What we learned after young Panthers beat veteran Lightning in preseason

A deep Florida roster is coming into focus

After goal celebration | NHL

The Panthers have a little of everything this season: from youth to proven veterans to players coming off injuries to make another run at a Stanley Cup. And they also have a backup goalie who is extremely tall for his position.

WIth one preseason game left, following a 5-3 win against Tampa Bay's regulars, let's talk about where the Panthers stand as the regular season approaches:

Young Guns Bringing The Fire and Energy

A lot of Panthers players who participated in the game on Thursday night came from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. They provided a fresh set of legs and a more energetic boost on the ice, as they try to get noticed by coach Paul Maurice. One of the cooler story points of the game was seeing Cole Schwindt and Kai Schwindt playing together. Not only are they the second active pair of brothers on the team, but Thursday night was also their first game playing together..Sandis Vilmanis is another young pllayer who has impressed so far, and has a shot at the third line in place of the injured Brad Marchand as the season starts.

New Veterans Bringing Leadership

Florida added depth pieces this offseason, for grit and experience, and so far they seem to be fitting in. That includes Garnet Hathaway and Lars Ellers. Hathaway has bounced around: Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers, all before joining Florida. This is his 12th season in the NHL. Lars Ellers was on the following teams: St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Ottawa Senators. This is Lars' 17th season in the NHL. They know their roles: to give support to prior champions like Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov and others who've been part of Florida's parades. That combination should be successful provided most stay healthy.

Cooper Black.... On The Attack

While Jacob Markstrom is entrenched for now as the starting goalie, the preseason has been a time to take a look at AHL goalie Cooper Black, who is 6-foot-8, hardly the norm for his spot. While Black did allow two goals on Thursday night in Tampa, he looked extremely poised for his first NHL appearance, saving 14 of the shots he faced against premium competition. In the AHL, he played 60 games with the Charlotte Checkers and in that time, posting a 36-18-6 record, a 2.37 GAA (goals against average), and a .903 overall save percentage. We may see more of him soon.

It appears the Panthers have put together a strong roster this offseason, with another chance at the Cup, behind Maurice, general manager Bill Zito and the rest of their brain trust.

Just one more preseason until we get to see it for real: Saturday, September 26th, with a puck drop of 6 PM at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL, for the latest preseason installment of the Battle of Florida. And while the Panthers's regulars aren't scheduled to play again -- and the Lightning's are -- the Panthers have shown they are up to competing no matter what.