In a battle of Sunshine State rivals, the Lightning take on the Panthers at Amalie Arena in Tampa for Game 1 of their opening-round series in the 2025 NHL Playoffs. It should be a must-watch game, with the odds basically set at a coin flip.
What more could you ask for from a first-round matchup? We’ve got Florida, the reigning champions and winners of the past two Eastern Conference Finals, against Tampa, the 2020 and 2021 back-to-back champs.
Both teams are stacked, capable of going completely nuclear on both sides of the ice. No wonder the Panthers and Lightning sit third and eighth, respectively, on most Stanley Cup Final odds boards.
Long story short, you’re going to want to watch this game. The Sporting News will fill you in below on the puck drop time, TV broadcast, live-streaming details and more for Lightning vs. Panthers in the 2025 NHL Playoffs.
What channel is Lightning vs. Panthers on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: Fubo
Game 1 of Lightning vs. Panthers will air live on ESPN, with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Ray Ferraro (analyst), and Emily Kaplan (reporter) on the call.
Fans can live-stream the broadcast — and every game that airs on the ESPN family of networks — with Fubo.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you purchase it. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
Lightning vs. Panthers start time
- Date: Tuesday, April 22
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs series between the Lightning and Panthers is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.
Tampa Bay has gone 71-65-10-13 versus the Panthers all-time. The teams split their 2024-25 regular-season series 2-2 — no wonder the odds are a coin flip.
Lightning vs. Panthers radio station
Fans can listen to the Canadiens vs. Capitals game live on SiriusXM.
New subscribers can enjoy SiriusXM for free for four months. Listen to live NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2025
Here are the key dates to know for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and offseason. Some series start dates could move up depending on when previous series end.
| Event | Date(s) |
| First round begins | April 19 |
| NHL Draft Lottery | May 5 or 6 |
| NHL Scouting Combine at Buffalo | June 1-7 |
| Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 (if necessary) | June 23 |
| NHL Draft in Los Angeles | June 27-28 |
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