Panthers had to learn how to win, Lightning showed the way

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

Winning in the Stanley Cup playoffs and becoming a championship-capable team, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, is an art. It’s something that has to be learned.

Turns out, the Lightning were good teachers.

And the Florida Panthers were really good students.

The Lightning, unbeknownst to them at the time, planted the seeds for this run of postseason by their crossstate rival Panthers. Tampa Bay swept Florida in the second round of the 2022 playoffs, simply dominatin...