As Panthers-Lightning series heats up, even the coaches are getting involved in chirps
After the Florida Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in Game 3 of the teams’ best-of-7 opening-round Stanley Cup playoffs series, Lightning coach Jon Cooper used Paul Maurice’s words against him.
Maurice on Friday had quipped that the only players the Panthers hit during a game “are the ones that have pucks” — a veiled shot at Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, who had a late hit away from the puck on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 that resulted in a five-minute major penalty for interference during the game and a one-game suspension.
At the tail end of the game Saturday, Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk was given an identical five-minute major penalty for interference after a late hit on Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.
Cooper’s response to Tkachuk’s hit and if he felt it should be treated similarly to Hagel’s hit on Barkov?
“The only players we hit are the ones with pucks,” Cooper deadpanned.
Maurice heard the comment later that night, when he and his wife were at home watching the Toronto Maple Leafs-Ottawa Senators playoff game.
“He chirped me,” Maurice said Sunday. “I’m at home watching the Senators game. He gave me a chirp, which I appreciate. He used my own words on me, too. I’m not sure it was applicable to the events on the ice, but it was still good. Well done. ... My wife had a good chuckle. She thought it was pretty funny.”
For what it’s worth, Tkachuk will not have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, and therefore no suspension is expected to be handed down before the series resumes Monday for Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena (7 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+, Scripps Sports, Panthers+). Florida leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. The rationale for that is while Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel was late, Guentzel had played the puck prior to the hit (unlike Barkov when he was hit by Hagel) and there was no contact with the head.
Regardless, the physicality and intensity showcased through the first three games is yet another reminder of how far the “Battle of Florida” has come over the past few seasons. It’s the fourth time in five years the in-state rivals have faced each other in the playoffs. There are no secrets between the teams even as rosters turn over year over year.
And there’s no secret that there’s no love lost between these teams. There are extracurriculars after the whistles, a little extra push with each finished check and hit.
“A lot of physicality,” Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen said, “and I don’t think that’s going to finish in this series. It’s going to keep continuing, and we just have to keep hitting as well.”
Added Carter Verhaeghe: “It’s two really physical veteran teams. There’s going to be fireworks.”
Tampa Bay certainly punched back on Saturday after Florida won the first two games of the series. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was stellar in net and the Lightning executed on their opportunities when they caught the Panthers in a lull.
“I think our energy level was a little down in that game,” Verhaeghe said. “We were trying to look for extra stuff, and I think for our team, we play our best when it’s making simple plays and doing everything as hard as we can. We got away from that.”
How quickly Florida gets back to form will determine if the Lightning are able to level the series on Monday or if the Panthers are able to once again take command of the matchup.
“Composure is No. 1,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “You feel like you’re on top of the world after a win, and it hurts when you lose a game. So managing your emotions and how you feel between those games is extremely important. It’s everything in a playoff series. You can’t get too down. You can’t get too up. You’ve got to find a way to come into the next game with the same energy, focus and intensity every minute.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2025 at 12:40 PM.
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