The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers rivalry, nicknamed “The Battle of Florida”, just became more intense on Monday thanks to Matthew Tkachuk.
“I hate Edmonton, but I hate Tampa more now,” said Tkachuk, who was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal on Friday night.
How did it all come to this you ask?
The two in-state hockey franchises first met in the 1993-94 season. The teams’ first regular season meeting came on October 9, 1993, inside the “Thunderdome” in St Pete, Florida, where the Lightning (at the time) played their home games. The first meeting was a historic game for a couple of reasons. There were 27,227 fans in attendance who got to see the Florida Panthers win 2-0. This first meeting set an NHL attendance record for a regular season game not played as part of the NHL Stadium Series, NHL Winter Classic or NHL Heritage Classic. In that first season of meetings, the Panthers held a 3-0-2 record against the Lightning.
Overall, the two in-state opponents have played 160 times including the playoffs with a record of 75-75-10. The teams have technically met more if you include preseason where they usually face each other at least twice. If you add preseason meetings the Lightning and Panthers have played each other over 220 times.
Tampa Bay currently holds an 8-2 record in the playoffs; having won the two-playoff series in the last two seasons. The teams played a historic 14 times during the 2020-2021 season when they met eight times in the regular season and six times during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Physicality on the ice has never been lacking when these two in-state teams get together. The teams have compiled over 100 fights amongst each other. Matthew Tkachuk scored 42 goals for Calgary last season and led them in 14 fights. So, coupled with his comments Monday and his physical history, the Lightning should be ready for even more physicality in the series for years to come.
His addition could create even more hostility between the two in-state rivals and continue to push “The Battle of Florida” to one of the top rivalries in the NHL.
The series has already heated up in the last two seasons with their tough and competitive playoff meetings. Currently in the 2022-2023 season, the Panthers and Lightning will face off two times in the preseason and four times in the regular season. If they meet in the playoffs, it would be for the third year in a row. This should be a lot of fun for Lightning and Panther fans along with the rest of the NHL to witness for years to come.
Here at FL Teams, we would love to hear your opinion on “The Battle of Florida. What do you have to say about this in-state rivalry?!