Lightning were without Vasilevskiy and simply did not show up to play that night.
The last matchup of the season was a bit more memorable for the Lightning, as they achieved an 8-4 drubbing on the Panthers. Kucherov, Stamkos, and Nick Paul all had two-goal games, and the Lightning scored at least two goals in each period. This ended up being an omen of what was to come in the playoffs when the Lightning and Panthers ended up meeting yet again. In the first round, the Lightning were scrapped by the Toronto Maple Leafs while the Panthers took care of business against the Washington Capitals, which put the two rivals on a collision course.
The sequel failed to live up to the hype as the Lightning walloped the Panthers 4-0 in the series. Game 1 was tied in the third period at 1-1, but three straight goals for the Lightning and none for the Panthers resulted in a 4-1 victory. Although the Panthers avoided the same meltdown when facing the same situation in Game 2, they managed to give up a goal to Colton with four seconds remaining, which handed the Lightning a 2-1 win. Game 3 was the most lopsided of the series, with a 5-1 win for the Lightning. The Panthers put up a fight in the first period, but after that, it was curtains. Facing elimination and being down 3-0 in the series, they needed a perfect performance in Game 4 to avoid being swept. That did not happen. Vasilevskiy stood on his head, stopped all 49 shots he faced, and led the Lightning to a 2-0 win. In the aftermath, the Lightning made their third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance, falling to the Colorado Avalanche in six games.
2022-23
A month later, the Lightning’s 2022-23 campaign against the Panthers started off with back-to-back wins on Oct. 21 and Dec. 10. The first game was, like several others, a 3-2 overtime win for the Lightning. Just like many other matchups between the Lightning and Panthers, Point was the star of the show. He was the one to tie the game up in the third period and the one to end the game in overtime. The next time the two teams faced each other, they found themselves tied 1-1 in the third period, but the Lightning were determined to finish the job in regulation. A three-goal third period with goals coming from Point, Sergachev, and Stamkos gave the Lightning a 4-1 win. That is the last time that the Lightning have beat the Panthers to date.
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The next two games were decisive victories for the Panthers, coming in the form of a 7-1 and 4-1 win for the team from Sunrise, Florida. While some anticipated a third straight playoff matchup between the Lightning and Panthers, it was not meant to be. The Lightning were unable to beat the Maple Leafs and found themselves knocked out in the first round. It was their turn to watch a rival go on a run to the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers just barely squeaked into the playoffs, but after that, they shocked the hockey world. They beat the Stanley Cup-favored Boston Bruins in seven games before decimating the Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers did fail to capture the Stanley Cup, falling in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, but it was still quite a run.
2023-24
The Lightning have only faced the Panthers once this season thus far. It was a tightly contested 3-2 win for the Panthers. The Lightning slipped into a 2-0 deficit after two periods and did not have enough time to make up the lost ground. The loss meant that the Lightning did not beat the Panthers during the 2023 calendar year. That being said, they still have two games left against the Panthers this season. The teams will face off on Feb. 17 and March 16. Perhaps more exciting is the idea that they could play against each other in the playoffs yet again. The season is far from done, but there is a real possibility of them being the second and third seeds in the Atlantic Division. The rivalry has grown so much over the past few seasons and helped push forward the sport of hockey in the Sunshine State. Another playoff matchup would just go that much further toward building a legacy for the sport and the rivalry in Florida.