The Tampa Bay Lightning and National Hockey League on Tuesday revealed the 2025 preseason schedule. The schedule features seven matchups (three home, four on the road) and the last three matchups before games count for real will feel like they have playoff-implications as the Lightning and Panthers will face off three times to end preseason play. They will play twice in Sunrise at Amerant Bank Arena and once at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
The full 2025 preseason schedule is as follows:
All times are currently slated for 7PM, however they are subject to change should the NHL need to make adjustments.
The Lightning and Panthers will have unfinished business when the players take the ice on September 30 for their first matchup since the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in which the Panthers knocked the Lightning out of the playoffs with a 4-1 series victory.
It’ll be a sunshine state throwdown for the first three games of preseason and as the saying goes, “history repeats itself,” and this matchup is likely to have the same atmosphere as games four and five of the Stanley Cup Playoff matchups between the two clubs: Exciting, hyped up, aggressive, and a great battle of the teams that represent the state of Florida.
Over the course of playing each other, the Florida Panthers lead the all-time series 89-73-10-9 over the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have also won the season-series over the Lightning the last two years in a row and coming off of the 2024-25 playoffs, the Panthers have a two-game win streak going over Tampa Bay.
Though it will only be preseason at the time, series between the Panthers and Lightning are always huge series for the state of Florida. It’s a big rivalry, the teams know each other well. It makes for three must-watch preseason matchups.