# Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers preseason series

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/tampa-bay-lightning-preseason-matchups
> Updated: 2026-09-26T17:00:00.000Z. Sources: 9. Developments: 3.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers continued their high-intensity preseason rivalry with a matchup at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. The series follows a previous preseason meeting noted for extreme physicality, which resulted in “65 penalties and 322 combined penalty minutes.”

In their final preseason game, the Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. Cole Reinhardt scored the game-winning goal and recorded an assist. Other scorers for the Panthers included Kai Schwindt, Hunter St. Martin, Bokondji Imama, and Sandis Vilmanis. Goaltending duties for Florida were split between Cooper Black, who stopped 14 of 16 shots, and Kirill Gerasimyuk, who made 11 saves in the third period.

The Panthers concluded their exhibition slate with a record of 2-0-1. Florida is scheduled to begin its regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, while the Lightning will make their regular-season debut against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-26: Florida Panthers defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 in preseason finale

The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 in their final preseason game, improving their exhibition record to 2-0-1 before the regular season begins.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/florida-panthers-defeat-tampa-bay-lightning-5-3-in-preseason-finale

### 2026-09-24: Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning face off in preseason rivalry

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning renew their preseason rivalry in Tampa, featuring a mix of regular starters and newcomers as both teams prepare for the upcoming NHL season.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/florida-panthers-and-tampa-bay-lightning-face-off-in-preseason-rivalry

### 2026-09-21: Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning split NHL preseason games

The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning split their NHL preseason games, with the Lightning winning 2-1 before the Predators secured a 3-2 overtime victory in their second meeting.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tampa-bay-lightning-defeat-nashville-predators-2-1-in-preseason-opener

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Cite as: Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers preseason series. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/tampa-bay-lightning-preseason-matchups