Finished strong. Taking care of business, the Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 at Benchmark International Arena on Monday. With the win, the Panthers improved to 17-13-2 and finished 3-1-0 on their four-game road trip.

Cooper called it “a brutal game” between two tired teams, citing that the Panthers were finishing a four-game road trip that previously sent them to Utah, Colorado and Dallas while the Lightning were back home playing their fifth game since Dec. 8 in a different city.

The Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet Monday in Tampa, Florida, with puck drop slated for 7 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper made a rather interesting admission after a loss to the Florida Panthers.

A pair of Eastern Conference teams take the ice when the fourth-place Tampa Bay Lightning (18-11-3) host the 12th-place Florida Panthers (16-13-2) at Benchmark International Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

Panthers aim to cap a strong road trip by clashing with a struggling Lightning squad that could potentially be welcoming back their star goalie.

On Monday, December 15, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena in a very important NHL game. Fans will be watching Nikita Kucherov and Brad Marchand closely as both teams aim to secure a win.

The Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning host the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Florida went 3-1-0 on its recent road trip, capped with a 5-2 win against in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning.

On Monday, the next installment of the Battle of Florida will be contested between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, a rivalry that has certainly intensified in recent years. The two teams entered the league one year apart. The Bolts in 1992 and the Cats a year later.