After a three-day mandatory Christmas break, the National Hockey League returns with a vengeance with an eight-game slate on Friday.
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning don’t return to action till Saturday – more on that later – but they went into the Holidays hot! The Battle of Florida boiled over in a home-and-home series earlier this week which featured the first two games of the Sunshine State Rivalry this season. Here’s what went down:
Sunday, December 22, 2024: Panthers Win 4-2 At Lightning
In the first matchup, the Panthers achieved a 4-2 win at Amalie Arena. Notably, A.J. Greer and Eetu Luostarinen each scored shorthanded goals during the same penalty kill, a rare and impressive feat. Sam Reinhart contributed significantly with two goals, bringing his total to 18 goals in 32 games against the Lightning. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad extended his point streak to four games, assisting on Greer’s goal, which marked his 250th career assist. Goaltender Spencer Knight made 19 saves, earning his sixth win of the season.
Monday, December 23, 2024: Lightning Respond with Shutout Victory In Sunrise
The following night, the Lightning rebounded with a 4-0 victory at Amerant Bank Arena. Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring but was later ejected in the first period following a knee-on-knee collision with Panthers’ star forward Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury from the hit, leaving the ice in visible pain, though he returned in the second period. Goaltender Jonas Johansson was instrumental in the shutout, stopping all 36 shots faced.
Licking Their Wounds
The Panthers are hopeful that the Holiday break will allow players dealing with injuries and illnesses to recover. Head coach Paul Maurice admitted after Monday’s game that his players were limping into the four-day break after an exhaustive pre-Christmas schedule. The Cats are scheduled to resume practice on Friday, December 27, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, and host the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at 1 pm.
Lightning Strikes
The Lightning have been managing without defenseman JJ Moser, who is expected to miss 8-10 weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained on December 18, 2024.
Standings Race
Both teams continue to compete vigorously in the Atlantic Division, with the Panthers aiming to build on their recent successes and the Lightning striving to maintain momentum despite injury challenges. Florida went into Christmas as the #1 team in the division at 22-12-2 (46 points), with a two-point lead over Toronto.
The Bolts stand fourth in the Atlantic at 19-11-2 (40 points) which gives them the first wildcard berth for the time being. They are two points back of Boston and two up on the Ottawa Senators.
(Rod Pedersen covers the NHL for the South Florida Tribune. He also hosts the award-winning weekly Cats N Bolts Podcast, and the daily Rod Pedersen Show on Game+TV, YouTube Live and Podcast).
