Art Ross winner Nikita Kucherov drops the gloves with Florida Panthers prospect after dirty hit

The rivalry between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning has grown into one of the fiercest in the league. Both franchises have emerged to become two of the most compelling teams in the Atlantic Division, often challenging for the top spot. In-season matchups or playoff series are always major draws, but their recent series have been pouring gasoline on this competitive fire. It's no longer just about winning games; it's about establishing dominance in a heated rivalry that seems to grow more intense with every matchup.

While their next playoff series may be looming, the Panthers and Lightning didn't wait for the regular season to get after it. In one of the more physical preseason games across the league, both teams made it pretty clear their rivalry is alive and well. It became one of the most penalized preseason games in recent NHL history and a sneak peek at what may be coming in their series of matches in the future. Even without any immediate playoff implications, the intensity in the game was high as players from both sides wanted to make a statement.

The Panthers scored a 2-1 overtime win over the Lightning, but the score wasn't the story. Instead, the inordinate amount of penalties overshadowed the game itself. The real excitement started off in the second period when Panthers' Josh Davies laid a bone-crushing hit on the captain of the Lightning, Victor Hedman. That hit triggered a chain reaction as Nikita Kucherov immediately came to his captain's defense and fought Davies on the ice.

Things reached a boiling point when Lightning forward Conor Geekie opted to take matters into his own hands and initiated another fight with Davies. Geekie's aggressive response turned into a slew of penalties, including cross-checking and instigating, which ended up sending him out of the game. The second period became a parade of players to the penalty box, as 32 of the game's 36 total penalty minutes came in that wild second period.

As preseason action continues around the NHL, the Panthers-Lightning game showed once more that intensity does not fade just because the games don't count for points. A precursor to what could be an even more fiery regular season, with tempers already boiling over, it is pretty clear that every time these teams face off again, the rivalry will continue to get heavier and the clashes more dramatic.