Panthers vs. Lightning: A Preseason Game Marked by Violence and Penalties
In a preseason encounter that will go down in history for its intensity, the Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning with a score of 7-0. However, the result took a backseat to the avalanche of penalties and the overflowing tension on the ice. The game on Saturday night was a festival of penalties, with a total of 65 penalties that added up to 312 minutes on the scoreboard. Among them, 13 ejections from the game were counted, seven for Tampa Bay and six for Florida. The situation reached such a point that the penalty count continued to increase even after the match ended, while the officials made sure to record each incident.The number of power-play opportunities for Florida was impressive, with a total of 17 according to NHL records.I have no idea what message Tampa Bay was trying to send with their style of play. I don’t care, the focus is over. We had some good games… and nobody complained about the ice time at the end, so it’s over.
Paul Maurice, Florida Panthers Coach
The penalty cascade began two minutes into the game, when Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin, after only 19 seconds on the ice, got into a fight with Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, earning him a major penalty.It became ridiculous. It became stupid in the end.
Evan Rodrigues, Forward for the Florida Panthers
A curious episode occurred in the third period, when a goal that would have meant the eighth goal for Florida was disallowed 15 minutes after Jesper Boqvist scored. The officials realized that Niko Mikkola, who supposedly had assisted on the play, had previously been ejected from the game. The scoreboard reflected an 8-0 in favor of Florida for about five minutes, until the referees informed both teams about the goal’s cancellation and Mikkola’s exit from the game. In the third period, the Lightning suffered nine penalties and didn’t record any shots on goal. This encounter occurred two nights after another preseason game between both teams, in which 49 penalties and 186 minutes in the penalty box were accumulated, with a 5-2 victory for the Lightning. It should be remembered that Tampa Bay played three consecutive Stanley Cup finals between 2020 and 2022, winning the title twice. For its part, Florida has been present in the last three Stanley Cup finals, winning the last two.It made you think that something was coming.
Eetu Luostarinen, of the Florida Panthers
I think anyone who has been a part of this rivalry would probably look at this scoresheet and A, not be surprised and B, can’t believe it took this long for something like this to happen.
Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning Coach
