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82 of 82: Ending the Season Against the Rival |
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The Cats will finish their 2024-25 campaign tonight in fitting form when they take on their in-state rivals …the Tampa Bay Lightning.
No better way to end it than with a little Battle of Florida action!
The 47-30-4 Panthers clashing with the 46-26-8 Bolts right before the postseason should produce nothing short of a smash-mouth, high intensity battle as the two Atlantic Division powerhouses duke it out tonight.
As
Litter Box Cats points out:
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Tampa Bay is coming off a 7-4 home ice victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. NHL scoring leader Nikita Kucherov tallied twice and added an assist and Jake Guentzel also provided a brace to keep the Bolts’ long-shot quest for the division title alive. The Lightning needs to win tonight and see the Maple Leafs fall in regulation to Buffalo to make first place in the Atlantic come down to the final night of the campaign.”
While we don’t know who the postseason opponent will be for Florida, but as
ESPN points out, tonight could very realistically be a preview of Round 1:
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The most likely postseason scenario in the Atlantic includes these in-state rivals squaring off in Round 1. The Panthers cannot catch the Lightning (they can tie in standings points, but Tampa Bay is well ahead in regulation wins); the Lightning can catch the Maple Leafs, but need to win their final two and have the Leafs lose their final two in regulation. In other words, this game might involve some "message-sending" ahead of their upcoming game rather than any additional standings shuffling concerns.”
With that in mind, I’m not sure what to expect in terms of a lineup tonight. Maurice has hinted at “rest is king,” which makes me think we’ll see some key guys sitting.
However things shake out, I’m just looking forward to tonight’s game…
Let’s get ‘em!
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Go Panthers!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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