The last 6 lightning-panthers games have a huge fine tab, here's the total
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Jonathan Ouimet
Dec 28, 2025 (10:10 PM)
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Photo credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning keep turning NHL fines into a storyline, and Jon Cooper is part of the bill.
Through six meetings counting preseason, the Battle of Florida has already generated about $191,000 in fines and salary forfeitures. That number is real money, and it screams how fast this rivalry flips from hockey to chaos.
It started with the Oct. 4 preseason finale, a 7-0 Florida win that somehow felt secondary to the 322 penalty minutes and 16 ejections. It flared again Saturday in a 4-2 Tampa Bay win that featured 45 penalties and 136 combined penalty minutes
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Even with all the noise, the road team has won all three regular-season meetings so far. Six games is a tiny sample, yet the league is already sending a loud message. When discipline becomes the headline, both coaching staffs lose the chance to settle things with clean shifts.
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Even with all the noise, the road team has won all three regular-season meetings so far. Six games is a tiny sample, yet the league is already sending a loud message. When discipline becomes the headline, both coaching staffs lose the chance to settle things with clean shifts.
Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning fines keep rising. I love a nasty rivalry, but I want shifts and chances, not constant trips to the penalty box.
The Tampa Bay Lightning as a club ate a $100,000 fine, and coach Jon Cooper got $25,000, both tied to that preseason meltdown.
Scott Sabourin lost $16,145.84 on a four-game suspension, then got hit Sunday with a $2,018.23 max fine. Defenseman J.J. Moser, 25, forfeited $35,156.26 on his two games.
Scott Sabourin lost $16,145.84 on a four-game suspension, then got hit Sunday with a $2,018.23 max fine. Defenseman J.J. Moser, 25, forfeited $35,156.26 on his two games.
Florida's A.J. Greer was dinged $2,213.54, Tampa Bay's Roman Schmidt $2,098.52 and Gage Goncalves $3,125, all maximums. Add Anton Lundell's $5,000 high-sticking fine from Saturday and you land near $191,000.
Anton Lundell, 24 and the Panthers' 2020 first-round pick, is usually the calm two-way center you trust late. A max fine is small, but it shows how fast this series drags everyone into penalties.
Florida's forecheck hunts pucks below the goal line, Tampa answers with quick bump exits and speed through the neutral zone. When those exits get rubbed out, frustration turns into late sticks and extra whistles.
This rivalry is fun when it's nasty, but the league is clearly watching every scrum. The next meeting will tell us if both benches can keep their cool and play hockey first.