The Tampa Bay Lightning — the hottest team in the NHL — are set to visit the rival Florida Panthers on Monday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Tampa Bay has the longest active win streak in the league at eight games and has also won three straight road contests.
The key for the Lightning has been their defense, which has allowed just three goals over their past four games.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy entered Sunday second in the NHL with 29 wins, and Tampa Bay’s skaters are skilled at protecting him.
“We’re defending well in our zone, letting Vasy see the puck,” said Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who blocked five shots in a 3-1 win at the Washington Capitals on Saturday. “He’s been playing huge for us.”
Victor Hedman is Tampa Bay’s captain and star defenseman, and he agrees with McDonagh’s viewpoint.
“Defense wins championships,” Hedman said. “That’s the way we have to play.”
Offensively, the Lightning rely heavily on Nikita Kucherov, who entered Sunday second in the NHL with 60 assists. He also leads Tampa Bay with 87 points.
The Lightning have four players with more than 25 goals: Brayden Point (31), Brandon Hagel (30), Kucherov (27) and Jake Guentzel (27). Hagel is riding an eight-game point streak (eight goals, six assists).
The Sunshine State rivals split back-to-back games in December, with each team winning on the road.
Florida is also on a winning streak, having captured three in a row.
For most of the season, the Panthers have been led by their top four point producers: Sam Reinhart (64), Matthew Tkachuk (57), Aleksander Barkov (54) and Carter Verhaeghe (44).
That quartet has been quiet lately, and yet the Panthers keep winning. Over the past four games, those four players have combined for just one goal and four assists. Tkachuk is on injured reserve with a groin injury suffered during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“It’s not necessarily going to be the Barkovs (every time),” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after Saturday’s 3-0 home win over the Calgary Flames.
“It’s getting pucks around the net. It’s getting the hard goals. Teams will check each other, and the guys who don’t usually put up a lot of points become critical (in the playoff push).”
Much like the Lightning, defense has been the key for the Panthers, who are 12-5-0 over their past 17 games.
“When we don’t give teams chances off the rush, it frustrates them,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “Then we capitalize on turnovers.”
That defense is headlined by goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who blanked the Flames on Saturday. He has won seven of his past nine starts and has 25 wins this season.
Florida backup goalie Spencer Knight was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade that was announced late Saturday night. The Panthers received five-time All-Star defenseman Seth Jones, and it appears likely that Jones will make his team debut Monday.
“Seth is an elite veteran and a proven leader,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “He’s been one of the most consistent players in the league over the past decade.”
The 30-year-old Jones, in the third season of an eight-year, $76 million contract, joins a talented defensive group that includes Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling.
Chicago will also receive a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, while Florida gets a 2026 fourth-rounder from Chicago in the trade.
Chris Driedger was recalled from AHL affiliate Charlotte on Sunday to serve as Bobrovsky’s backup.
Reinhart leads the Panthers with 31 goals after posing a career-high 57 last season.
–Field Level Media
