What We Learned: Florida Panthers Lose to Lightning in Orlando

The Florida Panthers played their third exhibition game of the preseason Wednesday night against a familiar foe in an NBA arena which also houses the ECHL Solar Bears.

Both the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning iced lineups which made Wednesday’s game feel more like a preseason warmup for the AHL Charlotte Checkers and Syracuse Crunch.

That is not to say there were not players on both teams who will start this season in the NHL.

Just not many.

There really was not a lot to take out of Wednesday’s exhibition in front of a large crowd at the Magic’s Kia Center with play deteriorating as it went along.

Tampa Bay ended up winning 8-7 after scoring five goals in the third period off goalie Ken Appleby after he relieved Chris Driedger.

“I don’t think I’ve seen an exhibition game like that,” Paul Maurice said, trying to be kind.

“I mean, there were as many goals as completed passes in that game.’’

Florida had a 7-5 lead with 7:23 remaining in the game after Ryan McAllister scored off a Tampa Bay turnover in the Florida zone — only the Lightning scored three times in the final 5:21 to get the win.

Hey, it was entertaining.

The Latest News on the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers

Each and Every Day

Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now, Today!

Unless you were Ken Appleby.

If he hoped to challenge Driedger for the No. 3 spot on the Florida depth chart, well, Wednesday’s showing will not help in that regard.

Appleby may still backup Driedger in Charlotte — and will have plenty of time to forget about a Wednesday night in which he was out of position for a couple of goals, and had two go in off his skate including the game-winner by Conor Geekie with just over 2 seconds left.

The Panthers and Lightning brought mostly young players and some of their AHL veterans to Orlando for the game as roster battles are just starting to heat up.

Here is what we saw on Wednesday night through the Tampa Bay Lightning’s scoreboard feed from Orlando:

— Two of the veteran players who made the trek north for Florida were defensemen Nate Schmidt and Adam Boqvist.

It looks more and more like these two could make up Florida’s third defensive pairing as coach Paul Maurice has been using Niko Mikkola and Dmitry Kulikov in practice.

— Adam Boqvist did a nice job running the power play once more on Wednesday, with Florida going 3-for-4 with the man advantage. Adam had another assist on a Jesper Boqvist goal, too.

— Driedger looked fine in net for the Panthers after having a strong outing in the opener on Sunday. They did not keep track of shots in Orlando, but Driedger gave up three goals in 40 minutes.

— Sandis Vilmanis continues to have a strong camp. After playing on the third line in NHL practice on Monday, he was on the fourth in this one with Zac Dalpe and McAllister.

That line combined for three goals and five points. Vilmanis and McAllister each had two-point games.

— Patrick Giles, getting a chance to fill in for the injured Tomas Nosek on Florida’s fourth line (which was their top line on Wednesday) with A.J. Greer and Jesper Boqvist, had two assists.

— We’re not going to break down Three Stars in this one. But Tampa Bay’s Darryn Raddysh had two goals and four points, with Geekie having a three-point night. Give them the top two. Have fun with No. 3.

— Eh, Jesper Boqvist had three points. He gets the Third Star.

— Going to start calling Jesper Boqvist ‘J-Bo.’ Saves on the typing. And, we haven’t had anyone use that nickname around here in a long time.

— In case you missed it, the Panthers are going to hold their Stanley Cup ring ceremony at the arena on Oct. 7. Y’all are invited.

— With 15 goals scored between the two teams, we’re not breaking those down, either.

You can look them all up HERE.

Florida got its goals from Dalpe, Greer, Vilmanis, J-Bo, Toby Bjornfot, Wilmer Skoog, and McAllister. Tampa Bay got one more than Florida did.

PRESEASON ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS at CAROLINA HURRICANES

• When: Friday, 6 p.m.
• Where: Lenovo Center; Raleigh, N.C.
• TV/Streaming: Scripps TV — WSFL 39 (Miami/Fort Lauderdale); WHDT 9 (West Palm); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/Fort Myers)
• Streaming: Panthers+
• Radio: None
• Last Season (Carolina Won 2-1) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2 (Nov.10). At Carolina: Hurricanes 1, Panthers 0 (Feb. 22); Hurricanes 4, Panthers 0 (March 14).
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Carolina/Hartford leads 73-47-10, 11 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 6 p.m.

More FHN Coverage of the Stanley Cup Champion Panthers:

• Like our Facebook Page
• Follow us on Twitter: @GeorgeRichards // @TheGovMan
• Subscribe to the FHN YouTube Channel
• Visit the FHN Cup Champions Team Shop at RedBubble

KEY DATES FOR THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

• Training Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Opened Thursday
• Florida Panthers Preseason: Sunday-Oct. 5
• Florida Panthers Ring Ceremony, Sunrise: Monday, Oct. 7
• Florida Panthers Opening Night/Banner Unveiling: Tuesday, Oct. 8 vs. Bruins (ESPN)