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A ton of ejections. A goal taken away 15 minutes later. Lightning-Panthers was wild Saturday

A hockey player in blue and white is on top of an opponent in red, white, and black. They're both trying to punch each other, as the helmet on the player on top is falling off his head.
Lynne Sladky
/
AP
Tampa Bay Lightning's Dylan Duke and Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis scuffle during the third period of an NHL hockey preseason game, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.

The Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in the preseason finale for both teams. The game featured 65 penalties totaling 312 minutes.

Niko Mikkola had an assist on a goal that gave the Florida Panthers an 8-0 lead. Problem was, he'd been kicked out of the game a few minutes earlier and nobody noticed.

It was that kind of night between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida beat Tampa Bay 7-0 in the preseason finale for both clubs Saturday night, though the score was irrelevant. There were 65 penalties for 312 minutes on the stat sheet, including 13 game misconduct penalties — seven for Tampa Bay, six for Florida. The penalty count kept rising after the game, while officials were making sure everything that was called got logged.

Florida had 17 power-play chances in the game, by the NHL's count.

“It got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It wasn't really hockey out there.”

The parade to the penalty boxes started about two minutes into the game when Tampa Bay's Scott Sabourin — who was among six players the Lightning called up for the game — went after Florida's Aaron Ekblad. Sabourin got a major penalty after playing only 19 seconds.

“It made you think there might be something coming,” Florida's Eetu Luostarinen said, when asked what he thought when he saw the Lightning called up players for the game.

Multiple hockey players wearing blue and white uniforms stand in a penalty box, watching the action on the ice.
Lynne Sladky
/
AP
Tampa Bay Lightning players look from the penalty box during the second period of an NHL hockey preseason game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.

What would have been the eighth Florida goal of the night, midway through the third period, was taken away 15 minutes after Jesper Boqvist scored. Off-ice officials realized that Mikkola couldn't have had an assist on the play — since he'd been ejected earlier in the period.

The teams skated with the scoreboard saying Florida led 8-0 for about five minutes of actual game time, before officials informed both teams that the goal had been taken away and Mikkola had to leave the game.

The Lightning took nine penalties and had no shots on goal in the third period.

Saturday's game came two nights after the teams combined for 49 penalties and 186 minutes in another preseason contest, one the Lightning won 5-2.

Tampa Bay went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 through 2022, winning two titles in that span. Florida has been to each of the last three Stanley Cup Finals and has won the last two Cups. And it has long been a heated rivalry between the franchises.

“I think anybody that’s been a part of this rivalry would probably look at this box score and A, not be surprised and B, I can’t believe it’s taken this long for something like that to happen," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

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