The Panthers were up against a very, very good team in the Eastern Conference First Round, a Lightning team that many picked to make -- or win -- the Stanley Cup Final. And instead of falling, instead of even a stretched-out,

The Florida Panthers are headed to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a 6-3 road victory over the Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, the Panthers punched their ticket to the second round as the club moves forward in its feat to capture its second-straight Stanley Cup championship.

Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers defeated their in-state rival in five games in the first round for the second consecutive season.