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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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Just three days before their season opener at home against the Ottawa Senators, the Tampa Bay Lightning were rocked by some hard-hitting NHL discipline.
Following their 7-0 preseason loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday — a game which featured 322 penalty minutes, 65 total penalties, and 16 player ejections — the Lightning were fined $100,000 and head coach Jon Cooper fined $25,000.
“That was a first for me,” Cooper said, via The Athletic. “I think we had more coaches than players on the bench at one point.”
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Additionally, Lightning forward Scott Sabourin was suspended four games, and defenseman J.J. Moser was suspended two, for their respective actions during the blowout loss.
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On Sunday, forward Gage Goncalves was fined $3,125.00 for cross-checking Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues, and defenseman Roman Schmidt was fined $2,098.52 for cross-checking Carter Verhaeghe in that same game.
“You always have a concern when you are down to five or six forwards; that’s dangerous,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “But we got through it. The league will look at that, handle it the same way they do in the playoffs. I’ll leave it at that.”
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Added Rodrigues: “It just got silly, got stupid. By the end of it, it wasn’t really hockey out there.”
This isn’t the first NHL punishment to come down for either team this preseason.
Following Thursday’s 5-2 Lightning preseason win — a game that featured 186 penalty minutes and 49 penalties — Panthers forward A.J. Greer was also fined $2,213.54 for cross-checking and roughing Brandon Hagel.
Money collected from fines goes to the Club Fine Fund, which is given to a number of charities.
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