For players like Verhaeghe, being able to get in one final exhibition is key.
"I feel great and I'm ready to go," said Verhaeghe, who won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020. "A couple good practices and it's good to be back at it. I'm excited. … It's a marathon. The season's long. It's 82 games. We just want to make the playoffs because that's when the real season starts. It's a long season, so I'm just taking it day by day and excited to get back on the ice with the guys."
Matthew Tkachuk, Ryan Lomberg and Patric Hornqvist will remain out of action for the Panthers, while Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling will be given a rest against Tampa Bay. According to Maurice, none of Florida's regulars are currently in danger of missing the start of the regular season.
"I'm completely comfortable saying they'll all be available," Maurie said.
With both Forsling and Ekblad out on defense, Matt Kiersted and Michael Del Zotto, who are both fighting for a spot with the Panthers as camp winds down, will have another game to state their case.
"We need to get a look at those defensemen again," Maurice said.
Coming out on top during the first half of their home-and-home series on Thursday, Brandon Montour beat Andrei Vasilevskiy with a long blast from just below the blue line on the power play with 1:15 remaining in regulation to lead the Panthers to an exciting 3-2 win over the Lighting at FLA Live Arena.
Zac Dalpe and Aleksi Heponiemi also scored for the Panthers, while Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 26 of 29 shots in his final tune-up of the preseason. For the Lightning, Andrei Vasilevskiy, a former Vezina Trophy winner like Bobrovsky, made 38 saves, while Nick Paul and Vladislav Namestnikov each scored.
Barkov and Ekblad also each dished out two assists for Florida.
"It was a good effort," Bobrovsky, who amassed a franchise-record 39 wins in the crease last season, said after the game. "I felt good. The team played well. We keep learning the new structure. I thought the guys did a great job. There was good action tonight. I saw the puck well and felt really good."
In four head-to-head matchups during the regular season in 2021-22, the Panthers owned a 2-1-1 record against the Lightning. But after winning a playoff series for the first time since 1996, the Panthers were swept out of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Lightning -- who also eliminated them in 2021 -- in the second round.
Even in the preseason, the Battle of Florida is a treat for both fans and players.
"It's always good games against Tampa," said Panthers center Anton Lundell, who racked up 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) as a rookie in 2021-22. "We play a lot against them, and it' always fun. It's still preseason, but we're trying to improve every game. Just trying to play better and better as a team."
After wrapping up the preseason, the Panthers will kick off their 2022-23 campaign against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Oct. 13.
THEY SAID IT
"It's a learning process You try to learn every day. You're never ready. You can always be better and improve something in your game. I think that's one thing that keeps it interesting. You want to push yourself every day." - Panthers forward Anton Lundell on working hard every day during the season.
"We were fine. I think we got a little tired at the end. I liked a lot of the way the second period went for us. We eventually tied the game, but probably that last half of the third there, we got tired on the back end. We spent too much time on our D-zone and couldn't get through that penalty at the end and that was the story of the game." - Lightning coach Jon Cooper following Thursday's loss in Sunrise.
PANTHERS ROSTER
Check back closer to puck drop.
LIGHTNING ROSTER
Check back closer to puck drop.
HOW TO WATCH
When:Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. ET
Where:Amalie Arena -- Tampa, FL
Stream:FloridaPanthers.com
Radio: 96.5 WPOW-FM HD-2 (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach)
