3 Takeaways From Lightning Loss to Panthers

The Battle of Florida was back for the preseason, as the Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the Florida Panthers, 5-3, on Thursday in the first of two games that will finish off preseason play.

With the third of four preseason games in the books, it’s time to see what there was to take away from it. Here are three of those takeaways. Some of the storylines carry over from the previous list, with something to discuss related to the rivalry featured on Thursday.

Again, We’re Seeing Scoring From Unexpected Places

Before Thursday night, most Lightning fans may not have even realized Jansen Harkins was with the team. He was signed to a one-year, two-way contract back in July.

Now, after a multi-goal game, they’re going to be wondering what he could bring to the team this season. It’s actually a bigger deal than you think.

That season saw him score his only career two-goal game. It came back on March 20, 2022, when the Winnipeg Jets beat the Chicago Blackhawks. He has 18 career goals, and seven of them came during one season (2021-22).

His performance came a game after Jeffery Viel scored two for the Lightning against the Nashville Predators. Granted, Viel is expected to make an impact in the NHL. Harkins isn’t. But for what it’s worth, if the Lightning are looking to see who they can call upon from the American Hockey League (AHL), when needed, Harkins is saying he can be one of them.

Will we see much from him again? Probably not. But have a night, Harkins. Have a night.

Geekie and O’Reilly on the Same Line is Worth Watching

Having Sam O’Reilly and Conor Geekie on a line together has produced some nice results early on this preseason. For the second time this preseason, the former fed the puck to the latter, and the latter snapped it to the back of the net for a goal.

Both are looking to make the opening night roster. Maybe these two can work together to make their way onto it.

Geekie, as said before in a previous takeaways piece, is looking to show he can take that next step. Two goals in three games certainly help his case, even if it’s the preseason.

Meanwhile, along with feeding Geekie the puck, O’Reilly has put together a nice two-performance. He’s blocked a shot and made seven hits. Finishing 53.3% at the dot is a respectable complement to the rest of his night.

We’ll see how much it makes a difference. It may not, but you hope the Lightning at least see what’s happening here.

At least for O’Reilly, it wouldn’t hurt to have a Memorial Cup MVP on the roster a few months after taking home the honors if he’s ready. As for Geekie, there are definitely those rooting to see him find a way to establish himself after a few seasons with the Lightning.

It’s Preseason, But This Loss Still Wasn’t Ideal

The Lightning sent their stars out. The Panthers didn’t. In their defense, the latter literally couldn’t send some of them out due to restrictions under the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Still, the Lightning should have had an advantage. It didn’t matter. Take away the empty-net goal, and they still lost a game to a group that had very few combined NHL games of experience.

It’s not something to freak out over. This is why I’m labeling it as not ideal. You can chalk it up to preseason, but this is still one that you’d expect them to go out and win.

The Lightning and Panthers will go head-to-head again in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. EDT.