The Tampa Bay Lightning open their season on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The Lightning just finished the pre-season slate in a game with the Florida Panthers. That game resulted in 16 ejections and 312 penalty minutes. Now, Scott Sabourin has been suspended for four games for his role in the penalty extravaganza, according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli.
“#GoBolts Scott Sabourin has been suspended 4 games for roughing from Saturday's preseason extravaganza with #FlaPanthers,” Seravalli posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sabourin is on a one-year two-way contract with the Lightning. The former undrafted winger has not seen much success in the NHL. He played in his first NHL games with the Ottawa Senators in the 2019-20 season, playing in 36 games with just six points. Overall, he has played just 47 NHL games. In that time, he has two goals and six assists. Further, the winger played in just one game for the San Jose Sharks in 2024-25.
The result of the penalty-laden pre-season game
Multiple players have received punishment for their part in the game with the Lightning and Panthers. Gage Gonclaves, a forward for Tampa Bay, received a $3,125 fine. That was for a cross-check on Evan Rodrigues, in which he was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Meanwhile, Roman Schmidt also got a $2,098.52 fine. That was for a cross-check on Carter Verhaghe. He also got a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct.
Meanwhile, J.J. Moser has been suspended for two games for boarding against Jesper Boqvist. Sabourin got the harshest penalty of the group. He got four games for his roughing penalty against Aaron Ekbald. This should not impact the Lightning's quest to unseat the Panthers as the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The winger has played in just four games since the start of the 2022-23 season at the NHL level. The suspension will hurt his chances to make the NHL roster, but he was likely to spend most, if not all, of the season at the AHL level. The two teams will meet for the first time in the regular season on November 15. That game will be played in Miami at the home of the Panthers.
