After hate-fueled Panthers vs Lightning clash, Bolts HC Jon Cooper jokes about having 3 players on bench due to ejections and penalties

Tampa Bay Lightning HC Jon Cooper joked about having only three players left on the bench after a wild Panthers vs. Lightning brawl-filled preseason game on Saturday.

The Florida Panthers shut down the Tampa Bay Lightning with a dominant 7–0 win on Saturday, a fiery response after losing 5–2 to Tampa just two days earlier.

The game was complete chaos, featuring 312 combined penalty minutes and 13 ejections. In the first period alone, four major penalties and multiple misconducts were handed out to players on both sides.

After the game, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper put the rivalry into perspective, saying both Florida teams have been successful and competitive for years.

"I think anybody that’s been a part of this rivalry would probably look at this box score and A) not be surprised and B) like I can’t believe it’s taken this long for something like that to happen," Cooper said.

"It’s two extremely proud franchises and the boys played with their heart on their sleeves. That’s all I can say.”

The chaos started barely two minutes in when Tampa’s Scott Sabourin leveled Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad with a hard hit behind the net, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

Cooper joked afterward:

"That was a first for me. I think we had more coaches than players on the bench at one point."

By the end, Tampa had piled up 144 penalty minutes, while Florida finished with 130. The game featured 15 10-minute misconducts, 15 five-minute majors and 32 two-minute minors.

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Panther coach Paul Maurice on scrap-filled Panthers vs Lightning preseason game

Panthers coach Paul Maurice shared his thoughts after the fight-filled preseason matchup against the Lightning. Maurice said that he was concerned when the team was down to just five or six forwards, calling it a dangerous situation.

“But we got through it. The league will review it and handle it the same way they do in the playoffs. I’ll leave it at that,” Maurice said.

Defenseman Jeff Petry told Panthers rinkside reporter Katie Engleson:

“I don’t think I’ve been a part of a game like this in a while, maybe Montreal and Ottawa. But this is quite the rivalry so far.”

The Panthers open their season on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Lightning play the Ottawa Senators two days later.