{
  "id": 9601356,
  "title": "Panthers, Lightning Renew Rivalry in Preseason. How to Watch, Lineups",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/panthers-lightning-renew-rivalry-in-preseason-how-to-watch-lineups",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T18:10:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/panthers-lightning-renew-rivalry-preseason-181018613.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are set to renew their preseason rivalry tonight, almost a year after one of the most chaotic games in recent memory. Last season's matchup saw a staggering 65 total penalties called, amounting to 322 combined penalty minutes. Had it been a regular season game, the 322 PIM would have ranked ninth-most in NHL history. The Panthers and Lightning each had 19 players sent off by the end, leaving few players to finish the game. With tensions running high, the Lightning were down to eight skaters in the final minutes, while the Panthers had nine.\n\nPaul Maurice, the Panthers' coach, suggested that another intense game wouldn't come as a surprise. \"We wouldn’t be surprised by it,\" he stated. \"I don’t know if you expect it, but if it happened, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. If we got a two-hour game, that surprise us possibly.\"\n\nLast season's game resulted in the Lightning being fined $100,000, while coach Jon Cooper received a $25,000 fine. Four Tampa Bay players were either suspended or fined. This year, Florida will be missing several regulars, with only newcomers Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway, Uvis Balinskis, and Sandis Vilmanis assured of a spot on the Opening Night lineup. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, will field many of their regular players, including Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman.\n\nThe Panthers will welcome a brotherly duo to the ice for the first time ever, as both Kai and Cole Schwindt suit up for the team. Cole, previously traded to Calgary before the 2022 season, returned just before last season started after being claimed off waivers from Vegas. The Lightning will be led by their veteran goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, with Cooper Black starting in net and Kirill Gerasimyuk expected to get the second half. To catch the action, tune into WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SW Fla) for broadcast coverage, or stream it for free with an account on Panthers+.",
  "summary": "FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning get back after it again tonight almost a year after […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}