The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without veteran blueliner JJ Moser for the first two games of the regular season.

Moser was handed a two-game suspension for boarding Florida Panthers defenseman Jesper Boqvist in the team’s preseason finale.

The Panthers and Lightning combined for 16 ejections and 312 penalty minutes in the heated affair that drew ire from the hockey world.

Moser was given the suspension because he delivered a forceful check to the back of Boqvist straight into the boards when he had time to make a better decision, per the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

The 25-year-old defenseman threw the hit late in the first period after dumping the puck into the Florida zone. He was trailing Boqvist from behind while chasing the puck and, per the Department of Player Safety, had enough time to refrain from throwing as hard a hit as he did despite Boqvist making a play on the puck.

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Moser had no previous suspension history, leading the NHL to hand him a two-game suspension.

In 259 career NHL games, Moser has 16 goals and 68 points. He had two goals and 14 points in 54 games in his first year with the Lightning after Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade from the Utah Mammoth. He played his first three seasons in Arizona prior to the team’s move to Utah at the start of the 2024-25 season.

Moser was expected to play a pivotal role in Tampa Bay’s defensive group, as he spent most of the 2024-25 season playing on one of the Lightning’s two top defensive pairings. He averaged 18:51 of time-on-ice per game in his first season with the Lightning.

Tampa Bay will be without Moser for its season opener against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 9 and its second game on Oct. 11 against the New Jersey Devils. He will rejoin the Lightning for its first road game of the season on Oct. 13 against the Boston Bruins.