Lightning Defender Fights Golden Knights Forward

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg has certainly become well-known for his physical style of play during the early stages of his NHL career. The 6-foot-3 blueliner showed that he is not afraid to play with an edge this past season, as he recorded 105 penalty minutes and 114 hits in 76 games with the Lightning in 2024-25.

Lilleberg has also carried his gritty style of play over to this season, too, as he already had 26 penalty minutes in his first eight games of the campaign. Now, he only added to his penalty minutes on the season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 26.

During the Bolts' matchup against Vegas, Lilleberg dropped the gloves with Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar in a spirited fight. Kolesar is certainly known for his toughness, but Lilleberg held his own against the Golden Knights forward in the scrap.

There is no question that Lilleberg is proving more bite to the Lightning's roster, and this fight against Kolesar is only the latest example of that. It will be interesting to see what the 24-year-old defenseman does next for the Lightning from here.