tbl-Chapter One Of The Latest Lightning/panthers Rivalry Begins Tonight

Summary

Welcome to the greatest show in the Sunshine State – the Lightning vs. the Panthers! The latest chapter in the rivalry gets underway tonight in the first of two pre-season games. Tonight the two teams meet at Benchmark and then both teams will wrap up things on Saturday in Sunrise. In theory this game should have fairly low stakes since no one wins a Stanley Cup in the preseason. Yet, it’s Lightning Panthers. These teams don’t know how to play a normal game. So, it should be pretty entertaining. One thing to notice is that the teams are taking two different approaches to their line-ups tonight. The Lightning lines for tonight: Lines for the #GoBolts game group:Mikeheyev-Point-KucherovHagel-Cirelli-GuentzelGeekie-O’Reilly-RautiainenPelletier-Harkins-SabourinMoser-CarlsonHedman-LillebergMcDonagh-CernakVasilevskiyHildeby — Benjamin Pierce (@boltsben.bsky.social) 2026-09-24T14:14:10.103Z Pretty much what we are expecting to see in the regular season (with a few exceptions). All eyes on that third line, right? Keep an eye on Jensen Harkins as well. As a solid face-off guy, he could sneak his way onto the roster with a strong showing. The roster for the Panthers is a bit different as their NHL veterans have already played their two-preseason games. Sorry, no Tkachuks to boo tonight. With most of their veterans already maxing out on their preseason games, Florida is rolling with a younger line-up. — Raw Charge (@rawcharge.com) 2026-09-24T16:03:09.574Z It’s always wise to be wary when facing a team with a few folks trying to make the roster. Will they take some liberties as they try and catch the coach’s attention? Will that raise the hackles or some of the veterans who are only looking to get their game timing down and get through training camp healthy? Yes and yes. So far, Conor Geekie, Sam O’Reilly, and Ben Rautiainen have had a pretty good showing. They need to keep it up, and if they can be productive in what will likely be a chippy game, it could go a long way to seeing their names on the opening night roster. It should be a fun night (and if all goes well, we’ll be in the building). Back at home for preseason round 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/BqICaRtYPW — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 24, 2026