After almost a week of practice, the Tampa Bay Lightning are finally going to get to spar against some players in a different uniform as they head up to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in their first preseason game of the 2025-26 season. With all of their players still in camp, and another game scheduled tomorrow, expect a fairly sparse roster for the game tonight. While the stats and results might not mean anything in the long run, for a few players on the ice it’ll be a big night.
The roster that is heading to Carolina is:
Forwards:
Mitchell Chaffee, Ethan Czata, Dylan Duke, Jack Finley, Aiden Foster, Ethan Gauthier, Conor Geekie, Boris Katchouk, Marco Mignosa, Jakob Pelletier, Wojciech Stachowiak, Gabriel Stzturc
Defense:
Evertt Baldwin, Jan Golicic, Emil Lilleberg, Simon Lundmark, J.J. Moser, Steven Santini
Goaltenders:
Jonas Johanson, Harrison Meneghin
Game time is 7:00 PM
The first preseason game is always exciting, especially for prospects like Ethan Czata and Marco Mignosa who are putting on the Lightning uniform for the first time against legitimate NHL opponents. They’ve gotten a taste of the action in the prospect showcase, but things ramp up even more as they’ll be facing a handful of veterans in Carolina tonight. For the kids that play junior hockey, it will likely be their one game before being reassigned to their teams in the CHL.
Tonight’s game will also start the battle for the 12th/13th forward position with Boris Katchouk, Jakob Pelletier, Dylan Duke, and Jack Finley among others will be looking to put their best foot (skate?) forward to help their case.
For tonight and tomorrow the games will be streamed on the Lightning’s website. It looks like they might be geo-locked as the Bolts are adding the “local markets only” disclaimer on their social media posts about the game. It appears the audio feed will stream on 102.5 The Bone and through the Lightning App.
Buckle up, the ride is beginning!
Hockey News
Lightning shuffle third line at practice
Jack Finely getting his first opportunity to work with the main group, on a line with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand during practice on Day 4 of #GoBolts training camp #TBLightning
— Lightning Insider (@erikerlendsson.bsky.social) September 21, 2025 at 12:11 PM
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After a few practices with all veterans skating on the forward lines, Coach Cooper mixed things up a little as Jack Finley centered Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the third line. Conor Geekie skated with one of the other groups. Finley definitely brings a little size to the rotation.
Finley spoke with reporters after the practice, and said he was grateful to be on the ice after spending the last couple of camps on the sidelines.
Will Vasilevskiy be ready? [Tampa Bay Times]
As Eddie points out, it’s a little too early to start worrying, especially since Vasilevskiy normally doesn’t appear in the preseason until the last couple of games.
Lightning extend contract with 102.5 [Tampa Bay Lightning]
While the television rights deal is changing this season, Lightning Radio is staying put on 102.5 The Bone. The team announced a multi-year extension to their contract along with a new weekly show and expanded Last Call Post-Game Show. Dave Mishkin returns for play-by-play and he’ll be joined by Phil Esposito (probably for the home games as he has done for the last few seasons).
How realistic is a Sidney Crosby trade for each team [The Athletic]
The Bolts get a “well…it could happen”. Salary cap restraints and limited trade assets could hinder a deal, but the Lightning should be one of the top contenders in the East, and if Sid doesn’t want to upend his life too much, he could find a role with the Bolts.
