Panthers clinch Atlantic Division title, will face Lighting in Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Panthers will now face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Panthers, who battled the Boston Bruins for the No. 1 spot in the division throughout the season, came into Tuesday night’s slate of games holding the No. 2 spot. But with a win over the Maple Leafs and the Bruins losing 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators, the Panthers jumped Boston in the standings, clinching the division.

Sam Reinhart, who earlier this season hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career, scored his 56th and 57th of the year on Tuesday. With 37 assists, Reinhart finishes with a career-high 94 points.

Aleksander Barkov had two assists, giving him a final stat line of 23 goals and 57 assists for 80 points. It’s the third time of the Finnish forward’s career that he’s hit the 80-point mark.

Netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, a large reason for the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 36-17-4 record, a .915 SV% and 2.37 GAA.