The Tampa Bay Lightning ran their record to 2-0 in the preseason as they defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 in a shootout on Tuesday night. It was a bit of a struggle for most of the night as the Lightning featured a rather young line-up against Nashville’s more veteran-based group which included a trio of ex-Bolts in Steven Stamkos, Nick Perbix, and Jonathan Marchessault.
After Brady Martin scored twice to give the Predators a 2-0 lead going into the third period, Sam O’Reilly picked up his first goal of the preseason on a deflection. After a couple of missed opportunities on the power play (including a lengthy 5-on-3) the Lightning tied it with just over two minutes to go in the game when Jakob Pelletier was able to redirect a centering pass past Justus Annunen.
An entertaining overtime period failed to resolve the game and the two teams went to a shootout. Boris Katchouk slipped the deciding goal past Annunen and the Bolts had the victory. Caleb Heil picked up the victory as he stopped all seven shots he saw in the third period and overtime, as well as all three shootout attempts. Brandon Halverson played the first two periods and stopped 20 of 22 shots. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Grant Spada, and Steven Santini had assists for the Lightning while O’Reilly led all skaters with 22:06 of ice time. He spent the majority of the game on a line with Bjorkstrand and Gage Goncalves.
The Lightning’s next preseason game is at home against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
The Goals:
Sam O’Reilly (Oliver Bjorkstrand)
"SCORREEE!!!" It's O'Reilly to get the Bolts on the board! #TBLvsNSH 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 10:40 PM
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Jakob Pelletier (Grant Spada, Steven Santini)
"In front, SCORREEE!!!!! PELLETIER!!!" Pelletier ties the game at ✌️! #TBLvsNSH 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM
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Boris Katchouk
"KATCHOUK!!!!!" Boris Katchouk rises to the occasion again this preseason! The shootout winner 🥶🥶🥶 #TBLvsNSH 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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Hockey News
Dyllan Gill is lucky number 13 in the Top 25 Under 25 [Raw Charge]
The young defenseman had a taste of the AHL last season. This year he’s looking to make an impact for the Crunch.
Finally healthy, Finley shows the Lightning he’s ready [Lightning Insider – subscription]
After sitting on the sidelines the last two training camps, the Big Fella is ready to jump in and show the Lightning he’s ready to be a permanent part of the team.
Keep an eye on the the goalies and other takeaways from the win [Tampa Bay Times]
Halverson and Jonas Johansson are off to strong starts in net through two games. JoJo is the back-up at the NHL level right now, but as Encina points out, Halverson could be called into action if Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t ready to go.
Syracuse Crunch announce Hall of Fame Class of 2025 [Syracuse Crunch]
It is a really, really strong class of inductees this year, including Gabriel Dumont, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
Top 20 NHL-affiliated prospects to watch in the CHL this year [Daily FaceOff]
While there were no Lightning Prospects on the list, there is plenty of young, drafted talent to keep an eye on around the CHL this year.
Bold predictions for every team [ESPN]
Chalk up the ESPN crew as believers. They pick the Bolts to win the Atlantic Division.
The best goalies to wear every jersey number in NHL history [The Athletic]
Andrei Vasilevskiy (#88) and Daren Puppa (#93) claim their numbers while a couple of old friends in Nikolai Khabibulin, Mike McKenna, and Pat Jablonski pop up for other teams or as honorable mentions.
Eight players under the most pressure in 2025-26 [Sportsnet]
Old friend Steven Stamkos, now in his second year in Nashville, pops up on the list.
