The hostility between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers runs deep, growing through every meeting — playoff matchups, preseason brawls, and everything in between. On Saturday, the showdown picks back up as the two teams meet for their first regular-season matchup. The last time the in-state rivals saw each other was a night hockey fans in Florida won’t forget anytime soon. Their final preseason game on Oct. 4 in Sunrise ended with 16 ejections, 65 penalties, and 322 penalty minutes. “It’s just hockey” was a phrase tossed around frequently during last season’s first-round playoff series between the two teams. The league’s apparent lack of protection for players like Brandon Hagel and Zemgus Girgensons has certainly added another layer to the rivalry, which carried over from the playoffs into the preseason. Panthers forward A.J. Greer cross-checked Hagel before landing multiple punches to his head. Hagel wasn’t expecting that kind of hit in a preseason game. Greer was fined but faced no further supplemental discipline. In the final preseason game, Girgensons was checked head-first into the boards by Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] forward Carter Verhaeghe, who was ejected but received no supplemental discipline. Girgensons started the season on injured reserve, missing the first seven games. After Oct. 4, it was clear that if the Lightning left one box unchecked this offseason, it was adding an enforcer. On Oct. 6, they claimed 6-foot-9 Curtis Douglas off waivers. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think I produce a lot physically and in making sure teams know I'm out there. I make sure my presence is known when I step onto the ice,” said Douglas. There’s no reason to expect this game will be any different from recent matchups, though both teams are dealing with a number of injuries. The Lightning were missing seven key players in Wednesday’s loss to the Rangers, including blue-line anchors Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. McDonagh was placed on injured reserve alongside Dominic James, who took a puck to the right side of his face. Hagel also took another hit to the head three shifts into Wednesday’s game and never returned. Questions still remain about whether or not Anthony Cirelli will play. He has participated in practice but has yet to play a game since leaving early against Vegas on Nov. 6. Additionally, Hedman and Pontus Holmberg are listed as day-to-day. Holmberg didn‘t play Wednesday or practice Friday. Hedman and Cirelli did practice Friday, but Lightning coach Jon Cooper cautioned against assuming either will play against the Panthers. ”We’re a little bit of a MASH unit right now. Even the guys that practiced (Friday), some of those guys aren’t going to be in, either, so we’ll have to wake up (Saturday) and see where we’re at.” Nick Paul is expected to return to the Lightning lineup soon, but is still building strength back in his wrist following surgery prior to training camp. He has been participating in practice, though he remains day-to-day.
