NHL playoffs round 1 2025 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning was intense, to say the least; there were hits, suspensions on both sides, and even some sass thrown by the coaches to add to it all. To start with, Florida was entering the playoffs with a bunch of injuries and a major suspension, and considering Vasilevskiy had a higher save percentage than Bobrovsky, a lot of public sentiment leaned heavily toward Tampa. Now, Florida has managed to knock their age-old opponents out of round one in the ongoing Panthers-Lightning rivalry, and captain Aleksander Barkov is finally speaking out on the battle of the Sunshine State. Now, what did Barkov say after eliminating Tampa Bay?

When asked in a postgame interview about the rivalry, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennet – who were both suited up to perfection, as if they hadn’t just smothered their all-time rivals hours prior – kept their cool. Barkov answered in his gentle, composed manner, “Every year, it (the Battle of Florida) just keeps getting harder and harder. They’ve won Cups and have been in the Finals. They know what it takes, and now we’ve done the same thing. We also know. It’s a really hard series.” 

Considering Barkov found himself in the Panthers Lightning rivalry, with Brandon Hagel’s hit in Game 2 of the playoffs after the puck was well out of Barkov’s control, it says a lot about either Barkov’s diplomacy or generosity of spirit. Hagel’s hit was in fact so bad that Barkov had to retreat to the locker rooms, from which he then didn’t return for the rest of the game. Hagel was hit with a suspension after the incident and then with Aaron Ekblad’s sheer wrath in game 4. In any case, all of this is in the distant past for the Florida Panthers now as they proceed to round 2.

What’s next for the Florida Panthers and Aleksander Barkov as they head towards round 2 of the playoffs?

Florida heads into round 2 looking really good and really intimidating! It’s not just their revived and brutally aggressive play that has them succeeding in the way they are. And let’s be honest, it’s been really full-on. Matthew Tkachuk got away with a hit on Jake Guentzel in game 3, and after Ekblad made that head hit on Hagel, he went on to score a goal! When asked about how Florida might fare without Ekblad on their side owing to the following two game suspension, coach Paul Maurice didn’t seem too concerned: “This will be viewed in our room as an injury. … Unfortunately, we’ve now missed him for 22 of the past 24, so we’re not used to him being in our lineup anyway.” And perhaps this is because physical play is far from all they have going for them.

In Sam Bennet’s own words during the post-game interview with Aleksander Barkov, he commented on the finesse of every line, saying, “The depth of our team is the most impressive thing; it was on full display tonight; every line was chipping in.” Despite everything and worries about Marchand finding his footing early on in the postseason, the Florida Panthers seem to have found their playoff rhythm and depth despite injuries and suspensions.

As they move forward, the Florida Panthers are set to face either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators. The Leafs are in the lead, 3-2, but the Senators won their last game, 4-0, so who’s to say which way it’ll go? While the Senators lack the finesse of Florida, they have been paying their price for their overly physical play, and while the Leafs demonstrated that same finesse in the earlier games of the series, they made many mistakes in game 5. Either way, it will definitely be an interesting round 2, and Barkov seems to be very aware of this as he keeps things cool in the post-game chat! Will Aleksander Barkov lead them to another upset in NHL Round 2?