Paul Bissonnette makes a bold statement about potential Panthers vs Lightning NHL playoffs matchup

Former NHLer and analyst Paul Bissonnette boldly predicted the potential Round 1 playoff series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the NHL regular season nearing its end, playoff excitement is heating up. 14 teams have secured playoff spots, while two others are vying for the final Wild Card position.

The regular season concludes on Thursday, April 17, with the playoffs starting on Saturday, April 19. In the Eastern Conference's Pacific Division, the Round 1 matchups are nearly set.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lead with 104 points, followed by the Lightning with 100 points and the Florida Panthers with 104 points, each with two games remaining.

If the standings hold, the Lightning and Panthers are likely to meet in the first round. On NHL on TNT, Paul Bissonnette gave the edge to the Florida Panthers, stating that with their key players returning healthy, he believes Florida can defeat Tampa Bay.

"I think Florida getting all their guys back healthy, especially after I believe game two, Ekbl comes back…sleeping in the hyperbaric chamber. I think that that team can beat Tampa Bay. Yes," Biz said.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs could face the first Wild Card Ottawa Senators, setting up an exciting "Battle of Ontario" in the first round.

Florida Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe opens up about mindset before heading into playoffs

The Florida Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in a shootout at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

Rasmus Dahlin opened the scoring for the Sabres after putting them ahead 1-0 on the power play at 19:41 into the first period. Carter Verhaeghe tied it 1-1 for the Panthers at 5:00 into the second period. Jesse Puljujarvi's goal at 14:47 put the Cats up 2-1 before heading into the final period.

JJ Peterka tied it 2-2 for the Sabres on the power play at 12:18 into the third period. After a goalless overtime period, the Panthers eventually came out on top with a shootout win.

Verhaeghe, who notched two points in the game, shared the mindset of the team before heading into the playoffs:

"Just grinding and trying to build for the playoffs, and we’re all in that mindset right now,” Verhaeghe said via NHL. “We are trying to build for what’s to come.”

The Florida Panthers will be up against the NY Rangers next on Monday before wrapping up their regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, April 16.