SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers faced off with their biggest rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in their final two preseason games, and there was a lot of bad blood remaining from last season, when Florida eliminated Tampa Bay from the playoffs.
The two games had nearly 500 combined penalty minutes and resulted in multiple fines and suspensions.
At the Panthers’ season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that’s not what the league is about.
“I think we made our position clear in terms of our response,” Bettman said. “That’s not what the game is all about. And I think everybody understands that.”
Last Thursday’s game, a 5-2 Tampa Bay win, had 186 penalty minutes, including 32 minutes of fighting penalties, eight misconducts and four unsportsmanlike penalties. Florida forward AJ Greer received a $2,213.54 for cross-checking and roughing Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel.
Saturday was even worse. The two teams combined for 65 penalties that totaled 312 minutes. The Lightning called up six players from their AHL affiliate, and five of the six drew a match penalty, misconduct or game misconduct.
The NHL suspended Lightning forward Scott Sabourin for four games and suspended defenseman J.J. Moser for two games. Additionally, the Lightning were fined $100,000 and Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was fined $25,000. No Panthers were disciplined for Saturday’s game.
“The answer is: We didn’t think what happened was appropriate for a variety of reasons, and we responded,” Bettman said.
The Panthers and Lightning don’t just share the state of Florida. They have become two of the league’s top franchises, with one team or the other making the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past six years. In four of those seasons, one of those two teams has eliminated the other.
“It may be one of the great rivalries in all of sports,” Bettman said. “That was over the top.”
