Panthers Close Preseason With Shootout Loss to Lightning
The short version
- Florida finished the preseason 2-0-2 after a 3-2 shootout loss to Tampa Bay in Sunrise
- Sandis Vilmanis and Matvei Shuravin scored for the Panthers; Benjamin Rautainen tied it late in the third
- Florida placed Toby Bjornfot, Casey Fitzgerald, and Angus Crookshank on waivers, with more cuts coming Sunday
- The Panthers open the season Tuesday at Carolina, which will air on ESPN
Florida finished its abbreviated preseason 2-0-2 after a 3-2 shootout defeat to Tampa Bay in Sunrise, with several young defensemen standing out ahead of Tuesday's opener in Carolina.
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their preseason Saturday night with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sunrise. Tampa Bay converted twice on three shootout attempts to decide the game after 65 minutes of play ended even. The result left Florida with a 2-0-2 record across its shortened exhibition schedule.
The game followed a strong showing two nights earlier, when a young Panthers lineup traveled to Tampa Bay and defeated a more veteran Lightning group. Saturday's contest featured more balanced lineups, but Florida could not complete the preseason sweep of its state rival.
Tampa Bay opened the scoring at 8:50 of the first period when Lucas Mercuri finished a feed from Nicholas Abruzzese from in front of the net. Sandis Vilmanis answered late in the frame, pouncing on a loose puck deep in the Lightning zone and beating Dennis Hildeby for his second goal of the preseason.
Florida took the lead early in the second period on a hard point shot from 20-year-old defenseman Matvei Shuravin, a third-round pick two years ago who is making his North American pro debut this season. The Lightning forced overtime with a Benjamin Rautainen goal from down low on a power play at 12:58 of the third before winning in the shootout.
Goaltender Akira Schmid, getting his first start of the preseason, made 20 saves through regulation and overtime. The Panthers' young defense continued to draw positive notice, with Marek Alscher and Mikulas Hovorka — both of whom saw time with Florida last season — capping strong camps, and Donovan Sebrango blocking a shot that may have prevented a second-period goal.
Roster cuts are now underway. Before Saturday's game, the Panthers placed defenseman Toby Bjornfot, defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, and forward Angus Crookshank on waivers for the purpose of assigning them to Charlotte, with additional moves expected Sunday as the club trims its training camp roster.
Florida opens the regular season Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. The Panthers swept the two clubs' previous playoff meetings, beating Carolina in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final in four games and the 2025 Eastern Conference Final in five, though the Hurricanes' franchise leads the all-time regular-season series 75-50-11 with 11 ties.
The Panthers and Hurricanes open the 2026-27 season Tuesday, September 29, at 5:00 PM EDT at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The game airs nationally on ESPN.
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