FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It’ll be a matchup full of opportunity when the Florida Panthers clash with the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday.
With the majority of Florida’s veterans having already reached the two-game maximum in the preseason, tonight’s roster will be compromised of mostly young players and roster hopefuls.
For all of them, it’ll be a chance to impress.
“They’ve been waiting for their chance,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Away they go.”
After a home-and-home with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Panthers currently sit at 1-0-1 in the preseason.
For more information on tonight’s game, continue below.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Schwindt Brothers: With the Tkachuk Brothers taking a break, it’s time for the Schwindt Brothers to take center stage. For the first time in their professional careers, brothers Cole and Kai Schwindt will share the ice against the Lightning. Cole notched seven points (5G, 2A) in 29 games with the Panthers last season, while Kai, who’s three years younger, had seven points (2G, 5A) in 33 games with Florida’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Make it Three: Three Panthers will be appearing in their third game of the preseason as Cole Reinhardt, Cole Schwindt and Sandis Vilmanis are all expected to suit up. Reinhardt has scored a pair of goals thus far, while Vilmanis has dished out an assist. While Vilmanis appears to have the inside track for a spot on the third line to start the season, Schwindt and Reinhardt are both battling for what looks to be an open spot on the fourth line.
The New Guys: Joining the Panthers as free agents this summer, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway will both make their debuts in Tampa Bay. Expected to play big roles on the fourth line this season, the two veterans arrived in South Florida with tons of experience. Eller, who helped the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018, has recorded 439 points (193G, 246A) in 1,184 career games, while Hathaway, who’s hungry for his first Cup, has logged 163 points (76G, 87A) in 672 games.
Goalie Battle: Cooper Black will get the start in net for the Panthers tonight, with Kirill Gerasimyuk expected to see action as well. The two young netminders are competing for the third spot on Florida’s goaltending depth chart. Black, who has two seasons in the AHL under his belt, went 25-13-4 with a .903 save percentage last season with the Checkers. Heading into his sophomore season in the professional ranks, Gerasimyuk went 9-6-1 with a .901 save percentage in Charlotte in 2025-26.
FIVE KEY STATS
- The Panthers and Lightning combined for 536 penalty minutes across three preseason games in 2025.
- Returning to the Panthers as a free agent this summer, Alexander Petrovic is expected to suit up for Florida for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
- Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Garnet Hathaway leads the NHL with 1,353 hits.
- The Panthers are 7-7-1 against the Lightning in the regular season since 2022-23.
- Lars Ellers has appeared in 49 career regular-season games against Tampa Bay.
THEY SAID IT
"I love these guys. Yeah, you know, they were so good to me when I came here, and I just wanted to stick around." – Donovan Sebrango on re-signing with the Panthers
“I think just maturity in my game. We talk about the physical game, the hits, the fights, but it's all about also managing it. And I think over the years I've been doing a better job at it. You also, you know, you want to make sure you put your team in the best position possible. And I'm still learning though. I'm still learning every day.” – Boko Imama on how he’s grown as a player
“The start would just be the energy level up, a pace of play within a structure. So, you got to be able to get up and down the ice and be effective in that. When you look at, for the most part, the roles that these players are competing for, there's a heavy emphasis on defense.” – Paul Maurice on what he expects from players tonight
OPPOSITION NOTES
- The Lightning will deploy most of their big guns tonight, including Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Victor Hedman and Brayden Point.
- Kucherov took home the Hart Trophy for the second time in his career last season. In 76 games ,the 33-year-old winger recorded 130 points (44G, 86A).
- Vasilevskiy took home top goaltending honors in the NHL last year with his second-career Vezina Trophy. In 58 appearances, the 32-year-old netminder posted a 39-15-4 record with a .911 save percentage.
- John Carlson is heading into his first season with the Lightning. Expected to quarterback the team's top power-play unit, the 17-year NHL veteran ranks fifth in the league with 278 power-play points since 2009-10.
PROJECTED ROSTER
Forwards: Nate Bastian, Bokondji Imama, John Beecher, Sam Lafferty, Lars Eller, Garnet Hathaway, Angus Crookshank, Cole Reinhardt, Cole Schwindt, Hunter St. Martin, Sandis Vilmanis, Kai Schwindt
Defensemen: Uvis Balinskis, Alexander Petrovic, Marek Alscher, Donovan Sebrango, Matvei Shuravin, Mikulas Hovorka
Goaltenders: Kirill Gerasimyuk, Cooper Black
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Benchmark International Arena – Tampa, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: N/A
EXTRA INFO
- Fans within the Panthers’ broadcast territory can stream tonight’s game for free by making an account at PanthersPlus.tv.
- There will be a combined 50/50 Raffle for both of Florida’s home preseason games. The winner will be selected on Sept. 26. To purchase tickets, click HERE.
- Get score updates with the Panthers GameDay App!
