The Florida Panthers picked up a fairly impressive preseason victory over their cross-state rivals on Wednesday night.
Florida brought a group mostly featuring players on the fringe of the roster to Tampa, while the Lightning dressed most of their NHL regulars.
On paper, it should’ve been a very one-sided affair, but that was far from the case as the Cats held firm against the Bolts and earned a thrilling 2-1 overtime win.
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Interestingly enough, one of the biggest and most memorable moments of the game came early in the second period, and it was not a goal.
Panthers forward Josh Davies lined up Tampa defenseman Victor Hedman as he carried the puck through the neutral zone and laid him out with a crushing, legal body check.
Superstar Nikita Kucherov immediately went after Davis, pulling him down from behind and getting called for an interference penalty.
Florida would take advantage, as veteran Zac Dalpe found the back of the net and gave the Panthers the first lead of the game.
Dalpe’s long wrist shot found its way past the blocker of Andrei Vasilevskiy, with Sandis Vilmanis and Uvis Balinskis picking up the assists.
About two minutes later, Tampa forward Conor Geekie decided to go after Davies, seemingly for the hit on Hedman.
Geekie cross-checked Davies from behind before dropping the gloves and unleashing a barrage of punches on the young NHL hopeful.
Both players would be called for fighting, but Geekie also was given two minutes for cross-checking, two minutes for instigating and a misconduct.
Kucherov tied the score at one in the final minutes of the third period, firing a one-timer over Knights shoulder right off a faceoff, to send the game to overtime.
The extra session didn’t last long though, as Vilmanis fired a loose puck past Vasilevskiy on a play that Anton Lundell nearly had an overtime breakaway.
Vilmanis finished the night with a goal, an assist, six shots, four hits and a plus-one rating.
Between the pipes, Knight came away with 26 saves, including eight while Florida was shorthanded.
Florida will conclude their preseason schedule on Saturday in Quebec City against the Los Angeles Kings.
Opening Night is Tuesday night in Sunrise.
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