Schedule and 2021-22 Results
Regular Season Records: Florida 58-18-6=122pts, Tampa Bay 51-23-8=110pts
Game 1 on Tuesday, 17 May: Tampa Bay wins at Florida, 4-goals-1
Game 2 on Thursday, 19 May: Tampa Bay wins at Florida, 2-goals-1
Game 3 on Sunday, 22 May: Florida loses at Tampa Bay, 5-goals-1
Game 4 on Monday, 23 May: Florida loses at Tampa Bay, 2-goals-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and shut out the Florida Panthers 2-goals-nil to complete a 4-games-nil best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1493 victory. With the series 1493 win, the Tampa Bay Lightning improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 24-10 (with an active ten-series winning streak befitting a two-time defending NHL champion) overall and 8-1 (with an active eight-series winning streak in the Quarterfinals round) in the Quarterfinals round. With the series 1493 loss, the Florida Panthers see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 4-7 overall and 1-1 in the Quarterfinals round. The win order for the victorious Tampa Bay Lightning in series 1493 was WWWW: Series 1493 thus becomes the 43rd NHL Quarterfinals-round series, the 126th NHL series (all rounds), and the 246th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The three total goals in series 1493 by the Florida Panthers are the fewest total goals by one team in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series since series 1359, in which the Los Angeles Kings totaled three goals as the Vegas Golden Knights swept them from the 2018 NHL Preliminary round. The series 1493 sweep by the Tampa Bay Lightning is the biggest best-of-7 NHL underdog sweep (Tampa Bay trailed Florida by 12 regular-season points) since series 1386, in which the Columbus Bluejackets trailed the Tampa Bay Lightning by 30 regular-season points and yet swept Tampa Bay from the 2019 NHL Preliminary round (in the last series loss to date by the Tampa Bay Lightning).

After Game 3: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the Florida Panthers 5-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1493 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 4-0 and a Game 4 record of 2-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Florida Panthers have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 4 record of 0-2. In the history of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, teams trailing 3-games-nil have a 5-380 (.013) series record (4-196 (.020) in the NHL; 0-146 (.000) in the NBA).

After Game 2: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and defeated the Florida Panthers 2-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1493 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 9-0 and a Game 3 record of 4-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Florida Panthers have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 3 record of 1-2. In series 1493 Game 2, Tampa Bay opened the scoring on the road but Florida tied the game; Tampa Bay won the game with a goal with four seconds left in regulation. One previous best-of-7 NHL playoff game offered a first goal by the visitors, a tying goal by the hosts, and the game-winning goal in the last ten seconds of regulation by the visitors to win the game: In series 1263 Game 1 in the 2015 NHL Quarterfinals, the Washington Capitals visited and defeated the New York Rangers 2-goals-1 with the winning goal with two seconds left in regulation.

After Game 1: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and topped the Florida Panthers 4-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1493 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 12-2 (with an active six-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 9-5 (with an active four-Game 2 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Florida Panthers have a series record of 1-5 and a Game 2 record of 3-3. The Tampa Bay Lightning trailed the Panthers in Florida by a goal as late as 16:21 into the second period, but won series 1493 Game 1: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games (1939-2021, inclusive), road teams down a goal as late as 16:21 into the second period had a game record of 184-664 (.217); so it is that the Tampa Bay Lightning achieve a Grade-C (.200 - .299) in-game comeback in series 1493 Game 1. The Tampa Bay Lightning have an eight-Game 2 winning streak in best-of-7 NHL playoff series irrespective of Game 1 outcome. With their series 1493 Game 1 loss, the Florida Panthers now have a six-Game 1 losing streak.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2021-22 NHL regular season, the Florida Panthers finished twelve points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. From 1939 through the 2022 NHL Preliminary round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by twelve regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 13-9 (.591, with an active six-series winning streak) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1493 is the eleventh best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Florida Panthers, and the 34th for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Florida Panthers have an all-rounds series record of 4-6, a Quarterfinals-round series record of 1-0, and a Game 1 record of 4-6 (with an active five-Game 1 losing streak), while the Tampa Bay Lightning have an all-rounds series record of 23-10 (with an active nine-series winning streak befitting a two-time NHL champion), a Quarterfinals-round series record of 7-1 (with an active seven-series winning streak in the Quarterfinals), and a Game 1 record of 14-19. Series 1493 is the second best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. In their only previous best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers in series 1455 (in the 2021 NHL Preliminary round en route to the 2021 NHL championship).