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SUNRISE, Fla. -- It's starting to feel like an annual tradition: Panthers vs. Lightning in the NHL playoffs, the battle of Florida, a matchup that has seemed to decide which team will eventually get to the Stanley Cup Final.
And here they go again.
Defending Stanley Cup champion Florida heads to Tampa Bay for Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series tonight, the start of the fourth postseason meeting in five years between the Sunshine State rivals. Tampa Bay won the East title in 2020, 2021 and 2022; Florida is trying to match that run of success after winning the East in 2023 and 2024.
"I think you see it every game we play, whether it's preseason in Orlando or whether it's Game 1 of the playoffs," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "We've kind of known that the other one's going to be there at the end of the year. It's kind of always, we're going to have to go through each other. I think there's that respect there ... but we almost love to hate each other."
Tampa Bay beat Florida 4-1 in 2021 (on its way to a second consecutive Stanley Cup title) and swept the Panthers in 2022 -- giving up just three goals in that series. Florida beat Tampa Bay in six games last season, on its way to its first Cup win.
"They know us and we know them," Lightning forward Brayden Point said. "We're looking forward to it. They're always tight series and it's going to be a good one."
Monday's games:
CAPITALS 3, CANADIANS 2 (OT): Alex Ovechkin scored the first playoff overtime goal of his NHL career to give Washington a victory over Montreal in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Fresh off breaking Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in league history 15 days earlier, Ovechkin's second of the game 3:26 into OT allowed the Eastern Conference top-seeded Capitals to escape after blowing a two-goal third-period lead.
JETS 2, BLUES 1: Kyle Connor scored with 1:43 to go in regulation as Winnipeg defeated St. Louis in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series for a 2-0 series lead. The winning score came off a double assist from Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele. It was Scheifele who gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at the 16:32 mark of the first period.