Game One: Ottawa Senators (0-0-0) at Tampa Bay Lightning (0-0-0)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Benchmark International Arena
TV/Stream/Radio: Scripps, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App, TSN5, RDSI
Odds: Lightning -170
Know the Opponents: SenShot
The ice is fresh. Disappointment has yet to set in for either fan base. For now, the future is nothing but hope and possibility. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s the beginning of a march to the only place where they can find vindication – the playoffs. The Senators made it to the playoffs as well, and are hoping to make it out of the second round.
It’s hard to know how the Lightning are going to play tonight. The pre-season was a bit fractured even if they excelled with a 6-1 record. The early wins came with a lot of players that are now in Syracuse, and the final two games were rife with penalties and fights, leading to little 5v5 time for the starters. The good news is that, with a line-up that spent a great deal of time together last season, they really didn’t need a long onboarding ramp.
Things to look for tonight:
- How the power play operates. The departure of Steven Stamkos loomed over everything last season, especially the power play. That’s gone now. This year it’s about finding the right system for the talented players on the roster.
- Can the bottom-six, especially the fourth line, contribute offensively. They were fine defensively last year, but a vast black hole of offense.
- How is Andrei Vasilevskiy? He logged forty minutes of ice time in a pre-season game that had absolutely zero flow and too much special teams play. He was bothered by a mystery injury for much of the past month, and wary fans are concerned.
Are the Senators ready to compete for a playoff spot? A quick glance at the line-up, honestly we didn’t pay much attention to their off-season, leads one to wonder. The top line should be fine, but it seems to drop off quickly after that.
Buckle in, folks. Hockey is back in our lives.
Potential Lines
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards:
| Jake Guentzel | Brayden Point | Nikita Kucherov |
| Brandon Hagel | Anthony Cirelli | Gage Goncalves |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | Yanni Gourde | Mitchell Chaffee |
| Curtis Douglas | Pontus Holmberg | Conor Geekie |
Defense:
| Victor Hedman | Darren Raddysh |
| Ryan McDonagh | Erik Cernak |
| Emil Lilleberg | Max Crozier |
Goaltenders:
| Andrei Vasilevskiy |
| Jonas Johansson |
Ottawa Senators
Forwards:
| Brady Tkachuk | Tim Stutzle | Fabian Zetterlund |
| Ridly Greig | Shane Pinto | Claude Giroux |
| David Perron | Dylan Cozens | Michael Amadio |
| Nick Cousins | Lars Eller | Kurtis MacDermid |
Defense:
| Jake Sanderson | Artem Zub |
| Thomas Chabot | Nick Jensen |
| Donovan Serbango | Nikolas Matinpalo |
Goaltenders:
| Linus Ullmark |
| Leevi Merilainen |
