Miami Heat

Weekend Watch List: Plenty of drama left in March for NBA, NHL

Published Mar. 20, 2015 11:00 a.m. ET

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Hana Ostapchuk

Fans of Florida teams may not have a rooting interest in the NCAA tournament this season, but there's plenty of drama taking place in March with our NBA and NHL teams.

Following a three-day break, the Tampa Bay Lighting enter one of their busiest stretches of the season with nine games over the next 16 days as they battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference

With postseason hopes on the line for the Florida Panthers and only 11 games remaining, the Panthers look to make up ground this weekend with a pivotal matchup with the Boston Bruins.

On the court, the Miami Heat have shown major improvement in their push for playoffs. Dwyane Wade has scored at least 25 points in seven consecutive games, while helping Miami win six of their last seven games at home. But a four-game road trip awaits.

Here's a closer look at what to watch for in the Sunshine State this weekend...

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

WCBK -- Miami vs. Washington, 12 p.m. ET

MLB -- Blue Jays at Rays, 1 p.m. ET

MLB -- Braves at Marlins, 7 p.m. ET

NBA -- Trail Blazers at Magic, 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports Florida)

NBA -- Nuggets at Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET (Sun Sports)

NHL -- Red Wings at Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET (Sun Sports)

Spotlight: The Lightning meet the Red Wings for the third time having wone both previous matchups this season. They'll meet again March 28 in Detroit. Steven Stamkos scored two goals in a 4-3 victory on Nov. 9, while Cedric Paquette notched a hat trick in a 5-1 win on Jan. 29. Tampa Bay stopped a two-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The Red Wings have lost three their last four games and five of the past seven, including a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

WCBK -- FGCU vs. Oklahoma State, 11 a.m. ET

MLB -- Marlins at Nationals, 1 p.m. ET

MLB -- Twins at Rays, 1 p.m. ET

WCBK -- FSU vs. Alabama St., 1:30 p.m. ET

WCBK -- South Florida vs. LSU, 6:30 p.m. ET

NHL -- Bruins at Panthers, 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports Florida)

MLS -- Vancouver at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m. ET (Sun Sports)

Spotlight: Panthers' goaltender Roberto Luongo (shoulder) started Thursday night after a six-game absence and made 25 saves in his return, helping Florida secure a 3-1 victory over the Red Wings. The Boston Bruins currently hold down the final wild-card in the East, with the Ottawa Senators two points back and the Panthers five points behind. Saturday's matchup will be the second of four meetings between the teams -- the remaining two will be in the season's final 11 games. In the last meeting on Nov. 4, Brad Marchand scored in overtime to lift the Bruins to a 2-1 victory. Jussi Jokinen scored for the Panthers with assists from Brad Boyes and Aaron Ekblad. After a five-game winning streak, the Bruins have lost three straight.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

MLB -- Twins at Marlins, 1 p.m. ET

MLB -- Rays at Blue Jays, 1 p.m. ET

NBA -- Heat at Thunder, 3 p.m. ET (Sun Sports)

NHL -- Bruins at Lightning, 5 p.m. ET (Sun Sports)

NBA -- Nuggets at Magic, 6 p.m. ET (FOX Sports Florida)

Spotlight: The Heat meet with the Oklahoma City Thunder for their second matchup of the season on Sunday. The first meeting was a 94-86 victory for the Thunder as Kevin Durant lead with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Wade lead the Heat with 18 points and six assists. Oklahoma City has won four their last five home games, while Miami has lost its only two road games in March. The trip to OKC will be the first leg of a four-game road trip. The Heat head into the weekend seventh in the East, facing a tight race with Charlotte, Indiana and Boston for the final two playoff spots.

NEWS OF NOTE

-- Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay signed with the Buffalo Bills after the Dolphins opted to not match the five-year, $38 million offer sheet from Bills.

-- Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb will miss his scheduled Opening Day start due to tendinitis in his throwing forearm. Cobb originally felt soreness in his forearm during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and left his start to later have an MRI.

-- The Miami Heat signed Michael Beasley for the remainder of the season on Wednesday. Beasley joined Tyler Johnson and Henry Walker in locking a guaranteed contract for the season after two 10-day contracts.

-- The North Florida Ospreys were knocked out the NCAA tournament when they lost 81-77 against Robert Morris on Wednesday night. It was the Osprey's first NCAA tournament game.

-- Marlins All-Star slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit his first home run of spring training on Wednesday -- his first home run since last September, three days before a pitch to the face ended his season. Stanton's homer helped lead the Marlins to a 5-4 victory against the Washington Nationals.

-- Marlins Gold Glove winner Christian Yelich is reportedly close to signing a seven-year deal worth more than $40 million with Miami as of Wednesday.

-- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Dallas Cowboys cornerback Sterling Moore to a one-year deal on Thursday.

TWEET(S) OF THE WEEK

Inspired by the rare events that took place on March 3 after both Luongo and Al Montoya were injured, the Panthers kicked off their "Goal of a Lifetime" contest on Monday. Over 1,500 applications rolled in from fans who wished to be Florida's backup goalie for the day as alumni, current players, fans and media gathered at the BB&T Center earlier this week to see the tryouts go down.

You can follow Hana Ostapchuk on Twitter @HanaOstapchuk or email her at HANAMARIE13@AOL.COM.

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