The postseason is a time where anything is liable to happen, regardless of the sport. Upsets occur all of the time. But many believed that would not be the case with the NHL's top-seeded Florida Panthers in the 2022 playoffs.
But that is exactly what happened.
Not only was Florida upset, they were flat-out swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sweep came as surprise to most hockey fans. The Panthers mixture of incredibly strong offense and impressive defense made them one of the most difficult teams to compete against all season long. But Tampa Bay obviously has displayed the ability to win when it counts. The Lightning are looking to three-peat as Stanley Cup Champions after winning in 2020 and 2021.
Nonetheless, the early postseason exit obviously was a major disappointment for the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad discussed getting swept by the Lightning following the conclusion of Game 4.
“It's a tough pill to swallow. Getting swept is tough. It hurts. It stings. There's no doubt about it.”
Panthers' coach Andrew Brunette had some lofty praise for the Lightning after the defeat.
“They're Stanley Cup champions for a reason. [They grew] from a high-flying offensive team and stuck with it. We aspire to be them.”
The Lightning provide inspiration for the Panthers according to Brunette. Typically, you don't hear coaches say things like that. However, Brunette's comments make sense given Tampa Bay's recent dominance of the NHL.
Andrew Brunette was also forced to defend rumors that Panthers players were partying the night before Game 4. So Florida has been in the news for the wrong reasons over the past couple of days.
The Panthers will aim to regroup over the offseason while the Lightning are looking for a third consecutive Stanley Cup victory.
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