By Lightning vs. Panthers: Preseason or Fight Club?
It’s that time of the year – two in-state rivals meet Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, and if last year taught us anything, this won’t feel much like an exhibition game.
Last preseason got a little out of control
The Lightning and Panthers met three times during the 2025 preseason.
Tampa Bay won the first two meetings, 3-2 and 5-2. Florida answered in the finale with a 7-0 win in Sunrise.
But the scores don’t really tell the story.
They had 186 penalty minutes in one matchup as fights and post-whistle scrums kept interrupting the hockey.
Two nights later, things somehow got even crazier. The teams combined for 65 penalties and more than 300 penalty minutes in Florida’s 7-0 win.
The Lightning-Panthers preseason hockey apparently comes with a fight card.
Sorry, Rod. Florida is different
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour has never been a big fan of preseason hockey. He has questioned the value of playing games that don’t count when an entire regular season is waiting around the corner.
Fair enough. But we don’t trust him on that one.
Carolina has no in-state NHL rival. It doesn’t know what a Florida derby feels like.
When Tampa Bay and Florida meet on the ice, preseason or not, there is history. Lightning coach Jon Cooper pointed to the rivalry after last year’s wild preseason finale, saying the two franchises had built up plenty of history over the previous six or seven years.
Moreover, two Florida teams created the most-watched rivalry in modern hockey.
Brady Tkachuk is already making noise
The Panthers didn’t ease into this preseason.
Brady Tkachuk made his Florida preseason debut Sunday, introducing himself with a Gordie Howe hat trick. He scored two goals, added an assist, and threw a fight in a 6-3 win over Carolina.
Not bad for Game 1 in a Panthers jersey.
His brother Matthew assisted on Brady’s first goal, and Brady later picked up an assist on Aleksander Barkov’s goal.
So, how much more interesting the Battle of Florida could get with another Tkachuk involved – we might be getting the answer soon.
The captain is back
Another important addition to this Panthers lineup – Aleksander Barkov is back.
The Florida captain missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee. He returned to competition with Finland at the World Championship in May and is now back with the Panthers.
And he didn’t need long to make his presence felt.
Barkov scored and added an assist in his first preseason game, logging 15:17 against Carolina.
Florida has its captain, both Tkachuk brothers together, and plenty of reasons to feel good heading into Thursday.
Except Bobrovsky isn’t there anymore – one very noticeable difference in Sunrise.
Sergei Bobrovsky is gone
The goaltender who helped Florida win back-to-back Stanley Cups signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the offseason. The Panthers brought in Jacob Markstrom to take over in net.
Markstrom made 21 saves and allowed three goals in Florida’s preseason opener against Carolina
But without Bobrovsky, it feels a bit easier to find a way to Florida’s net once you pass center ice.
The Lightning fans certainly won’t miss seeing No. 72 waiting at the other end.
And what about Kucherov?
That might be one of the biggest questions heading into Thursday.
Nikita Kucherov already played in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener against Nashville, skating alongside Brayden Point and newcomer Ilya Mikheyev.
The Lightning won 2-1, with much of the expected NHL lineup on the ice. Mikheyev scored just 93 seconds in, while Kucherov and Point got their first preseason work together.
So, will Kuch be in the lineup against Florida? Or should he miss the fight club?
His presence certainly mattered the last time he faced the Panthers in preseason.
Kucherov recorded three assists in Tampa Bay’s 5-2 preseason win over Florida last October.
Whether he plays Thursday will depend on how Jon Cooper decides to use his veterans through the shortened preseason.
But if Kucherov does dress, Florida knows exactly what is coming.
So what should we expect Thursday?
Energy. Emotion. Probably a few conversations after the whistle.
Florida already has Brady Tkachuk making noise, Matthew Tkachuk alongside him, and Barkov back on the ice. Tampa Bay opened its preseason with a win and has plenty of familiar weapons ready to go.
And these teams have already demonstrated that the word “preseason” does very little to calm them down.
The officials should start stretching now.
Preseason? Technically. Battle of Florida? Always.
