SUNRISE, Fla. — As the old saying goes, “Lightning never strikes the same place twice” – Bolt players are ready to defy that idiom as they try to make the Stanley Cup Final for a third time in four years.
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Friday its schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round series against the Florida Panthers, according to a news release.
The first two postseason games start away from home at the Panthers’ Amerant Bank Arena on April 21 and 23, then shift back to the Bay Area for the next two games.
Without further ado, here’s the official schedule, per the Tampa Bay Lightning:
Game 1 – Lightning at Panthers on Sunday, April 21 (Amerant Bank Arena) 12:30 p.m.
Game 2 – Lightning at Panthers on Tuesday, April 23 (Amerant Bank Arena) 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Panthers at Lightning on Thursday, April 25 (AMALIE Arena) 7 p.m.
Game 4 – Panthers at Lightning on Saturday, April 27 (AMALIE Arena) 5 p.m.
Game 5 – Lightning at Panthers on Monday, April 29 (Amerant Bank Arena) *if necessary
Game 6 – Panthers at Lightning on Wednesday, May 1 (AMALIE Arena) *if necessary
Game 7 – Lightning at Panthers on Saturday, May 4 (Amerant Bank Arena) *if necessary
All times listed are ET and subject to change.
The Bolts come into Sunday’s game after winning 6-4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday, snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Lightning have won three Stanley Cup championships in the team's history, going back-to-back in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. The Bolts' first title came in 2004.