Coming off a fast-paced training camp, the Tampa Bay Lightning entered Tuesday’s preseason opener with an eye towards getting their veterans back up to game speed and seeing what some of their prospects could accomplish. Like any other preseason outing, avoiding injuries is also a top priority.
At least the Lightning were successful in that last category. The rest of their first preseason contest was mostly one to forget.
Fielding a lineup full of mostly veterans, the Lightning were outclassed, out-shot, and outplayed by the Carolina Hurricanes at Amalie Arena to the tune of a 4-1 penalty-filled final. Carolina brought a roster full of mostly younger players and unproven guys with, well, something to prove. While there were a few positives to take away from this game, head coach Jon Cooper was very straightforward in his assessment. However, he was also willing to shrug off the loss, adding that there’s more preseason games to follow.
“We played a team with a bunch of really hungry guys that were fired up to impress and we had a bunch of guys in the lineup getting their first bumps in camp,” said Cooper. “It’s the first exhibition game of seven, and we’ve got a whole bunch of guys to get into games. We’re paying attention to our new guys that are in the lineup, try to watch them, see how they develop. You look at habits, work ethic, are guys trying to follow what you’re teaching them? Part of that, some guys did, some guys didn’t.”
The opening period turned into a prime example of why teams need preseason work.
Despite seeing a couple of solid chances during an early power play, the Lightning failed to muster much in the way of offense in the early going. In fact, Carolina easily controlled play at 5-on-5 throughout the opening 20 minutes despite fielding that lineup of mostly younger prospects. The Hurricanes looked quicker to the puck, fired quality shots on net, and kept the Bolts pinned into their own zone.
At the 4:06 mark, Michal Cajkovsky’s wrist shot from the point eluded Andrei Vasilevskiy through traffic for the game’s opening goal, giving Carolina a 1-0 edge. That lead grew to 2-0 on a power play with 6:55 remaining on the clock. Lucas Wallmark notched the goal when his wrist shot from the left faceoff dot slipped past Vasilevskiy. Suffice to say, both goals were the kind that you’d like to have back as a goaltender. The Lightning slowly showed some life late in the period while killing a penalty. Tyler Johnson and Mathieu Joseph, who was one of the few Bolts who had a positive impact, teamed up for a pair of solid chances off a shorthanded 2-on-1. However, Canes goalie Petr Mrazek held firm as the Canes held a 12-7 shot edge at the intermission.
That edge in shots on goal would grow into a wide chasm over the course of the second period.
During the middle stanza, the Hurricanes registered a 14-3 lead in shots on goal. Tampa Bay continued to see themselves outplayed and out-hustled by Carolina. The Lightning simply didn’t look sharp and didn’t register much in the way of offense. Taylor Raddysh generated a solid look from the slot, but had the puck knocked away by Haydn Fleury. Late in the period, Alexander Volkov set up Steven Stamkos in front off a rush, but the Lightning captain couldn’t finish the play off.
The Canes were rewarded for their strong play with 50.2 second left on the clock, as Valentin Zykov notched his first goal of the preseason. Standing in front of the Lightning net and causing havoc, he deflected a rocket of a point shot by Patrick Brown past Vasilevskiy, giving Carolina a 3-0 advantage.
“I don’t think we take much from tonight,” said Stamkos. “There’s some things we have to work on but it’s the first preseason game so it’s nice to get back into game action. It wasn’t a very good showing for our group. We still have to take pride in how we play.”
Joseph would get the Lightning on the board early in the third period
Following a power play chance where Volkov and Brayden Point each had great chances, another Bolts man advantage worked out thanks to Joseph and Raddysh. Raddysh collected a pass from Johnson and moved down the right wing. He sent a crisp, solid pass to the front of the crease, where Joseph redirected it past Carolina goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who came in for Mrazek halfway through the second period. Joseph was very consistent for the Lightning, using his speed to create chances and turnovers, and his net-front presence paid off for the goal. However, Joseph lamented his team’s earlier failures on the power play.
“It’s always tough to get momentum if your power play isn’t working, but it was like that for them too,” said Joseph. “We should have found a way to compete better.”
Although Joseph’s goal pulled the Lightning within two, Carolina re-established their two-goal lead when Andrei Svechnikov took a pass in the right circle from Phillip di Giuseppe, rifling a shot past Vasilevskiy at the 7:11 and putting Carolina up 4-1.
The Bolts return to action tomorrow when they travel to Raleigh to complete this home-and-home set with the Canes. Puck drops at 7 pm.
Game Notes
-The Hurricanes out-shot the Lightning 35-17 for the game.
-Mrazek finished the evening stopping all nine shots he faced, while Nedeljkovic stopped seven of eight shots on goal.
-Vasilevskiy turned aside 31 of 35 shots on goal.
-Svechnikov, the second overall pick in June’s draft, notched a goal and an assist in his first-ever NHL game.
-The only regular defenseman from a year ago who was not in the lineup this evening was Mikhail Sergachev.
-Alex Killorn, Yanni Gourde, J.T. Miller, Cedric Paquette, Cory Conacher, and Anthony Cirelli also sat this game out.
-Connor Ingram backed up Vasilevskiy.
-Andy Andreoff made his Lightning debut after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason for Peter Budaj.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star: Andrei Svechnikov – One goal and one assist
2nd Star: Lucas Wallmark – One goal and one assist
3rd Star: Mathieu Jospeh – Scored the Lightning’s lone goal
