The Lightning and Panthers' game on Saturday definitely didn't have the feel of a standard preseason clash. There is plenty of bad blood between Florida's two NHL teams, and they made that crystal clear on the ice over the weekend.
There were a total of 322 penalty minutes assessed from Saturday's game, as Tampa Bay and Florida took shot after shot at one another in what was a chaotic contest ahead of the onset of the regular season.
It seems, at least from the perspective of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, that much of the mayhem was caused by the Lightning. No Panthers player has been issued a fine or suspension for their involvement in the hectic clash, but Tampa Bay forward Scott Sabourin was handed a four-game suspension for roughing Aaron Ekblad. And now, the Lightning as an organization have been fined an additional $100,000 by the league, as coach Jon Cooper also received a fine worth $25,000, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Additionally, Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser was suspended two games, forward Gage Goncalves was fined $3,125 and Roman Schmidt was fined $2,098.52.
To say things got out of hand on Saturday would be an understatement. At one point during the contest, there were more Lightning players in the penalty box than on the bench. Indeed, these two teams made no secret of their disdain for one another in what had to be one of the craziest preseason games in recent memory, which also featured 16 total ejections.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lightning Hit With Six-Figure Fine After Chaotic Preseason Game vs. Panthers.
