The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on April 19. The Winnipeg Jets are the NHL's top overall seed, having finished the regular season with the most points in the standings, and the Washington Capitals earned the No. 1 seed in the East.

But this time there's a twist. In 2021 and 2022, the Lightning were the defending Stanley Cup champion; this time the Panthers are. Each time the two teams have faced each other, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs resume with a pair of games on Monday, as the Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to even their Eastern Conference first-round series at two wins apiece when they visit the reigning champion Florida Panthers, and the Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche for Game 5 of their Western Conference matchup, which is tied at 2-2.