As Game 1 approaches, the Lightning are ready for the moment

It’s that time of year in Tampa Bay. The flags are flying, the fans are fired up, and the buzz is building across the city. It’s playoff time—and the Lightning are back in the thick of it.

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If the Lightning have had a ‘down year’ in recent memory, last season was probably it. Their once-stout defense that helped them win Stanley Cups, slipped to 23rd in the NHL in goals allowed. After two consecutive first-round playoff exits, changes had to be made. With a mix of new additions alongside primed veterans, this team is built with the intention to win now — and into the future.

"The more experience you have, the better," Lightning forward Nick Paul said of the playoffs. “It’s hard.. you can explain it all you want, but until you play your first playoff game, that’s when you really get to experience it and see what it's all about. You watch it growing up.. You understand it, but once you’re in it, it's just a completely different feel."

"When it comes to people in this room who have done it before, we’ve got a lot of guys."

The return of Ryan McDonagh and Yanni Gourde—two pivotal pieces from the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, has made a clear impact down the stretch. Their experience, combined with the leadership of Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, has been invaluable.

"I think we have a bunch of guys in this room that rise up to the occasion. When there’s a challenge in front of them, they run to it head first. We’re just really excited," Paul said.

"We're ready for whatever, anything can be thrown at you this time of year. We’ve got a really strong group here."

The Lightning are the fourth-best team in the league when they play at Amalie Arena. With a home record of 29-8-4 in the regular season, locking in home ice advantage was a priority for them down the stretch.

“This is what we were working for this season. Getting home ice, we know our fans are amazing. This building is amazing,” said Paul. “The energy that we can feed off of while being home, having fans like this, it's great.”

The Lightning and Panthers know each other well, going gone toe-to-toe in the preseason, battling through the regular season, and clashing in the playoffs four times in the past five years. Make no mistake, there will be no love lost regardless of how this series goes.