TAMPA - The Florida Panthers scored three times in the third period to defeat the rival Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday, improving to 2-0-1 in the preseason behind a lineup built largely on youngsters and newcomers.
The win came despite Tampa Bay dressing most of its regulars, including reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov. Head coach Paul Maurice said the performance gave him an encouraging first look at several players competing for roster spots. “It was the first time to get a look at a whole bunch of guys in a game wearing our sweaters, and I thought we were pretty good on the routes that we’re supposed to run and the style that of how we moved the puck wasn’t too bad at all,” Maurice said. “Pleased with some of the new guys that we brought in, for sure, and their impact.”
Bokondji Imama opened the scoring at 19:44 of the first period, tipping in a shot from Donovan Sebrango to make it 1-0. Kai Schwindt doubled the lead at 2:29 of the second period off a forecheck sequence set up by Hunter St. Martin. “My linemates were doing a great job getting the puck deep,” Schwindt said. “Just a nice hard forecheck, and I was lucky enough to get a bounce there and put it off the back of the goalie. Yeah, I got lucky there, but I’ll take it.”
The Lightning answered with goals from Jansen Harkins at 3:14 and Conor Geekie at 13:09 to tie it 2-2, with Geekie roofing a shot over 6-foot-8 goaltender Cooper Black on a 2-on-0 rush. The Panthers then killed off a 5-on-3 penalty that lasted a full 1:55, finishing the game a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Defenseman Alexander Petrovic, who is in his second stint with Florida, had a key clear at the end of the kill and led all Florida defensemen with 24:03 of ice time. “They’re a good power play,” Petrovic said. “They were snapping it around. A couple good blocks, a couple of big saves on that.”
St. Martin, 21, put Florida back in front at 4:21 of the third, redirecting a cross-ice feed from Petrovic past Andrei Vasilevskiy - who won the second Vezina Trophy of his career last season - to make it 3-2. Harkins tied it again at 5:29, but Cole Reinhardt answered just six seconds later on a breakaway for his third preseason goal, restoring a 4-3 lead at 5:35. Sandis Vilmanis sealed it with an empty-net goal at 19:36. Reinhardt and Schwindt each finished with a goal and an assist.
Black, who posted a 25-13-4 record with a .903 save percentage last season in the AHL, stopped 14 shots before being replaced by Kirill Gerasimyuk after two periods. Gerasimyuk stopped 11 of 12 shots in relief. Black said the competition for the third goaltending spot on the depth chart is not changing his approach. “I think you just approach it the same way. I don’t think you go into a camp any differently than you would. I think every year you should be trying to make the team, whether or not that’s going to happen this year or in the future. I think you just got to go in there and put your best foot forward. I think whenever you’re ready, they’ll give you the opportunity and you just need to make the most of it.”
The Panthers led 41-26 in hits and 18-6 in blocked shots. Florida closes out its four-game preseason schedule when it hosts the Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.