Lightning blue dominated Benchmark International Arena on Thursday night, but the Florida Panthers still made their presence felt in the stands and on the ice. Without the Tkachuk brothers in the lineup and with many of Florida’s regulars back home, Panthers fans watched a young roster beat a star-heavy Tampa Bay team 5-3.
Sadly, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk weren’t playing. But their presence was hard to miss.
Fans wearing Tkachuk jerseys walked toward Benchmark International Arena before the game and dotted the mostly blue crowd inside.
Florida didn’t bring many established NHL players to Tampa, but it still had supporters in enemy territory. By the third period, some of them chanted: “Charlotte Checkers!”
Hunter St. Martin had just put Florida ahead 3-2, and for a Panthers roster filled with players who have played in Charlotte or are fighting for NHL jobs, it fit the moment.
Young Panthers take on Tampa’s stars
Florida’s lineup looked very different from Tampa’s. The Lightning dressed Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Florida countered primarily with prospects, newcomers, and players battling for roster spots.
Before the game, St. Martin, Marek Alscher, and Cole Schwindt could be seen going through their own separate pregame routines. Quiet moments before a game can help to execute and focus on opportunities.
Once the puck dropped, Florida looked anything but intimidated.
Bokondji Imama opened the scoring with just 16 seconds remaining in the first period, redirecting Donovan Sebrango’s long shot past Vasilevskiy at 19:44.
Kai Schwindt made it 2-0 at 2:29 of the second. After St. Martin helped create the chance with an aggressive forecheck, Schwindt got the puck behind the net and banked his shot off Vasilevskiy and in.
A different set of brothers
With Matthew and Brady Tkachuk sitting out, Florida still had two brothers wearing Panthers jerseys. Cole and Kai Schwindt played together for the first time in their professional careers. Cole, 27, returned to the Panthers organization last season, while 24-year-old Kai spent much of 2025-26 with Charlotte.
Kai made the family night even better with a goal and an assist.
“It was very special,” he said in a post-game interview for the Florida Panthers media. “Something we won’t forget as a family.”
Florida’s penalty kill frustrates Lightning stars
Tampa eventually erased the two-goal deficit.
Jansen Harkins scored at 3:14 of the second before Conor Geekie finished a 2-on-0 rush with Sam O’Reilly at 13:09 to tie the game.
But Florida’s penalty kill made one of the night's biggest statements.
The Panthers survived 1:55 of a 5-on-3 against a Lightning power play loaded with NHL stars. Florida finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Vasilevskiy, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, didn’t have the same kind of night. He stopped 20 of Florida’s 24 shots before an empty-net goal completed the scoring.
Gerasimyuk gets his chance against the NHL’s best
Kirill Gerasimyuk replaced Cooper Black for the third period and faced a unique challenge.
The 23-year-old Russian wasn’t simply trying to protect a close preseason game. Across the ice was fellow Russian Vasilevskiy, who won his second Vezina Trophy last season. Coming at Gerasimyuk were players such as Kucherov, Point, and Hagel. Gerasimyuk stopped 11 of 12 shots.
Sandis Vilmanis finally sealed Florida’s win with an empty-net goal at 19:36.
Enough Panthers-Lightning tension remained to remind everyone who was playing. Things got spicy around the net and after whistles several times, with pushing and players coming together, but unlike some previous preseason meetings, nobody dropped the gloves.
Ultimately, Florida finished with a 41-26 advantage in hits. Without fireworks and stars on the roster, the Cats still managed to deliver a great performance.
Most of the jerseys were blue. But on that night, the Panthers fans who made the trip had plenty to celebrate, even without their biggest stars on the ice.
Let's see how many blue jerseys will show up in Sunrise on Saturday.
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