In sports, what can go wrong usually goes wrong. Ask the Tampa Bay Lightning, who will absolutely agree with this. They ended up on the losing side in a pulsating playoff encounter after being defeated by the Florida Panthers in Game 5. It was a Battle of Florida that lived up to its name, filled with aggressive crosschecks and bone rattling hits (Brandon Hagel being the clearest example here). But for the Lightning the series ended in disappointment though it wasn’t the only piece of bad news they had to deal with. Along with the loss, they’ve had to contend with a spate of injuries, some courtesy of Florida’s no holds barred physical play.

Following their tie against the Panthers, the long list of Lightning injuries went viral on social media. Among them were the likes of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brandon Hagel, apart from other stars. Bjorkstrand has been out since April 11, after a lower body injury turned serious with signs of swelling and bleeding. After being rushed to the hospital, he underwent surgery where it emerged that he was dealing with a muscle condition called compartment syndrome. Hagel, on the other hand, was involved in a clash with Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad, which left him suffering from a concussion. Earlier in the tie, he also delivered a hard check on Aleksander Barkov and was suspended for a game.

Further, Anthony Cirelli suffered an MCL sprain during Game 1 during a bustup with Gustav Forsling, and Luke Glendening was out even before the playoffs due to an acromioclavicular joint separation. Apart from these players, the likes of Yanni Gourde, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Nicholas Paul were also sidelined due to their injuries. Despite the injury setbacks, Lightning coach Jon Cooper didn’t take the credit away from the Panthers.

During the post-game interview, he said, “It was our turn. Now it’s theirs. They have an exceptional team. Not an average team. That’s an exceptional team. I think, two years ago, they’re playing Boston and they’re down 3-1 to the Presidents’ (Trophy) champs. They come back and win that series. If they don’t win that series, who knows what happens? They come back and win. They get a good vibe on how to win. It’s learned. It’s an art. Fortunately for us, we’ve had that for 10 or 12 years.” While Cooper was all praise of the opposition team, the Panthers’ coach also credited the Lightning for putting on a good show in the Battle of Florida.

Paul Maurice talks about the Florida Panthers – Tampa Bay Lightning rivalry

Despite showing glimpses of a comeback, the Florida Panthers comfortably won the first-round NHL playoff tie against the Lightning 4-1. A year ago, they inflicted a similar defeat against the same opposition and in the same round. Even as the Panthers’ coach, Paul Maurice, couldn’t stop praising his team, he had some kind words for the opposition.

Maurice revealed, “Two teams right in their prime. Very competitive. It got nasty this year because of the playoffs last year. We’re also in the same place with our teams — legitimate teams.”

On the other hand, Matthew Tkachuk had some contrasting views on the Panthers vs Lightning rivalry, saying, “I don’t know if it’s really a rivalry. But it’s nice to beat them back-to-back years, both in five, so it’s been fun playing them. We’ve had some success the last couple of years and hopefully can keep the momentum, but it’s a hard-fought series; we don’t like them, and I know they don’t like us. I’m excited.”

Nonetheless, he has every reason to smile with the Florida Panthers sailing through to the second round. They will take on the Maple Leafs in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with an eye on defending their title.