Panthers Rally Past Lightning 5-3 in NHL Preseason Battle

Panthers Rally In Preseason Action

The Florida Panthers overcame a back-and-forth preseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring three times in the third period to secure a 5-3 victory. The Panthers trailed early before answering with a strong second period push and a decisive third period finish. Florida’s depth players provided the offensive spark, with Cole Reinhardt scoring the go ahead goal and Sandis Vilmanis adding an empty netter to seal the win.

Panther Strike First

Panthers opened the scoring in the first period when Bokondji Imama found the back of the net at the end of the first period. As Panthers Donovan Sebrango and Sam Lafferty assisted on the goal, giving the Panthers an early 1-0 advantage. Florida responded in the second period as Kai Schwindt scored at 2:29 in the second period. Cole Reinhardt and Mikulas Hovorka picked up the assists on Schwindt’s goal.

The Lightning regained some momentum at 3:14 when Jansen Harkins scored to make it 2-1. Ilya Mikheyev and J.J. Moser assisted on the play. Tampa Bay then evened the game at 13:09 when Conor Geekie scored his second preseason goal. Sam O’Reilly and Benjamin Rautiainen assisted as the Lightning erased Florida’s early second-period lead.

Panthers Take Control in Third

Florida regained the lead 4:21 into the third period when Hunter St. Martin scored to make it 3-2. Alexander Petrovic and Schwindt assisted on the goal. The lead lasted just over a minute. Harkins scored his second goal of the night at 5:29, with Ryan McDonagh and Jakob Pelletier assisting, tying the game at 3-3. Florida answered only six seconds later.

Reinhardt scored an unassisted goal at 5:35 to put the Panthers back in front 4-3. The goal proved to be the difference as Florida held off Tampa Bay during the closing minutes. With the Lightning pulling its goaltender for an extra attacker, Vilmanis scored into the empty net at 19:36 to give the Panthers a 5-3 victory. Uvis Balinskis recorded the assist.

Panthers Continue Preseason Evaluation

The preseason victory gave Florida another opportunity to evaluate its depth and young players as the Panthers continue preparing for the regular season. Schwindt finished with a goal and an assist, while Reinhardt scored twice and added an assist. Harkins also produced a two-goal performance for Tampa Bay. The Panthers will continue their preseason schedule as the team works toward finalizing its roster and establishing its lineup for the regular season.