I think it’s a good way to test where you at to Opening Night. “This is closer to a regular season game although it’s not quite the same. We’re being a little cautious with the guys who are nicked up a little but the rest will play. “We will keep anyone who is close - Verhaeghe skated today but we will hold him until the Saturday game. “Any of our veterans who are healthy will play,” Maurice said. With a number of players still battling for a roster spot, these next two games will be of some importance even if the stats nor the final score do not count toward anything. Which is a shame considering his comments in his introductory press conference in which he said he continued to dislike the Edmonton Oilers from his days with the Flames, “but now I hate Tampa more.”
#Lightning tampa free
Some of the moves Florida made were due to their lack of salary cap space as Claude Giroux, Mason Marchment, Ben Chiarot and Noel Acciari all left as free agents.īut the biggest offseason move involved one of the largest trades in recent NHL history as Florida traded away all-time leading scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and top-pair defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to Calgary in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk.īy missing the past two practices with what is believed to be a minor injury, Tkachuk is not expected to get his first taste of the Lightning tonight and perhaps will not play in Saturday’s preseason finale in Tampa. Not only was interim coach Andrew Brunette replaced by Paul Maurice but the Panthers also made myriad changes on the ice as well. That sweep at the hands of what was then the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions led to a lot of changes in Pantherland during the offseason. Sure, this first of two exhibitions to close out the preseason has nothing on the last time these two met when the Lightning ended Florida’s season with a 2-0 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Tampa. What do the new guys have to offer – especially the new-ish players acquired midway through the year last season?īriseBois did make some roster additions this summer – veteran forward Vladislav Namestnikov signed as a UFA for his second tour in Tampa Bay 33-year-old blueliner Ian Cole signed a one-year, $3-million deal to help soften the blow of losing McDonagh and depth players Philippe Myers and Hayden Fleury also were added to the defense corps – but, for the most part, the Lightning’s lineup is the same as it was last season.The return of the NHL is indeed close and the temperature will be raised tonight when the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers renew their rivalry in Sunrise. Betting against them in the playoffs wouldn’t be a wise thing to do.Ģ.
#Lightning tampa full
But the Lightning’s players know full well the real test will come once the playoffs begin, and they’ve demonstrated they can once again rise to the challenge and be difference-makers when the games really count. The Atlantic Division is going to be even tougher this season, and good luck on the health front is going to be necessary for Tampa Bay to finish with home-ice advantage in the post-season this year.
#Lightning tampa series
The Bolts were nearly eliminated in the first round by Toronto, but Tampa superstar goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy found his game late in the series and carried them through to the second round, where they swept the Atlantic Division-champion Florida Panthers before outlasting the New York Rangers in six games of the Eastern Final. There were more than a few people last season who didn’t see the Lightning running the table in the Eastern Conference and set up a showdown for what would’ve been their third consecutive Cup victory, but those people were proven wrong by the veteran-laden Tampa Bay core and their deep pool of talent overall. Can the Bolts once again defy the odds and make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final? THREE BURNING QUESTIONS FOR THE LIGHTNING IN 2022-23:ġ. In today’s file, we’re posing three burning questions about the Tampa Bay Lightning: You’re reading the newest edition of THN.com’s Burning Questions series, a continuing feature in which we ask three crucial questions about every NHL franchise.
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