The first 13 games of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are in the books -- thanks for finally joining the party, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning-- so each team has had a chance to show the new postseason version of itself.

But this time there's a twist. In 2021 and 2022, the Lightning were the defending Stanley Cup champion; this time the Panthers are. Each time the two teams have faced each other, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers out-hit the Lightning by a 48-28 count. They particularly made their presence felt in the first period when they were credited with 19 hits to only nine for the Lightning. If Jon Cooper is concerned about what the Panthers did to his team physically, he’s not letting on.