NHL insider Pierre LeBrun calls Panthers-Lightning a ‘gong show’ after 16 ejections, 312 penalty minutes

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning continued their fierce rivalry in what NHL insider Pierre LeBrun called a "gong show."

The Sunshine State Showdown between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning is continuing to heat up as one of the NHL’s fastest-growing rivalries.

Even if it was just a preseason game, Florida and Tampa Bay combined for 16 ejections and 312 penalty minutes on Saturday night. The Panthers came away with a 7-0 win in front of their home fans in Sunrise, Fla. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun called the game a “gong show” after it was all said and done.

Two Tampa Bay players were fined in the aftermath of Saturday night’s clash.

Lightning forward Gage Goncalves was fined $3,125.00 for cross-checking Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues 10:09 into the second period. He was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.

Roman Schmidt was also assessed a $2,098.52 fine for cross-checking Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe 7:13 into the game. As Goncalves was, he was also assessed a five-minute major penalty and a match penalty on the play.

The NHL Department of Player Safety also announced that Lightning players Scott Sabourin and J.J. Moser are set to have hearings, which could lead to suspensions at a later date.

Both fines were the maximum penalty allowable for each player per the NHL and the NHLPA’s collective bargaining agreement.

There were some odd moments that came from this game as well.

Florida had a goal get removed from its total five minutes after it happened because it was discovered that recently extended Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola assisted on the goal despite getting ejected from the game.

When the game was over, Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had a funny remark about the game.

“I think in preseason it’s better to play hockey,” he told reporters according to Florida rinkside reporter Katie Engleson.

That Saturday night clash was the final of the preseason for both teams as they gear up for the start of the NHL season on Oct. 7. Florida will raise its second of back-to-back Stanley Cup banners in the NHL’s season first game at 5 p.m. EST on Tuesday.

Florida and Tampa Bay will renew their rivalry next on Saturday, Nov. 15 in Sunrise at Amerant Bank Arena.

What Sunday’s NHL waivers decisions indicate about the Capitals’ final roster to begin the 2025-26 season

The Washington Capitals made what could be their final cuts out of training camp, waiving Clay Stevenson and Ethen Frank on Sunday. The two moves were necessary due to Monday’s 5 pm deadline, when all NHL teams are required to submit their 23-man Opening Night rosters.

With Stevenson and Frank now either on their way to the AHL’s Hershey Bears or another NHL team, the Capitals are left carrying 25 players. When factoring in the injuries to Matt Roy and Dylan McIlrath from Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team’s projected roster to begin the year can be deduced, barring any surprises.

As things currently stand, the Capitals are set to carry 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders, with Roy and McIlrath on injured reserve.

Projected Washington Capitals roster to begin 2025-26 season

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Tom Wilson
Dylan Strome
Aliaksei Protas
Nic Dowd
Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael
Sonny Milano
Brandon Duhaime
Ryan Leonard
Ivan Miroshnichenko (waivers-exempt)
Hendrix Lapierre
Justin Sourdif

Defensemen

Jakob Chychrun
John Carlson
Matt Roy (IR)
Rasmus Sandin
Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary
Declan Chisholm
Vincent Iorio
Dylan McIlrath (IR)

Goaltenders

Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

With the injuries to McIlrath and Roy, the Capitals are poised to begin the season with a different roster composition than they had for the majority of last season. During the 2024-25 campaign, the Caps typically carried just one extra forward, leaving them with two roster slots for extra defensemen.

The number of extras for the positions is currently set to swap this year. However, that’s assuming that both injured defenders do end up on injured reserve. If just one of them is placed on IR, Ivan Miroshnichenko could still be sent down to the Bears at any point over the next day, as he’s waivers exempt.

Even if they do both end up on IR, the same scenario could occur if the Capitals decide they want to stick with eight defenders. Miroshnichenko would be freely moved down, allowing them to recall a player from Hershey.

Miroshnichenko, for now, joins Hendrix Lapierre, Sonny Milano, and Vincent Iorio as players on the fringe of the team’s roster at the outset of camp to win spots on the club’s Opening Night roster. Lapierre and Milano combined for 13 points (5g, 8a) in their preseason appearances, with Lapierre tying for the league lead (7) in overall exhibition scoring.

The strong fall has led to Lapierre retaking the third-line center position that he lost last season when the Capitals sent him down to Hershey after acquiring Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Spencer Carbery admitted that the former first-round draft choice forced the Caps to “consider some different options,” ahead of playing Lapierre on a third line with Miroshnichenko and Ryan Leonard in the team’s preseason finale.

Milano played just three games last year, primarily due to an upper-body injury that he suffered in November. He is still, by far, the most experienced of the final forward options, having played 313 career NHL games. He recorded 33 points (11g, 22a) in 64 games for the Capitals during the 2022-23 campaign.

Iorio, who was potentially destined for waivers on Sunday before the injuries on defense, will make the Capitals out of training camp for the first time since they drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old rearguard played in four preseason games this fall.

The Capitals will be back at practice on Monday morning, so who takes the ice and who doesn’t, as well as Carbery’s line combinations and defense pairings, will likely make the roster choices even clearer. The team opens their regular season against the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.

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