2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
How To Watch
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | Host | TV |
| 1 | Tuesday, May 17 | 7 p.m. | FLA | TNT |
| 2 | Thursday, May 19 | 7 p.m. | FLA | TNT |
| 3 | Sunday, May 22 | 1:30 p.m. | TBL | ESPN |
| 4 | Monday, May 23 | 7 p.m. | TBL | TNT |
| 5* | TBD | FLA | ||
| 6* | TBD | TBL | ||
| 7* | TBD | FLA |
*If necessary
Tale of the Tape (regular season stats)
| Panthers | STAT | Lightning |
| 58-18-6 (122 pts) | Record | 51-23-8 (106 pts) |
| 4.16 (1st in NHL) | Goals Per Game | 3.52 (7th) |
| 2.99 (T-12) | Goals Allowed Per Game | 2.81 (6th) |
| +94 | Goal Differential | +54 |
| 34-7-0 Home, 24-11-6 Away | Home/Away Record | 27-8-6 Home, 24-15-2 Away |
| 24.14% (7th) | Power Play | 23.64% (9th) |
| 79.77% (15th) | Penalty Kill | 80.88% (12th) |
2021-22 Head-To-Head: Season series tied 2-2
How they got here: Lightning def. Maple Leafs in 7 games, Panthers def. Capitals in 6 games
Can’t Miss Offer From Caesars
Florida leaders
- Carter Verhaeghe, LW: 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in first round vs. WSH
- Claude Giroux, RW: 3 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in first round vs. WSH
- Sergei Bobrovsky, G: 4-2, .906 SV%, 2.79 GAA in first round vs. WSH
Tampa Bay leaders
- Nikita Kucherov, RW: 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points in first round vs. TOR
- Victor Hedman, D: 2 goals, 5 assists, 25:42 TOI in first round vs. TOR
- Ondrej Palat, LW: 3 goals, 2 assists, 27.3% shooting in first round vs. TOR
Who needs to step up
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, G (TBL): 4-3, .897 SV%, 3.04 GAA in first round vs. TOR
- Anthony Duclair, LW (FLA): 0 goals, 2 assists, healthy scratch in Game 6 during first round vs. WSH
Key injuries
- Mason Marchment, F (FLA): Out for Game 1 (lower-body injury)
- Brayden Point, C (TBL): Questionable (lower-body injury)
Series Odds
- FLA to win: -150
- TBL to win: +130
*Courtesy of DraftKings, for more, click here.
Series Prediction
Panthers win in 7 games (4-3)
- We have an All-Florida Eastern Conference semifinal with no love lost between these two sides. The two bitter Atlantic Division rivals are no strangers to fisticuffs or meaningful games. The Lightning eliminated the Panthers in the first round last season on their way to a second-straight Stanley Cup title.
- The Panthers have finally gotten over the hump in the playoffs, winning their first playoff series since 1996 with a six-game triumph over the Washington Capitals.
- This is an enormous opportunity for the Panthers to make a statement that they should be taken seriously as the NHL’s best regular season. Knocking off a team that has given them fits in the past and the two-time defending champions will only help stake that claim.
- The Lightning, though, is a team that just knows how to win. Despite Point’s injury, shaky play from Vasilevskiy, and not a ton of production from Steven Stamkos, Tampa found a way to get past a high-powered Maple Leafs team thanks to a solid defense.
- Florida’s offense provides another significant challenge considering they were the NHL’s top-scoring team this season. But they didn’t click in the first round against Washington. Jonathan Huberdeau (115 points in ’21-22) had just three points in six games while 30-goal scorer Anthony Duclair was benched for Game 6.
- Given the cracks that have been shown in the Lightning’s foundation, though, this feels like the year that the Panthers can exorcise yet another demon.
