Duclair ready to face Panthers in 1st round with Lightning

TAMPA -- Anthony Duclair is familiar with the environment at Amerant Bank Arena during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But instead of receiving cheers from the Florida Panthers fans, the Tampa Bay Lightning forward will be on the opposite side for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; TV: ESPN, BSSUN, BSFL).

Duclair helped the Panthers reach the playoffs in each of his three seasons with them and was an integral part of their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. With Florida, he was on the losing end of two series against Tampa Bay and is ready to experience this rivalry from the other perspective.

“Obviously, it was a great three years there in Florida and I’ve got a lot of good memories,” Duclair said. “It’s going to be really special to play against these guys, especially in the first round. It’s going to be a battle.”

Duclair has given the Lightning a spark since he was acquired from the San Jose Sharks on March 7 prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. In 17 games, he has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) while skating on the top line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.

His presence has allowed Tampa Bay to gain continuity in its lineup, which has led to a 12-4-2 record since Duclair was acquired.

“He’s a veteran and he’s another threat,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “When you have another piece in the arsenal that can play anywhere in the lineup, that helps. When you can skate in this league, you have that burst and you can push defensemen back like ‘Dukie’ can, it’s an asset. He’s been great. He has fit right into our room.”

Duclair said he’s been more than happy to offer his advice on what the Lightning need to do to have success against the Panthers for the third time in the past four seasons, but he also knows that both teams are very familiar with each other at this point.

“You look back to the last two series between these two teams and you know how tight-checked it was,” Duclair said. “There’s not going to be a lot of room out there. Good ol’ playoff hockey. It’s going to be fun.”

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said there will be information shared on both sides.

“We do know some of his tendencies after playing with him, so we know his game a little bit,” Tkachuk said. “But he knows us as well. I am sure they are asking him about us. But they are a great team and he has been terrific since joining them. He is going to be a guy we need to keep an eye on and try and stop.”

Duclair had 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) in 137 regular-season games with Florida. He set NHL career highs in goals (31), assists (27) and points (58) in the 2021-22 season.

He remains tied to the community in South Florida, where his efforts to make hockey more inclusive and grow the sport in the region led to the creation of the Anthony Duclair Foundation. Part of that initiative was realized in February when construction began on the first outdoor synthetic hockey rink in Broward County, located in Lauderdale Lakes.

“I just want to give back as much as I can,” Duclair said. “I’m looking forward to building more down the road. There are people down there I still connect with to this date and will continue to connect with in the future.”

Duclair also has plenty of friends in the Panthers locker room, but they don’t expect any communication with him for the next couple of weeks.

“He is obviously a great guy and a great friend to so many of us in here,” Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said. “But, as he said on NHL Network, there are no friends on the ice -- especially in the playoffs. It’s hockey, it’s business. Now we go against each other and he is just another player on that team.”