RECAP: Panthers 3, Lightning 2 (Rookie Showcase)

ESTERO, Fla. – Mackie Samoskevich lit the lamp and Mack Guzda made 33 saves as the Florida Panthers closed out the 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase with a 3-2 win over the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning at Hertz Arena on Monday.

The Panthers finish the four-team tournament with a record of 2-1.

“If you look at the last two games, there’s a competitiveness and willingness to do whatever it takes to win hockey games,” said Charlotte Checkers bench boss Geordie Kinnear, who coached the Cats prospects at the event. “[To see that] this early in the year is a very big positive for me.”

On their heels a bit early in the first period, the Panthers started to shift momentum back in their favor with a pair of huge penalty kills, including surviving 32 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage for the Lightning thanks to some really great defensive sticks and a few key saves from Guzda.

Earning a power play of their own later in the period, Samoskevich, a first-round pick back in 2021, put the Panthers on top when he gathered a smooth cross-ice pass from Mike Benning, walked into the high slot and beat Bolts goalie Hugo Alnefelt with a wicked shot to make it 1-0 at 12:54.

“I had a couple chances early in the weekend, so it was nice to get one,” said Samoskevich, who is making the leap to the pros after racking up 72 points (30 goals, 42 assists) in 79 games over two years at Michigan. “On the power play to start the game and get the guys going, it was a big one.”

Peppered by pucks all period, Guzda stopped all 17 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes.

“We want to make sure he got his money’s worth for the tournament,” Kinnear said of Guzda’s heavy workload. “I think it was good for everybody to learn that the game is played at a certain pace. They were after us and they were ready to start. You need your goalie to help you be able to find your game. He did that."

Doubling the lead for the Panthers in the second period, Wilmer Skoog pounced on a loose puck in the slot and scored to make it 2-0 at 8:11. Helping open up the lane and clear some space for Skoog, Riley Bezeau entered the zone and lured a trio of Lightning skaters to the right side of the ice prior to the goal.

Following four seasons at Boston University, Skoog, who turned 24 in July, is preparing for his first season in the AHL after signing a one-year, entry-level contact with the Checkers in April.

As you’d expect whenever the Panthers and Lightning get together -- even in a Rookie Showcase -- there was a bit of extra chippiness during this contest. Late in the second period, things boiled over when Tampa Bay forward Felix Robert high-sticked Samoskevich prior to a neutral-zone faceoff.

Robert was assessed a four-minute penalty.

“As the game went on, it got chippy,” said Samoskevich, who smiled when asked about his introduction to the Battle of Florida. “Caught one in the mouth. Definitely used to it now.”

Cutting the deficit in half for the Lightning early in the third period, Waltteri Merela sent a pass into the slot while falling to the ice that that somehow ended up right on Robert’s sick. With no hesitation, Robert then fired a shot past Guzda and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 at 1:44.

Briefly regaining their two-goal lead, the Panthers went up 3-1 when Patrick Giles curled around the net, received the puck and buried a sharp-angle shot at 10:38. Answering for the Lightning with the action at 4-on-4 almost immediately, Maxim Groshev flew into the zone and scored to make it 3-2 at 11:27.

With Guzda not giving up and inch and the players in front of him laying it all on the line, the Panthers killed off two opposing power plays at the end of the period to lock in the victory.

Afterwards, Kinnear singled out Justin Sourdif as one killer deserving of extra kudos.

“It’s always a team effort, but I had him last year and now he’s getting the quality time on ice,” Kinnear said of Sourdif, who tallied 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 48 games during his rookie season in the AHL with Charlotte in 2022-23. “Big impact. You could see he really wanted to win that game.”

Over two starts at the tournament, Guzda stopped 60 of 66 shots (.909%).

THEY SAID IT

“I loved every second of it. I know most of the guys, so it was pretty fitting. I was comfortable the whole way through. You’ve got a great group in there -- great people, great coaches. It makes it easy.” – Samoskevich on his first Rookie Showcase

“A great experience for the guys. It’s part of the process moving forward. It’s a great starting point and it’s up to them now to build. It’s up to us as coaches to help with the player development and the team development.” – Kinnear on the end of Rookie Camp

“Super great. A pretty different experience playing with older guys. It was good. It was a lot of fun. Playing against a couple guys I know, too. It was good.” – 2023 second-round pick Gracyn Sawchyn on his first Rookie Showcase.

WHAT’S NEXT?

That’s a wrap from Rookie Camp!

Stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com for information on Training Camp.