NHL Discipline and Disallowed Goal: Fallout from Panthers–Lightning Preseason Chaos

The “Battle of Florida” lived up to its name this weekend — and then some. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning combined for a staggering 312 penalty minutes in Saturday’s preseason tilt, an eruption that saw 16 players ejected and benches nearly emptied.

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At one point, the Lightning were down to just three skaters on the bench as officials scrambled to restore order in what quickly became one of the wildest games in recent memory. The chaos followed another heated matchup between the same teams earlier in the week, bringing their combined total to 460 penalty minutes and 14 game misconducts over two games.

The mayhem even led to a bizarre sequence when Nikko Mikkola, who had already been assessed a game misconduct, unknowingly stayed on the ice and assisted on what appeared to be Florida’s eighth goal. Officials later disallowed the tally after realizing Mikkola was ineligible to play.

Discipline or Suspensions Incoming For Two Players

Now, NHL Player Safety has released statements that at least two players from the game will face hearings. Tampa Bay’s J.J. Moser will have a hearing for boarding Florida’s Jesper Boqvist, while Scott Sabourin faces a separate hearing for roughing Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad left the game and did not return. An update on his status has not been revealed.

The NHL DoPS also announced that Tampa Bay’s Roman Schmidt has been fined $2,098.52, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe. So too, Tampa Bay’s Gage Goncalves has been fined $3,125.00, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Florida’s Evan Rodrigues.

What started as a preseason tune-up quickly turned into one of the most chaotic matchups in recent memory. The game ultimately became one of the most penalized—and talked-about—exhibitions in NHL history.

The fallout is only beginning, as suspensions and fines are just the start of what has become one of the league’s nastiest rivalries.

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