The Tampa Bay Lightning are back on the ice for opening night when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Preseason is behind them. Time for the games that actually matter.
Even with a fresh slate, offseason activity and the preseason have built up some pressing thoughts heading into the 2026-27 season. Here are three of those questions.
Can they get this season off to a stronger start?
With opening night here, it's important to understand how early season wins can matter later on. The Lightning didn't just have a slow start to last season. They fell flat on their face.
In their first seven games, they were 1-4-2. They turned it around in a hurry afterward, winning seven of their next eight. However, it made a difference in the final season standings. They missed out on a division title by three points.
Had they had a stronger start, they would've had a favorable first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins. Instead, they had to try to go through a tough Montreal Canadiens team and fell short.
Opening night provides a major test. While the Rangers finished last in the Metropolitan Division last year, they claimed two of three against the Lightning. Redeeming yourself early is a good start. Make the most of it.
Will Conor Geekie's preseason success translate?
Geekie cracked the opening night roster after a stellar preseason performance. He tallied two goals and an assist for three points across four games. For good measure, he was timely. He had a game-winning goal, a game-tying goal and a game-tying assist.
It brings excitement, but we have to see if it translates.
So far, through 66 games across two seasons, he's picked up nine goals and eight assists for 17 points. It's fair to speculate, but his numbers in the AHL last season with Syracuse provide promise. He averaged over a point per game and scored 17 goals in 56 games.
Before making his NHL debut in 2024-25, he had played in two professional games. He needed more time to develop. The Lightning gave him that chance last season.
He doesn't have to come out like a rocket on opening night, but you hope to see something come together over the first few weeks. In two career games against the Rangers, he's been kept off the score sheet. If he's looking for a statement early, this would still provide him with an opportunity.
How will the backup goalie look this year?
We won't learn this opening night, but it's a key question. Jonas Johansson is out. Dennis Hildeby is in.
This entire 2020s decade, it feels like the Lightning have been searching for the right fit to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy. Johansson will always be remembered for stepping up when the reigning Vezina Trophy winner went down with a back injury three seasons ago, but he just wasn't a fit.
In his defense, others before him didn't fare much better at times. Since 2019-20, the Lightning have had a backup goalie post a save percentage over .900 twice, and only one of those was over .910. Any success was never sustained.
Hildeby gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a strong performance, platooning with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. He was their only netminder to post a save percentage over .900, finishing with a .912, and he provided a respectable 20-game sample size.
Ideally, he sees more action than that. With an expanded schedule and Vasilevskiy's health history, they're going to need at least 30 games out of him.
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