Two days after a preseason matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers turned into a bloodbath, the NHL has handed down some consequences. The league has fined two players and suspended two others — all players from Tampa Bay — for their conduct in Saturday’s unruly matchup, which resulted in more than 300 penalty minutes and 16 ejections.
Additionally, the NHL announced Monday that the Lightning have been fined $100,000 “for their actions culminating in the events” of the preseason game. Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper receives a $25,000 fine as part of the ruling.
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The Panthers went on to win the game 7-0.
The two teams have a fraught history: Last season, Florida won an aggressive playoff series against Tampa Bay, 4-1, before going on to win the 2025 Stanley Cup. Before Saturday’s game, the two teams met on Thursday for a similarly ugly matchup. The Lightning pulled off the 5-2 win as the two teams earned a total of 186 penalty minutes.
But Saturday’s game was on another level. It started just a few minutes into the game, as Lightning forward Scott Sabourin hit Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad legally, but then punched him multiple times with an ungloved hand.
Sabourin earned a four-game suspension for roughing as a result of the conduct after a hearing on Monday. In a video reviewing the decision, the league outlined Sabourin’s clear intention and the history between the two teams as the reason why the punishment is so steep.
In addition, Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser has been suspended two games for boarding, after he made a hard hit on Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist from behind during the first period.
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But there’s more. On Sunday, as punishments started rolling in, two Tampa Bay players were given maximum fines for cross-checking: Defenseman Roman Schmidt was fined $2,098.52, while winger Gage Goncalves was fined $3,125. Both are the maximum amount allowed under the NHL’s CBA.
Sabourin’s fight set the tone for the entire game, as more and more players were penalized and eventually tossed.
Near the start of the second period, another fight broke out next to the Florida bench, leading to a comical number of players ending up in the box.
So many players got ejected that it became hard to keep track of them. Though the Panthers won 7-0, it was initially 8-0 in the third period, before the officials realized that a player who was involved in the eighth goal was illegally on the ice.
All of this happening before the regular season even starts is unprecedented, but sets an interesting tone for the rest of these two team’s seasons.
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And if you’re the kind of hockey fan that eats up the violent matchups, then mark your calendars: Tampa Bay and Florida will face off four times in the regular season. The Panthers will host the Lightning on Nov. 15 and against on Dec. 27, while Tampa Bay will host on Dec. 15 and Feb. 5.
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