SUNRISE, Fla. — On Monday, the NHL suspended Tampa Bay forward
Sabourin — who was on the ice for only 19 seconds Saturday — was given a match penalty for going after Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad just 2:17 into the game. That hit set the tone for a matchup where officials called 65 penalties, issued 13 game misconducts and handed out 312 penalty minutes.
At one point, the Lightning had three skaters on their bench.
“That was a first for me,” Cooper said after that game. “I think we had more coaches than players on the bench at one point.”
Moser’s suspension came for boarding Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist during that game. Moser was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.
There were so many penalties called that the on-ice crew evidently lost track of who had been kicked out. Florida’s Niko Mikkola was credited with an assist midway through the third period on a goal by Boqvist that was disallowed about 15 minutes later because Mikkola was unaware he had been ejected earlier in the period — and therefore ineligible to be playing.
“It got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said that night. “It wasn’t really hockey out there.”
Sabourin was one of six players called up Friday by Tampa Bay for Saturday’s game. Those moves came one day after the Lightning and Panthers had another preseason game featuring 49 penalties and 186 penalty minutes.
Ekblad left Saturday’s game after the hit from Sabourin. He was able to practice Monday and is expected to play when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their season at home Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
