In the heart of the Sunshine State, where hockey passions burn as hot as the summer sun, Sam Bennett’s candid admission of “hate” for the Tampa Bay Lightning has fueled the fire that is the intra-state rivalry. The Florida Panthers will walk into Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a commanding 2-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning, in their best-of-7 opening-round series, setting the stage for a heated showdown as the series shifts to Sunrise.

Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett, during the post-match interview, was quick to address that the already developed rivalry between the two teams fuels the hate even more. He said, “Yeah, I mean, I don’t think we expected anything less. You know, two teams that play each other a lot in the playoffs. That rivalry is just growing and growing, you know. We just hate them more and more every time we play them, so it makes for good hockey.” The Panthers opened the Stanley Cup playoffs series with a dominant 6-2 victory on Tuesday, showcasing their offensive firepower and physical edge.

Game 2, played on Thursday at Amalie Arena, was a masterclass in defensive discipline, as Florida blanked Tampa Bay 2-0, stifling the Lightning’s vaunted power play. The Panthers killed off all five of Tampa Bay’s power-play opportunities, a critical factor in their early series dominance. “The Lightning have suffered a power outage,” wrote Florida Hockey Now as Tampa Bay’s usually potent special teams failed to spark against Florida’s relentless penalty kill.

Nate Schmidt has emerged as an unlikely hero for the Panthers, scoring three goals in the first two games, including a slapper off a faceoff win by captain Sasha Barkov just 4:15 into Game 2. Schmidt’s offensive outburst places him in elite company, joining Nicklas Lidstrom as the only defensemen in NHL history to score three goals in the opening two games of a Stanley cup playoff year. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida’s stalwart goaltender, anchored the Game 2 shutout with 19 saves, smothering Tampa Bay’s offense in the neutral zone and limiting high-danger chances.

However, the game was not without concern for Florida. Barkov, the Panthers’ captain and emotional leader, left Game 2 with 10:09 remaining after taking a hit to the jaw from Lightning forward Brandon Hagel. Barkov did not return, leaving fans and teammates anxious about his status for Game 3. Bennett’s fiery pre-series comments, where he openly expressed his disdain for the Lightning, have added an extra layer of intensity to this rivalry. The Panthers have channeled that emotion into a hard-hitting, disciplined style of play, outmuscling and outsmarting Tampa Bay through the first two games. Florida’s physicality was evident from the opening puck drop in Game 1, and their ability to maintain that intensity while staying out of the penalty box in Game 2 has put the Lightning on their heels.

As the series moves to Sunrise for Game 3 of Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Game 4 on Monday at 7 p.m., the Lightning face a daunting challenge. Tampa Bay’s power play, a cornerstone of their success in past playoff runs, must find a way to penetrate Florida’s suffocating penalty kill. Without a spark from their special teams, the Lightning risk falling into a 3-0 or 4-0 hole, a deficit that only four teams in NHL history have overcome in a best-of-7 series.

When Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers met for the first time before Stanley Cup Playoffs

On September 19, 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers faced off in a pre-season game at the Lakeland Civic Arena, marking the first-ever clash between Florida’s two NHL teams. This game, a snapshot of 1990s Florida hockey, saw the Lightning, in their second NHL season, edge out the expansion Panthers 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 3,876 fans.

The Lightning were coming off a respectable inaugural season, finishing 1992-93 with a 23-54-7 record and 53 points—solid for an expansion team. In the off-season, they bolstered their roster with veterans, most notably goaltender Daren Puppa, acquired indirectly through the Panthers’ expansion draft. The draft, which stocked the Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, forced teams to protect only one goaltender, leaving the Lightning vulnerable. General Manager Phil Esposito, frustrated by the rules and the arrival of a rival franchise just hours south, noted the draft favored the newcomers.

In Lakeland, the game was a penalty-filled affair, with the Lightning taking 15 penalties and the Panthers earning 13 power plays. Tampa Bay dominated early, outshooting Florida 17-3 in the first period but failing to score. They converted two of their 13 power plays, with goals from Roman Hamrlik, Petr Klima, Denis Savard, and Bill McDougall securing the win. Despite a nearly three-minute five-on-three advantage, the Lightning’s offense could have been sharper.

This pre-season tilt laid the groundwork for the Panthers-Lightning rivalry, though their first official meeting came on October 9, 1993, a 2-0 Panthers win—Florida’s first in franchise history. Both teams have since evolved, but that Lakeland game remains a gritty, chaotic emblem of their early days, long before their playoff battles elevated the in-state rivalry to new heights.