TAMPA, Fla. — After not making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in three years, the Tampa Bay Lightning are rested and ready to drop the puck on the regular season. But they'll be short-handed when they do.
Perhaps the most important member of the Lightning, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, will miss at least the first two months of the season as he recovers from back surgery at the beginning of training camp.
Vasilevskiy has been the backbone, no pun intended, of the Lightning's amazing run to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances and two Stanley Cups. He's also won the Conn Smythe Trophy, a Vezina Trophy and has been named to five All-Star teams.
The Lightning will turn to Jonas Johannson and Matt Tomkins to fill the enormous void left by Vasilevskiy. The team grew more confident with both as the preseason ended, but they have a combined 35 regular season games between them and they will need plenty of support.
Luckily for both, the Lightning returns much of their roster that has helped power the team over the last several seasons, including centers Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, and team captain Steven Stamkos.
The team also brings back wings Nicholas Paul, Brandon Hagel, and star Nikita Kucherov. Finally, the defensemen in front of the goal will include Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev.
Last season, the Lightning coasted into the playoffs with a 46-30-6 record while giving up 3.1 goals per game while before getting eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The last time the Lightning were eliminated in the first round was the 2018-19 season. The next two seasons, the Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup.
Lightning fans are definitely hoping for a repeat of that and it all starts Tuesday night at Amalie Arena against the Nashville Predators.
