Florida Panthers
Batten Down the Hatches, the Panthers and Lightning Play Tonight
Over the past couple of years, the rivalry between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning has become one of the NHL’s most intense.
Put it right up there with classic matchups like Quebec-Montreal, Islanders-Rangers, and Calgary-Edmonton.
The more these teams see each other, the more the tension grows.
With so many preseason, regular-season, and playoff games, these teams have had lots of chances to get to know — and dislike — each other.
This rivalry has reached its peak in the 2020s.
Both the Panthers and Lightning are top teams, each chasing the Stanley Cup.
Together, these teams have won the Stanley Cup four times in the past decade, and at least one has reached the Final in each of the last six seasons.
If the preseason is any sign, the four regular-season games should be just as heated.
To recap, the last two exhibition games between these teams racked up 508 penalty minutes.
Those games had it all: fighting, roughing, high-sticking, slashing, unsportsmanlike conduct, cross-checking, game misconducts, match penalties, and boarding.
Of the 322 minutes called in the last preseason game, only four minutes were for “soft” penalties: Two minutes each for tripping and holding.
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By the end, things were so chaotic that Niko Mikkola and the Panthers didn’t even realize the defenseman had been ejected in the third period.
The officials didn’t catch this mistake until later in the period.
A Florida goal was taken away, and the Panthers were penalized for having an ineligible player on the ice.
It’s a rare call, but with these teams, you never know what will happen.
After the game, the NHL Player Safety department suspended Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin and J.J. Moser.
The NHL fined the Lightning $100,000 for what seemed like a deliberate attempt to injure and cause chaos. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was fined $25,000.
Florida didn’t receive any extra discipline.
The latest batch of bad blood started in last year’s first-round playoffs, which the Panthers won in five games.
Brandon Hagel was suspended a game after a hit on Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, then Aaron Ekblad got two games for going after Hagel with an elbow to the head in retailiation.
The Lightning are limping into town with as many injuries as the Panthers.
Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Anthony Cirelli, Nick Paul, Dominic James, and Pontus Holmberg are all expected to be out with Cooper calling his team a “MASH unit” after Friday’s practice on the west coast.
In Wednesday’s 7-3 home loss to the Rangers, Hagel left in the first period and did not return.
His status is uncertain but he is not expected to play, either.
Goalie Andre Vasilevskiy is coming off a rough night against the Rangers, where he gave up five goals on just thirteen shots.
Paul Maurice brushed off the preseason fireworks as he prepared for tonight’s game.
“It’s just good rivalries if you get into the playoffs with a team,’’ Maurice said, echoing what he said before the final exhibition game back in early October.
“If you do it in two consecutive years, that third year neither team forgets, so that energy comes to the rink., You know it could happen, and then they drop the puck, and it’s usually something completely different. But it will be good. It will be fun.”
Cooper had his own analysis of the situation and summed up why the Panthers and Lightning simply do not get along.
“They play right down the street. From the same state,’’ Cooper said. “We went to three straight Cup Finals, then they went to three finals. We’ve knocked them out of the playoffs, they’ve knocked us out of the playoffs, and we played them the most of anybody else.
“If you count the exhibition games, we really played them the most. I’m not a mathematician but, you add that up and it sounds like a rivalry to me.”
Cooper added what is probably the most significant observation.
“Players have memories, too, right? They know who we’re playing,’’ Cooper said. “Especially when we recently played each other in a playoff. The coaches don’t need to do too much on this one.”
Regardless, this game should live up to the hype.
ON DECK: GAME 18
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Season Series — At Florida: Saturday; Dec. 27. At Tampa Bay:Dec. 15; Feb. 5
- Last Regular Season: Tied 2-2
- Last Postseason: Florida won 4-1 (Round 1)
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 79-53-19, 10 ties
- All-Time Postgame Series — Tied 2-2: Lightning won 2021 first-round, 2022 ECS; Panthers won 2024, 2025 first-round series
