The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers played their first of a potential nine games in a row against one another. There were many altercations in the game on Saturday, May 8th. One of which saw Lightning forward Pat Maroon suspended. The altercation came against Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour.
The Lightning also announced that Barclay Goodrow is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. That is a huge loss for the team about to enter the playoffs.
Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon has been suspended for one game for unsportsmanlike conduct for his actions during last night’s game against Florida. https://t.co/eWrrx7F6v1
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 9, 2021
Pat Maroon Suspended
About 14 minutes into the third period with the game pretty much over, Montour and Maroon came together. Montour was slapped with a penalty for spearing and game misconduct for the ensuing scrum with Maroon. He was fined $5,000 for the spearing incident following the game.
The referees separated Montour and Maroon and began escorting them to the penalty box. Montour continued shouting at Maroon. It seems as though he may have crossed the line, at least based on Maroon’s reaction. He escaped the grasp of the linesman who was skating him to the box and landed a heavy blow to the head of Montour. They began to wrestle on the ice as the refs tried to peel them away.
What This Means
Ultimately, this means that there could be an all-out slugfest between these two teams in a playoff series. Surely, the energy from this game and the upcoming game will absolutely carry over when the games matter even more. As for Maroon, his presence will be difficult to replace. He brings a physical aspect to the game that Tampa’s depth cannot necessarily provide.
From an offensive standpoint, the Lightning have Alex Barre-Boulet, Mitchell Stephens, Ross Colton, and Gemel Smith. They can be plugged into the lineup to fill in for not just Maroon, but Steven Stamkos and others who are injured. That includes Goodrow, who does not have a timeline to return. Goodrow and Maroon were both critical depth pieces in their cup run last season. Hopefully, Goodrow can return at some point this postseason.
Maroon will be back for Game One of their playoff series, which should start in a week or so.
Main Photo:
