After spending part of this season alternating between the taxi squad or a checking-line role, Owen Tippett finds himself in the limelight as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Panthers on Saturday night.

Due to various injuries among the Florida forwards, Tippett has been given a bigger responsibility in playing up on the second line and the rookie forward is thriving in his new position.

Even though the Panthers are getting healthier as we head toward the playoffs, Tippett is continuing to get his chance.

In practice this week, Tippett was on the right side of Huberdeau with Sam Bennett in the middle.

Patric Hornqvist, who had been playing on the second line for much of the season, remains playing with Alex Wennberg but now it’s with Frank Vatrano.

Not only is Tippett getting to show off the big shot he is known for, but the Panthers’ 2017 first round pick is showing off some pretty sweet playmaking ability as well.

“He’s got great hands,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “He has high-end offensive instincts. I think finding that balance without the puck, that predictability of retrieving pucks and protecting them all come into play when you have that offensive skill.

“But he’s got a great set of mitts and that high-end shot … he could even think about using that more.”

In Monday’s 5-4 win over Dallas, Tippett was at the forefront of two really slick Florida goals.

On Huberdeau’s opening tally, Tippett fed him the puck as he drove in on Anton Khudobin and scored to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

“When I see Huby coming down with me, it’s an easy decision to make,’’ said Tippett, who has seven goals and 17 points in 43 games this season.

Later in the first period, Tippett sped down the ice and felt MacKenzie Weegar trailing, leaving a perfectly placed drop pass which Weegar buried for a 3-1 advantage.

“Tipp is a good player,’’ Huberdeau said. “I think his last game was his best game of the year. He was flying and when he skates, he is explosive. He has a really good shot, obviously. He’s a good fit on our line.’’

The Panthers had big hopes for Tippett coming into this season.

Last year at AHL Springfield, Tippett ended up earning a trip to the All-Star Game and led the team in scoring despite suffering what would turn out to be a season-ending injury in January.

When the Panthers came to camp, Tippett was looked at as one of the team’s newcomers who could add some scoring what with Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov leaving as free agents.

Only the playing time did not materialize as Tippett had hoped and he bounced between the third and fourth lines or completely out of the lineup.

From Feb. 22-March 7, Tippett found himself on the taxi squad or otherwise sitting out for all but one game.

After being scratched for a pair of games in early April, however, Tippett has been a mainstay of the lineup and is seeing his playing time increase with his responsibilities.

“Consistency is what he’s got to work on,” Quenneville said. “He had a couple opportunities earlier this year where he looked looked like he was going to be a regular, then he lost that privilidge.

“The nice thing is, he got on the line with Huby and Benny and he looks like he belongs there. He has all the ingredients you look for in a power forward.

“He’s got a great opportunity when we start and, hey, I like what he brings. He has all the assets you crave when you’re looking for that big power forward who can score and shoot the puck like he can.”

Although he hasn’t reached the heights of the career-high 19:52 he played against Columbus on April 20, he has been averaging more than 14 minutes per game over the past four.

The Panthers have also been using him on the power play with players like Carter Verhaeghe and Patric Hornqvist out with injury.

Tippett has two goals and five points in his past four games, his biggest output in a four-game span this season.

His puck possession and work driving offense has opened some eyes.

“I’m just trying to hold onto the puck a little longer rather than rushing plays,” Tippett said. “When you do that, the game kind of slows down. I am just holding onto it longer than I used to.”

LIVIN’ ON TAMPA TIME

The Lightning will be playing the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday when it visits BB&T Center in what will not be the final time this season.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper did not seemed pleased when asked about it Friday night.

The Lightning lost 5-2 to Dallas on Friday and then boarded a short flight to Fort Lauderdale.

The Panthers had not played since beating the Stars on Monday night.

Florida and the Lightning were supposed to play the first of this two-game set Thursday with the season-finale on Saturday but because of the Dallas rescheduling that had to be done, one game was moved up until Monday.

