The Florida Panthers wrapped up their 2026-27 preseason schedule with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The home team, using an almost identical lineup to the previous tilt against their cross-state rivals, didn’t ice their best players, instead letting them rest ahead of the season opener on Tuesday. That gave more players another chance to contribute under the bright lights. Sandis Vilmanis and Matvei Shuravin had the Panthers' goals, as Florida finished the preseason 2-0-2. Here are three takeaways from their latest setback.
Panthers continue to play with fire on the penalty kill
On Saturday, the Panthers gifted the Lightning six power plays, with the visiting Bolts tying the contest late in the third period on the man advantage. The announcers loved reminding fans that Florida gave up only two special teams goals this preseason, and both came while the team was down two players. As great as that statistic is, the Panthers need to clean up their sloppy play and avoid handing out so many power plays, let alone two-man advantages.
At some point, when the games start counting on Tuesday, opponents will begin to feast on Florida, who may have tired penalty killers from spending so much time on the ice. Although these preseason contests don’t count and Paul Maurice hasn’t iced a full NHL lineup since the first game, many of the players responsible for that sloppy stick work will be out of the lineup by opening night. However, let’s not forget that Brady Tkachuk is now in Florida, and many of the other team’s stars, like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Radko Gudas, and Garnet Hathaway, are no strangers to visiting the penalty box. Killing penalties may be the team’s strength or Achilles' heel.
Florida finds a gem in Akira Schmid
In his first full contest with the Panthers, new goalie Akira Schmid played solid, keeping his teammates in a tightly contested game from start to finish. Even though he gave up a late goal that led to overtime, he went long stretches without seeing any rubber and stayed sharp. Without Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, many hockey insiders wondered if Florida had a strong enough goalie tandem between Schmid and Jacob Markström to contend.
On the ice, Schmid is a sound goalie who moves well and doesn’t appear to slide out of position. He always appears to be square to the play and is not afraid of a challenge, stopping a breakaway in overtime. Despite limited time in the NHL, he had a memorable playoff debut in 2023 and did help the Vegas Golden Knights in a pinch last year collect points for their Pacific Division title.
The Panthers’ kids are going to be okay
Going into the 2026-27 season, Bill Zito has all but mortgaged the deed to Amerant Bank Arena to acquire gamebreakers and build a championship roster. He’s gutted the team’s draft capital; they don’t have a first-round pick for the rest of the decade, but that’s a story for another time. On Saturday, most of the players in the Panthers’ lineup will begin the season in Charlotte. The Checkers aren't favored to win the Calder Cup, but they should have a decent lineup and post a winning record.
Whether it's making hits, completing fancy passes, or scoring goals, the Panthers have solid rookies like Kai Schwindt, Hunter St. Martin, Donovan Sebrango, and Vilmanis. Because of so many injuries last year, many have already made their NHL debuts and logged some decent minutes. Their preseason performance made it clear that many have taken a step forward in their training and can contribute more in the future.
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