The Tampa Bay Lightning continues their eight-game homestand as they take on their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been through quite an ordeal over the last couple of games. Their last five games, including their 7-6 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, have ended in either an overtime period or a shootout.
The good news is, four of those five overtime battles ended with a Lightning victory. The bad news here is the Lightning will only be able to ride this out for so long before their luck runs out once again and they will come up on the losing side of this battle. This is why a regulation victory is going to be incredibly important tonight.
In just a few hours, the Tampa Bay Lightning will open the doors to the Amalie Arena once again as they continue their eight-game homestand against a familiar foe. Tonight, the Lightning do battle with their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers.
Much like the Lightning, the Panthers are heading into tonight’s contest on a high note. Just one day after the Lightning defeated the Flyers at home, the Panthers would hand the Flyers another loss in the form of a 4-1 victory. The Panthers are riding a pretty good win streak at the moment, emerging victorious in their last six games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
This is going to sound very “captain obvious” to Lightning fans, but the Bolts really need to seal the deal on this one in regulation. The Lightning is up against a lot of divisional teams over the course of their current homestand and the last thing the Bolts need is to hand Atlantic Division opponents free points.
Granted, the Lightning’s closest competition in the Atlantic Division is the Boston Bruins, who are currently six points behind the Bolts, but this is no reason for the team to let their feet off the gas at this late point in the season; especially when teams are still jockeying for position.
Leading the way for the Panthers right now is forward Aleksander Barkov. Barkov has picked up 25 goals and 39 assists this season for a total of 64 points. One of those points came on Sunday night against the Flyers when he scored the opening goal just 2:41 into the first period.
Of course, continuing to lead the way for the Lightning is forward Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has already brought home 33 goals and 52 assists for a total of 85 points. Kucherov currently leads the NHL in Points. The Russian forward picked up three of his 52 assists on Saturday afternoon against the Flyers.
While the entirety of the Bolts Nation waits on the edge of their seats for the puck to drop, let’s take a look at all the ways fans can be a part of the action tonight as the Lightning take on the Panthers.
Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers
Venue: Amalie Arena
Location: Tampa, Florida
Date: Tuesday, March 6,, 2018
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV Info: Fox Sports Sun, Fox Sports Florida
Radio Info: Lightning Radio on 970WFLA or TBL Power Play on iHeartRadio
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go App in the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store
Next: Ryan McDonagh Not Ready To Debut Against Panthers
There is never a dull moment when the Florida Panthers come to town. It’s one thing to battle a divisional rival. It’s a bit of a game changer when you take on your in-state rivals. If the past is any indicator, tonight should be an interesting battle in the Sunshine State.