The Panthers' exhibition game at BankAtlantic Center took a scary turn Monday night when Chris Lee of the New York Islanders had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher in the third period. Sunrise Fire and Rescue stabilized Lee, placing him in a neck brace before putting him on a back board.

Lee, driven into the boards by Florida's Rostislav Olesz, was taken by ambulance to Broward General Hospital in Fort Lauderdale. His condition appeared to be good, and the team said he had movement and never lost consciousness.

Two members of the Islanders support staff drove with Lee to the hospital, and would likely spend the night in South Florida.

''We're just making sure he's OK,'' Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. ``Anytime a player goes down like that, your first thoughts are hoping he gets up and moves. Obviously him being conscious and able to move is a huge load off our minds.''

Florida won the game 6-0, three of the goals coming in the aftermath of the Lee incident. For approximately 10 minutes, medical personnel from both teams as well as local fire rescue staff attended to Lee as he lay still on the ice.

Gordon said there was no discussion of canceling the preseason game since Lee was conscious.

''I think you have to play the game,'' he said.

The incident all but overshadowed another strong effort from Florida forward Anthony Stewart, who is the front-runner for the final roster spot. Stewart continued his strong play by scoring Florida's first goal and adding an assist while the game was still a contest.

''I don't know what more he could do,'' Panthers coach Peter DeBoer said. ``But he can't sit back just because he's on the opening roster. He can't relax. He has to play with that desperation every day.''

Florida ends its preseason 3-2-2, but the games don't count for the Panthers until Friday. They open the regular season in Carolina before holding their true home opener Saturday against Atlanta.

Stewart has made it known he deserves the final open roster spot, not only scoring goals, but finishing checks, sticking up for teammates and making plays. Early in the third period Monday, Stewart found a loose puck deep in the Florida zone, skated it across the ice and put a hard shot on goalie Rick DiPietro.

Criticized for not playing a complete game, Stewart has brought a renewed passion to camp. Perhaps he knows this might be his last true shot with the Panthers. His play has all but assured him a spot with the big club.

''I think the game went well. I'm happy with my preseason,'' Stewart said Monday. ``I hope management is happy.''

Stewart gave Florida a 1-0 lead in the first, using his a burst of speed to charge in and blast one past DiPietro with 4:49 left.

In the second, Florida made it 2-0 when Kamil Kreps took a pass from Ville Peltonen and whipped a wrist shot from the point. Moments later, Florida got its first power play opportunity of the night. With most of its pieces intact, the unit looked cohesive, and scored only its second goal of the preseason. Bryan McCabe connected with Olesz to make it 3-0.

Florida scored two more power-play goals in the final 1:45.

Miami Herald staff writer Diana Moskovitz contributed to this report.

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