Playoff intensity percolating as Lightning host Panthers
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
It will not be a playoff game Wednesday night when the Florida Panthers and host Tampa Bay Lightning meet for the first time this season, but the in-state rivals will likely bring a postseason intensity and immediacy to the match on Florida's Gulf Coast.
As the season nears the halfway point, theAtlantic Division clubs occupy two of the Eastern Conference's eight playoff slots