SUNRISE (AP) — The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions on one side. The Presidents’ Trophy winners on the other. Franchises separated by just a couple hundred miles of highway. And two teams that don’t like each other very much.
Tampa Bay and Florida. For the state championship — and so much more.
READ MORE:
The Lightning and the Panthers are meeting in the playoffs for the second consecutive season, with Game 1 starting Tuesday on Florida’s home ice. Tampa Bay needed six games to oust the Panthers a year ago in Round 1.