Knight stands firm, Vilmanis scores in OT and gives the Panthers the win over Tampa

The Florida Panthers pulled off a pretty impressive preseason victory over their in-state rivals on Wednesday night.

Florida brought a group consisting mostly of fringe roster players to Tampa, while the Lightning dressed most of their NHL regulars.

On paper it should have been a very one-sided affair, but that was far from the case as the Cats held their own against the Bolts to claim a thrilling 2-1 win in extra time.

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Interestingly, one of the biggest and most memorable moments of the game came early in the second period, and it wasn’t a goal.

Panthers forward Josh Davies lined up Tampa defenseman Victor Hedman as he carried the puck through the neutral zone and laid him down with a devastating, legal body check.

Superstar Nikita Kucherov immediately attacked Davis, pulled him to the ground from behind and had to impose an interference penalty.

Florida would take advantage as veteran Zac Dalpe found the back of the net to give the Panthers their first lead of the game.

Dalpe’s long wrist shot found its way past Andrei Vasilevskiy’s blocker, with Sandis Vilmanis and Uvis Balinskis picking up the assists.

About two minutes later, Tampa forward Conor Geekie decided to attack Davies, apparently for the hit on Hedman.

Geekie checked Davies from behind before dropping the gloves and firing a barrage of punches at the young NHL hopeful.

Both players were called for fighting, but Geekie also got two minutes for cross-checking, two minutes for incitement and a misdemeanor.

Kucherov evened the score in the final minutes of the third period, firing a one-timer over the Knights’ shoulder right after the faceoff to send the game into overtime.

Overtime didn’t last long, however, as Vilmanis fired a loose puck past Vasilevskiy, which Anton Lundell almost saved in overtime.

Vilmanis finished the night with one goal, one assist, six shots, four hits and a plus-one rating.

Between the posts, Knight made 26 saves, including eight while Florida was shorthanded.

Florida will complete its preseason on Saturday in Quebec City against the Los Angeles Kings.

Opening night is Tuesday evening at sunrise.

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