The Florida Panthers will take on an NHL-looking Tampa Bay Lightning lineup in their third pre-season game, with 25-year-old goaltender Cooper Black between the pipes.
The Florida Panthers take the ice tonight for their third of four pre-season games. And with nearly all the veterans having played two games already, the final two games will feature several youngsters.
Tonight, the Panthers' starting goaltender will be Cooper Black, who will take on an NHL-looking lineup from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Black is a 25-year-old, 6-foot-8 goaltender preparing for his second AHL season and, as it stands, the Panthers' third-string goaltender.
Black posted a .903 save percentage in 42 games last season and signed a two-year, two-way contract in the off-season.
Tonight, he'll face off against some of the Lightning's best players, including Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel, John Carlson, and Victor Hedman. He'll also duel with 2025-26 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This will be a challenging but great test for Black to show his development. The undrafted college free agent signing has impressed the Panthers in his short time with the organization, and this season could be vital in fast-tracking his timeline to the NHL.
The Panthers' lineup tonight won't feature many opening-night projected players. Still, it will include some like Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, as well as players competing for spots such as Uvis Balinskis, Donovan Sebrango, Alexander Petrovic, Cole Schwindt, Cole Reinhardt, Boko Imama, Sam Lafferty, and John Beecher.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST at Benchmark International Arena.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
