Game 1 of Florida Panthers-Tampa Bay Lightning will face off on Sunday afternoon

The NHL announced on Wednesday night that Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning would drop the puck at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

See you Sunday at our house.

It’s #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/fjlhPvH5ia

— y – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 17, 2024

With the Panthers’ win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday combined with the Boston Bruins’ loss to the Ottawa Senators, Florida earned the Atlantic Division title. The result changed the playoffs-opening matchup from the Panthers getting the Maple Leafs to their intrastate rival Lightning, while Boston now hosts Toronto instead of the Lightning.

The Panthers and Lightning played three times this regular season, with Florida winning two of the matchups, 3-2 on Dec. 27 and 9-2 on Feb. 17 in Tampa. The Lightning won in their lone trip to Sunrise, 5-3 on March 16.

As of Wednesday at 8 p.m., the NHL had not released the Eastern Conference schedule beyond the Game 1s.