Lightning’s Curtis Douglas fined for incident with Panthers’ Niko Mikkola

Some money is being handed out after the madness that was the Battle of Florida.

On Friday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Curtis Douglas was fined $2,018.23 for “serving as the aggressor in an altercation” with Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola.

The incident occurred during the third period of the Lightning’s 6-1 win over the Panthers on Thursday night. A little over two minutes after a massive brawl that saw multiple fights and game misconducts, including a spirited tilt between Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk (part two), Douglas went after Mikkola, who had thrown a hard hit on Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov.

Douglas went after Mikkola after the whistle, trying to coax the Finnish blueliner into a fight. Mikkola was far from a willing combatant, with the two quickly being separated by the linemen.

The game totaled a combined 147 penalty minutes.

The fine is the current maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. This is the first time Douglas has ever faced supplemental discipline in the NHL.

Douglas is in his rookie season in the NHL. Originally part of the Utah Mammoth dating back to the franchise’s days when they were known as the Arizona Coyotes, the Oakville, Ont. native was placed on waivers prior to the 2025-26 regular season, and was eventually claimed by the Lightning.

In 29 games with the Bolts, Douglas has posted just two assists. He’s been known more for his fists than his skills. He’s already had eight fighting majors this season, including dropping the mitts with Panthers forward Luke Kunin back on Dec. 27. The 25-year-old has 92 penalty minutes so far this season.

In each of the three previous seasons with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners, Douglas had over 110 PIMs, including a career-high 148 during the 2023-24 campaign.