The Florida Panthers weren’t the top team in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the defending champions are doing everything

Brad Marchand saved the Panthers season from the brink with his overtime goal in Game 3 against the Maple Leafs, giving Florida a 5-4 win.

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Florida Panthers and National Hockey League announced today that the Panthers have advanced to the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Game 5 of the First Round. This is the fourth consecutive year the Panthers have advanced to the Second Round.

Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) smiles after scoring a goal during the first period of Game 4 of a Stanley Cup playoffs second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Alie Skowronski [email protected]

The Florida Panthers can close out their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a win in Game 5 April 30 in Tampa. The defending Stanley Cup champions took a 3-1 series lead by rallying past their cross-state rivals ...

NHL on ESPN host and play-by-play voice Steve Levy was kind enough to join the show and discuss the latest happenings in the playoffs, including the red-hot Edmonton Oilers and tightening series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.

One of the biggest things that we did was we set the tone. We were given a job. We did exactly what we needed to do — just being able to be relied upon when called.’

The defending champion Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights trail their NHL playoff series 2-0. Analyzing their situations: