TAMPA, Fla. — For each of the past five seasons, the Stanley Cup Final has run through Florida.

Will it again?

It all starts with the latest Battle of Florida, the fourth time in five years that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have faced off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference First Round is at Amalie Arena on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).

The Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions, winning their first title in their second consecutive run to the Final. The Lightning won the Cup in 2020 and 2021, and lost the 2022 Final in six games to the Colorado Avalanche.

This is not the same matchup all over again.

“Different not only in players but different in mentalities too,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Last year they weren’t Cup champs. They were fighting to win the Cup and now they’re the Cup champs, so the mentality is different in so many ways. On our side, we’re one more year removed from being a Cup champ.

“You can look at this from different angles and different ways, but they’re probably a more weathered team in the sense that they’ve been there and done it and know what to expect. We’re a team that’s already been through it as well, so I think the Battle of Florida never disappoints.”

Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-7 series are 525-247 (.680).