The NHL has handed down suspensions to Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin and J.J. Moser following their actions in the Lightning’s recent pre-season game against the Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. Sabourin received a four-game suspension, while Moser was suspended for two games. The league also fined the Lightning organization $100,000 and head coach Jon Cooper $25,000 without providing specific details.
In response to the suspensions, Tampa Bay called up six players from their AHL affiliate in Syracuse, NY, for the game. These players accumulated a total of 77 penalty minutes, with five of them receiving match penalties, misconducts, or game misconducts during the match.
As a result of the NHL rulings, Sabourin is set to forfeit $16,145.84, equivalent to around $850 for every second he played in the contentious game. Moser will lose $35,156.26 due to his suspension. Sabourin’s exact suspension start date is uncertain as he was reassigned to Syracuse by the Lightning on Monday, having played only one NHL game last season.
Sabourin’s match penalty early in the game, just 19 seconds into his appearance, was for his actions against Florida’s Aaron Ekblad. This incident marked the beginning of a chaotic game that saw a total of 65 penalties, 13 game misconducts, and 312 penalty minutes handed out by officials.
Moser’s suspension stemmed from a boarding incident involving Panthers’ forward Jesper Boqvist during the same game. The high number of penalties led to confusion among the on-ice crew, with instances like Florida’s Niko Mikkola being credited with an assist despite being ejected earlier and deemed ineligible to continue playing.
Following the eventful game, Florida forward Evan Rodrigues described the situation as “silly” and “stupid,” emphasizing that it deviated from the spirit of hockey. Sabourin was among the six players called up by Tampa Bay just prior to the game, which occurred after a previous pre-season matchup between the Lightning and Panthers that also saw numerous penalties.
Despite Ekblad leaving the game due to Sabourin’s hit, he returned to practice on Monday and is expected to participate in the Lightning’s upcoming season opener against Chicago, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