“I would like to have the four day break they have had before we play them instead of a back-to-back,’’ Cooper said. “It’s always good to play after you don’t play well.”

Home ice in the opening round of the playoffs will be on the line.

Carolina clinched the Central by virtue of Tampa Bay’s loss so Florida and the Lightning will indeed meet in the playoffs for the first time.

Florida and Tampa Bay will go into the postseason as the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the divisional playoffs.

The Panthers and Lightning are currently tied in points. Florida will have to finish ahead of the Lightning in the final standings to have home ice in that opening round.

“We like where we are at,” Cooper said before Friday’s game.

“As you get close to the playoffs, it is always good to be playing for something even if it is home ice. You kind of know who you’re going to play.”

The Lightning started Curtis McElhinney on Friday so that means Andrei Vasilevskiy will go up against Sergei Bobrovsky on Saturday night in Sunrise.

Both goalies sport 2-2 records in the four games they have played against the Panthers and Lightning this season.

For Bobrovsky, this will be his first start since last Saturday’s win in Chicago. Spencer Knight got the start this past Monday against Dallas.

Quenneville said Friday that Chris Driedger would get the regular-season finale against the Lightning on Monday night and that he is leaning toward Bobrovsky to start the playoffs.

INJURY UPDATES

Although just about everyone is practicing, Quenneville said Friday that a few players would continue to be held out Saturday with everyone brought in for Monday’s regular-season finale.

Quenneville already said Chris Driedger would start Monday’s game; who else sits out Saturday (perhaps Carter Verhaeghe) will likely be known in the morning.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINEUP

FLORIDA FORWARDS

14 Grigori Denisenko — 16 Sasha Barkov — 91 Anthony Duclair

11 Jonathan Huberdeau — 9 Sam Bennett — 74 Owen Tippett

77 Frank Vatrano — 21 Alex Wennberg — 70 Patric Hornqvist

94 Ryan Lomberg — 55 Noel Acciari — 94 Nikita Gusev

FLORIDA DEFENSEMEN

42 Gus Forsling — 52 MacKenzie Weegar

65 Markus Nutivaara — 62 Brandon Montour

3 Keith Yandle — 7 Radko Gudas

FLORIDA GOALIES

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

60 Chris Driedger

Scratches: F Eetu Luostarinen, D Matt Kiersted, D Anton Stralman, F Juho Lammikko, F Lucas Wallmark, G Spencer Knight

Injured: F Carter Verhaeghe (practicing, may play Saturday); G Chris Driedger (practicing, playing Monday); D Noah Juulsen (UBI, TBD); D Aaron Ekblad (leg, out another month+)

Taxi squad: D Kevin Connauton, F Cole Schwindt, F Scott Wilson, G Sam Montembeault, G Philippe Desrosiers, D Brady Keeper

Florida power play (38/179 21.2% — 12th in NHL)

Florida penalty kill (124/158 78.5% — 22nd in NHL)

PP1: Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Anthony Duclair, Keith Yandle, MacKenzie Weegar

PP2: Alex Wennberg, Owen Tippett, Frank Vatrano, Patric Hornqvist, Brandon Montour

PROJECTED TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING LINEUP

TAMPA BAY FORWARDS

18 Ondrej Palat — 21 Brayden Point — 60 Alex Barre-Boulet

17 Alex Killorn — 71 Anthony Cirelli  — 9 Tyler Johnson

19 Barclay Goodrow — 37 Yanni Gourde — 20 Blake Coleman

14 Pat Maroon — 79 Ross Colton — 7 Mathieu Joseph

TAMPA BAY DEFENSEMEN

77 Victor Hedman — 81 Erik Cernak

27 Ryan McDonagh — 58 David Savard

98 Mikhail Sergachev — 44 Jan Rutta

TAMPA BAY GOALIES

88 Andrei Vasilevskiy

35 Curtis McElhinney

Tampa Bay power play (40/169 23.7% — 6th in NHL)

Florida penalty kill (144/172 83.7% — 5th in NHL)