The 2-0 Florida Panthers are getting ready for the NHL’s ’Battle of Florida’ tonight in Tampa Bay, taking on the Lightning for the first time since the Bolts eliminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs last year en route to back to back Stanley Cup wins.

The Panthers learned at Tuesday morning’s skate that they won’t have to contend with star forward Nikita Kucherov who’s out indefinitely with an injury.

The Cats are off to an electric start, averaging 5 goals a game over their first two. Sam Bennett proved, once again, how deep this Panthers team is, pulling off the hat trick in Saturday’s win over the Islanders.

The Panthers and Lightning know each other very well from their meetings over the past few seasons, and are now both projected to be among the top teams in the NHL.

“I think each team knows one another,” says Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville. “We know their individuals. We know their tendencies and traits. You’re going to be tested the whole way with this team, and they bring meaning to every shift.”

Watch the Panthers and Lightning tonight at 7 p.m. on Bally Sports.