Florida is headed home with a 2-0 series lead.
The Battle of Florida certainly doesn't need any more fuel — but the fire got even bigger after Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel knocked Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2 with a massive hit.
Although the Panthers were able to win the contest 2-0 on the road — and take a 2-0 series lead back to Sunrise — head coach Paul Maurice didn't have an update on the Finnish star after the game.
And Florida forward Sam Bennett made it clear there is no love lost between the two Atlantic Division rivals.
“Two teams that have played each other a lot in the playoffs, and that rivalry is just growing and growing,” Bennett told Panthers team reporter Katie Engleson after the game. “We just hate them more and more every time we play them, so it makes for good hockey.”
Bennett also spoke on how important Barkov is to the Panthers.
“It's tough to see,” Bennett said of the huge hit. “Any time your best player goes down like that, it's tough to lose him. He does everything for this squad. We care about him a lot. He's a tough guy, so I'm sure he'll be fine.”
There's been no indication that Hagel will receive supplemental discipline from the league, although Barkov was nowhere near the puck when the enormous hit was thrown.
This is the fourth playoff meeting in five years between the Panthers and Lightning — and the winner of the last three has gone on to the Stanley Cup Final. It's clear that both squads have aspirations to hoist Lord Stanley again in 2025, although one will be going out early.
And after beating the Lightning in five games in Round 1 in 2024, the Panthers have the upper hand after winning both games on the road. Game 1 was a 6-2 blowout, although Thursday night's tilt could have gone either way, with Florida opening up a 1-0 lead early in the first period and holding it for the entire tilt.
Bennett ended up sealing the deal with an empty netter late in regulation. Once again, it was Sergei Bobrovsky leading the way for the Cats.
Sergei Bobrovsky continues to shine in postseason
It was Bobrovsky's fourth career playoff shutout; he made 19 saves in the triumph.
“We've got a good group of guys, everybody is working for each other,” the Russian said afterwards, per NHL.com's Corey Long. “It's a big win, but we're going to rest and get ready for the next one. It's a series, not one game. We enjoyed our effort tonight and now rest, reset and get ready for our home game.”
“Over the course of his career, the amount of time he puts into being great, you can't be surprised,” Maurice said of his netminder. “It's actually just a wonderful life lesson for the people around who get to watch. If you want to get better, hone your craft. Put as much time in it, find the joy in it and then you have games like this, where he's just so good and so right.”
Unsurprisingly, the series is already a bruising battle, and that should continue for Games 3 and 4 at Amerant Bank Arena. Game 3 is set for Saturday afternoon; puck is set to drop just past 1:00 p.m. ET.
