Scouting Report
It’s a battle of the Sunshine State on the ice as a pair of Atlantic Division rivals open up their season against each other. The Florida Panthers are on the road as they make the trip to face the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night. Florida was 36-32-14 last season, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division and missed the postseason. Tampa Bay rolled to a league-best 62-16-4 record to win the President’s Trophy only to be stunned by a first-round sweep at the hands of Columbus to end their season prematurely. The Lightning took all four meetings last season, outscoring the Panthers 19-10: one win came in overtime while a second came via the shootout.