Tampa Bay Lightning News: Facing Nashville, ThunderBug, And More
As the day takes off, let’s take a closer look at some of the top Tampa Bay Lightning headlines making their way around the Bolts Nation today.
As another day gets marked off the calendar, we find ourselves on day closer to the moment we’ve been waiting for; the first official puck drop of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2016-17 season. The off-season has been a fairly stressful one for the Lightning and their fans, but both seem to be coming out on the other side.
The closer we get to the start of the new season, the more the pressure builds here in the Bolts Nation. For the most part, the Lightning seems to be poised for another outstanding season. As you can imagine, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to make a return to the Eastern Conference Final for the third year in a row.
Right now, there is really only one piece of the puzzle remaining. Hopefully, before the puck drops to start the season, Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman will have this situation, which we aren’t going to dig back into at the moment, resolved and ready to move forward.
Tampa Bay Lightning
As most Tampa Bay Lightning fans know by now, the Lightning will be welcoming home former Bolts captain Vincent Lecavalier. In the beginning, some took this to believe the Lightning would be retiring Lecavalier’s number four jersey. Unfortunately, this proved to be untrue.
Speaking of retiring someone’s jersey, we have a pretty strong opinion about which player should have their jersey retired by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Oddly enough, with the recent departure of former Lightning defenseman Matt Carle, the number 25 has finally become free. (Bolts By The Bay)
Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing the second half of their back-to-back series. Last night, the Lightning pulled out a 2-1 win in Overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes. Now, the Bolts are headed to the Bridgestone Arena to take on the Nashville Predators.
Tampa Bay Lightning fans will be seeing some familiar faces take the ice tonight. Many players who were representing their respective countries at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will be making their preseason debut tonight in Nashville, including Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Here is a closer look at tonight’s lineup. (Tampa Bay Lightning)
The pre-season is one of the first times fans ever have a chance to see the players hit the ice and get an idea of what they can expect in the new season. This season was a little difference because of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, but now that the players have returned to their respective teams, fans will have a chance to see the chemistry between teammates.
You can almost tell from the first time you see a player take the ice whether they will be ready when the first official puck drop of the season starts. The people over at Bleacher Report have scoured the National Hockey League to track down players who are ready to get off to a fast start this season. Let’s just say there is a familiar face for Tampa Bay Lightning fans amongst their selections. (Bleacher Report)
Switching gears a little bit, if you have been a Tampa Bay Lightning fan for any real length of time, you are probably more than aware of the way things have changed over the course of the last few years. One of the biggest things we have noticed is the less-involved version of ThunderBug.
Yes, ThunderBug is still very much a large part of the game day experience, but not quite in the same manner in which he used to be. We don’t know about you, but we think the Tampa Bay Lightning needs to infuse a little more of our favorite Bug into the game day experience. (Bolts By The Bay)
Next: Lightning Edge Hurricanes In Final Preseason Meeting
The moment we’ve been waiting for is almost here. The one thing we hope is that all outstanding matters of business are taken care of before the puck drops to start off the season. The good news is, we have full faith in Steve Yzerman and if there’s anyone who can get the job done, it’s him.