TAMPA, Fla. — The stage is set. After forcing a Game 7 faceoff with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Tampa Bay Lightning kept their three-peat Stanley Cup championship hopes alive with a 2-1 win.
Now it's on to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning will take on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference first round.
On Monday, the National Hockey League released the full schedule of the Lightning vs Panthers series.
Here's how it all shakes out. The Panthers will host the series opener on May 17 in South Florida. The winner of the series will then take on the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers series for the Eastern Conference finals.
Game 1: 7 p.m. ET, May 17 on TNT. Tampa Bay at Florida.
Game 2: 7 p.m. ET, May 19 on TNT. Tampa Bay at Florida.
Game 3: 1:30 p.m. ET, May 22 on TNT. Florida at Tampa Bay.
Game 4: 7 p.m. ET, May 23 on TNT. Florida at Tampa Bay.
Game 5*: TBD, May 25. Tampa Bay at Florida.
Game 6*: TBD, May 27. Florida at Tampa Bay.
Game 7*: TBD, May 29. Tampa Bay at Florida.
(*If needed)
The Panthers went 3-2 against the Lightning during the regular season. In their last regular-season matchup on April 24, the Lightning won 8-4. Nicholas Paul led the Lightning with two goals.
Florida has a 16-2-2 record in Atlantic Division games and a 58-18-6 record overall. The Panthers are sixth in league play serving 10.1 penalty minutes per game.
Tampa Bay is 13-8-3 against the Atlantic Division and 51-23-8 overall. The Lightning have a +57 scoring differential, with 285 total goals scored and 228 conceded.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.