When the Tampa Bay Lightning take the ice on Thursday to face the Minnesota Wild, a new face could be between the pipes.
Per multiple reports, Dennis Hildeby was the first goalie off the ice in practice on Thursday, meaning he could be set for his first start of the season.
It appears as if Dennis Hildeby will get his first #GoBolts start in goal tonight as he was the first goaltender off the ice https://t.co/2AayeEvosY
— Lightning Insider (@Erik_Erlendsson) October 8, 2026
The Lightning made the move to acquire him over the offseason in the hopes of upgrading the position. Jonas Johansson had been serviceable for the three seasons he backed up Andrei Vasilevskiy, but the Lightning were in a tighter spot whenever they went with him in net.
After a respectable first 12 games where he posted a .907 save percentage, his performance dipped, finishing with an .865 save percentage in his final 13 games. According to MoneyPuck, he finished with a goals saved above expected of -10.4
Even with his performance, the Lightning allowed the third-fewest goals in 2025-26.
The Lightning finished 11-10-2 when Johansson was the starting goalie. That’s good for a points percentage of .522. By comparison, they finished with a points percentage of .707 with Vasilevskiy.
Asking for a similar performance when the reigning Vezina Trophy winner gets the call is unrealistic, but the difference is still pretty stark.
Last season’s numbers, even on a team that landed the first-overall pick, are a hopeful sign for Hildeby. While he had a 5-7-4 record overall, he finished with a .914 save percentage. According to MoneyPuck, he finished with a goals saved above expected of 10.5, good for the 16th-best in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs allowed the second-most goals in the league last season with him playing in 25 games for them.
If the Lightning get a similar season from Hildeby, they could be more comfortable giving Vasilevskiy more rest throughout the season. We have to imagine that would result in a better record than what Johansson finished with.
One posted good numbers despite who was playing in front of him. The other likely would have looked worse if he didn’t have the team he had in front of him.
We’ll see how he looks with his new team in his first game. Expectations can be higher. He’s earned them after the step forward that he took during his second NHL season.
Maybe a new goalie can bring some new fortunes for the Lightning against the Wild. Over the last two seasons, the Lightning are 1-3-0 against one of the better teams in the Western Conference. In that span, they’ve allowed an average of 4.25 goals per game, and Vasilevskiy has posted an .841 save percentage in this head-to-head matchup.
Hildeby has played a partial game against the Wild, saving all nine shots he’s seen. It’s basically an irrelevant sample size, but why not? It’s a shot.
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