Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice shared his thoughts on the brawl-filled preseason clash against the Tampa Bay Lightning.The game erupted early when Florida’s A.J. Greer cross-checked Brandon Hagel in the back, swept his stick across Hagel’s face and punched him before teammates intervened.Hagel was held out for the rest of the game, which quickly descended into a series of scrums and fights, totaling 186 combined penalty minutes.In the second period, at 5:11, multiple fights broke out, most notably between Greer and Tampa Bay’s Taylor Raddysh, who went toe-to-toe in a heated battle. Minutes later, the Lightning defenseman JJ Moser cross-checked Anton Lundell, sparking another fight.At 11:17, Jonah Gadjovich squared off with Tampa’s Declan Carlile, adding to the night’s melee. The second period alone saw 23 penalties assessed.Maurice downplayed the chaos after the game, describing it:"Oh, just some old friends getting reacquainted. There's lots of passion and leftover memories that go into those games. So, I mean, I don't know if I can assess the game. It happens. That's usually a good time to get the cobwebs out," Maurice said.On the performances of veteran players, he noted that with so many penalties and disruptions, there wasn’t much five-on-five play to analyze, calling the night more of a workout than a game to assess.Tampa Bay came away with a 5-2 victory. Jake Guentzel scored twice, while Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Conor Geekie also found the net. Eetu Luostarinen and Seth Jones scored for Florida.In goal, Brandon Halverson made 16 saves for the Lightning, while Daniil Tarasov stopped 28 shots for the Panthers.Former Lightning's Pat Maroon on Panthers forward A.J. Greer's hit on Brandon HagelFormer Lightning player Pat Maroon criticized Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer for his hit on Brandon Hagel. Speaking on Scripps Sports after the game, Maroon called the play gutless and suggested the situation could escalate further."I can't see it being quiet. I just think that what Greer did to Hagel was gutless. I think this is going farther now. They took it way too deep. The response in the second period, they did a great job of handling it. Come Saturday, we might see some big boys coming in," Maroon said.The Panthers and the Lightning face off again on Saturday for their final preseason game.