Lightning look to maintain momentum, kick Panthers while they're down

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Feb 4, 2026

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — When this season began, it certainly appeared that the Tamp Bay Lightning’s path back to the Stanley Cup Final would run through their cross-state rival.

But going into the final regular-season game between the Lightning and Florida Panthers on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena, the teams have gone in opposite directions, especially since they last met Dec. 27.

The Panthers face an uphill climb just to make the playoffs. And the Lightning have the chance to kick the Panthers while they’re down in their final game before the Olympic break.

The Lightning are 18-1-1 in their last 20 games. Starting with their 4-2 road win over Florida in late December, they’ve won 16 of 18 heading into Thursday night and sit atop the Atlantic Division standings.

Entering Wednesday night’s game versus Boston, the Panthers were in last place in the Atlantic, sitting nine points out of the conference’s last playoff spot after four straight losses.

“It’s massive for many reasons, the rivalry being just one of them, but also where they are, we don’t want to do them any favors,” Lightning assistant coach Dan Hinote said. “You know, we hate them, they hate us.

“Maybe they’re struggling a little bit, maybe they’ve got some injuries. That’s the time to step on their neck. It’s not like we’re gonna be empathetic and be like, ‘Awww.’ We have injuries, too, so we don’t feel bad for them.”

A big difference has been in the goaltender play. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is on a heater, going 15-0-1 over his last 16 games with a .919 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. That stretch included two overtime wins and three shootout victories.

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled immensely over the past month. Starting with a stretch in which he allowed four goals on 19 shots in the Panthers’ Winter Classic loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 2, Bobrovsky has lost eight of his last 11, allowing 3.81 goals a game with a .829 save percentage.

The Panthers have dealt with a number of key injuries. Captain Aleksander Barkov will miss the entire regular season. Matthew Tkachuk played his first game Jan. 19. Defenseman Seth Jones was injured in the Winter Classic. And Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett are all hurt, though Bennett was expected to return against Boston.

“They’re missing some very important key guys, and it’s not working for them as well as the past,” Hinote said. “That doesn’t mean that they can’t string together 18 and find their way in the playoffs. So all the more reason why we have to approach it (Thursday) like we’re tied in the standings and we hate them.”

The Lightning also have been hit by injuries, most recently to centers Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul; the team said Wednesday that both will be re-evaluated after the Olympic break. Top-line center Brayden Point hasn’t played since Jan. 12, and just got defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh back from lengthy injuries.

“Our division is still so tight, so these in-division games mean a lot to us,” Lightning forward Gage Goncalves said. ... “They’re a good team, whether their record’s been showing it as of lately, but they’re the back-to-back Cup champions, and they can turn on at any time. So we’re hoping to try and keep them as quiet as possible, and hopefully even kind of keep our streak going.”

Both teams still need points out of Thursday’s matchup, especially the Panthers, and both have a number of players heading to the Olympics in Milan. After Bennett replaced Cirelli on Team Canada’s roster Tuesday, each team has nine players heading to Italy.

So one would expect the teams to be focused on hockey rather than hysterics. But every game between the Lightning and Panthers is a powder keg, and all it takes is one hit or slash that the other teams doesn’t like to light a fuse.

“We don’t want to go into break throwing a no-hitter because everyone’s going to the Olympics,” Hinote said. “We want this game to be just as much as if it’s two or three weeks from the Olympics. So that’ll be the mindset (Thursday).

“And I kind of like that the game before break is against the rivalry team to guarantee you’re going to get the most out of your guys, not that you have to worry about that here.”

Up next

vs. Panthers, 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Benchmark International Arena.

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