Nearly 200 penalty minutes, 8 misconducts and pure chaos in Panthers-Lightning game!

The preseason game between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning was already in postseason mode on Thursday night. The rivalry was intense and animosity was evident. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice dressed a lineup made up of only NHL regulars and the team was clearly ready for war. It certainly was the case for A.J. Greer, who picked up a double minor for roughing Tampa’s Darren Raddysh along with a ten-minute misconduct in the first period for his gutless actions.

A first frame that was filled with penalties, with the Cats and Bolts combining for 30 PIMs.

It did not stop there. Things went off the rails in the second period as well with a minor penalty to Dominic James nine seconds into the second frame that led to a Florida goal.

After that, it seemed like the penalty box was never unoccupied. Another 82 penalty minutes were handed out, including three misconducts.

The thing period was no different with more penalties and extracurricular activities. Greer didn’t have enough of his first misconduct, he ended getting ejected from the game entirely. When the final buzzer went off with the Lightning on top 5-2, a total of 186 penalty minutes had been called.

Tampa Bay and Florida wrap up their respective preseasons on Saturday night when they face off one more time in Sunrise. I wonder how many penalties this contest will have!