It’s a 270-mile drive from Sunrise, Fla., to Tampa Bay, so it’s not only unwise to suggest that the Panthers’ dominant regular season was cast in the shadow of the Lightning’s supremacy, it’s also geographically incorrect.
Florida was projected to push the three established powers in the Atlantic Division this year. Instead, the Panthers shattered any ceilings cast upon them entirely, becoming the first team to average more than four goals per game since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Panthers aced both the eye test and analytics test alike, conjuring up one key question: will Florida’s regular-season excellence translate to the playoffs?