The team that finished with a league-best 122 points, a 58-18-6 record, has been swept by their cross-state rivals.
The Florida Panthers, widely expected to be the new driving force of ice hockey down in the Sunshine State, were outclassed in every aspect of the game this series against their rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning — the same Lightning team that is coming off two straight Stanley Cup wins, and is now a couple of series wins away from their third consecutive. The Lightning swept the Panthers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last night.
“They’re Stanley Cup champions for a reason,” Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette said of the Lightning. “Their evolution of how they were once a high-flying kind of offensive team and they found their recipe how to win and they stick with it…we aspire to be them. And this was another learning experience for us.”
Until next time, @tblightning. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/e8iTPlX5Gm
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 24, 2022
The Panthers averaged 4.1 goals per game this season, the league-best. They held the record this season for a plethora of similar categories, yet none of it mattered after being knocked out by the Lightning. They are now the fifth-best Presidents’ Trophy winners — the award commemorating the best record in the league — to be swept in the postseason (the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning hold that distinction, as they were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets after finishing the season with 128 points).
CONGLATURATION, FLORIDA PANTHERS!
YOU WON A PLAYOFF SERIES… AND THAT WAS APPARENTLY GOOD ENOUGH!
ALL OF THE TALENT IN THE WORLD COULD ONLY MUSTER UP ONE POWER PLAY GOAL IN TEN GODDAMN GAMES!
TAMPA BAY ONCE AGAIN PROVED DOMINANCE!
PLEASE GO AWAY! JUST GO AWAY!
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) May 24, 2022
“I think we’re closer than ever,” Brunette continued. “But we got swept, and there’s another level we’ve got to climb still. We’re still climbing, and I thought hoping — not hoping, but I believe — we were ready for that next step, and unfortunately, we fell short.”
“Contributions up and down the lineup every night got us to where we were in the regular season and got us through Washington,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “Yeah, I mean, you can’t say enough about that. The effort, obviously, was there. No doubt about it…It’s a tough pill to swallow. Getting swept is tough. It hurts. It stings. There’s no doubt about it.”
What did you think of this series, and who do you have winning the Stanley Cup? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
