SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season, so a playoff appearance has been something of a foregone conclusion for a while now.
On Sunday, the final day of the regular season, we found out who Florida’s opponent will be in the First Round of the Staley Cup Playoffs.
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The Panthers will host the Washington Capitals in a best-of-7 series.
Florida finished the regular season at the top of the NHL standings, earning the Presidents’ Trophy with aa 58-18-6 record, good for 122 points.
That means the Panthers will have home ice advantage throughout the entire 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Capitals earned the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot, going 44-26-11 during the regular season, racking up an even 100 points.
Game 1 between the Panthers and Caps is set for Tuesday night at FLA Live Arena, with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
The full series schedule is as follows:
Game 1: at Florida, Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: at Florida, Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: at Washington, Saturday, May 7 at 1 p.m.
Game 4: at Washington, Monday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
*Game 5: at Florida, Wednesday, May 11 time TBD
*Game 6: at Washington, Friday, May 13 time TBD
*Game 7: at Florida, Sunday, May 15 time TBD
*If necessary