By The Tampa Bay Lightning had plenty of NHL experience in their lineup Thursday night, but a young Florida Panthers roster exposed several areas that still need work before the regular season begins.
Tampa Bay fell 5-3 to Florida at Benchmark International Arena in its final preseason home game. The Lightning dropped to 1-1-1 with one exhibition game remaining. They will face the Panthers again on Saturday in Sunrise.
Harkins provides Tampa Bay’s offense
Jansen Harkins gave the Lightning one of the night’s few clear positives.
The 29-year-old forward scored twice, while Conor Geekie added Tampa Bay’s other goal. Geekie finished a 2-on-0 rush with Sam O’Reilly to tie the game 2-2 in the second period.
Tampa Bay recorded a 28-25 advantage in shots and won 35 of 60 faceoffs, but those numbers didn’t translate into control.
The loss was especially noticeable because Florida entered the game with a lineup made up largely of younger players, who will go to the AHL and ECHL in a matter of days, and those competing for roster spots.
Power play remains a concern
The Lightning had opportunities to take control on special teams but couldn’t capitalize.
Tampa Bay finished 0-for-5 on the power play, including a 5-on-3 opportunity. The Lightning moved the puck around the offensive zone but struggled to turn possession into dangerous chances.
That is something worth watching as the preseason winds down, especially with John Carlson now working on a unit that has historically relied heavily on movement and shooting threats from the blue line.
Carlson played 23:51 and registered four shots, but Tampa Bay couldn’t convert any of its five man-advantage opportunities.
Vasilevskiy is still finding his form
Andrei Vasilevskiy also had a tough night.
The Lightning’s No. 1 goaltender stopped 20 of 24 shots for an .833 save percentage before Florida added an empty-net goal late in the third period.
Preseason results carry limited weight, and veteran players often use these games to build toward opening night. Still, Tampa Bay allowed Florida to stay within its structure and capitalize on mistakes despite the difference in NHL experience between the two lineups.
Florida scored three times in the third period to turn a 2-2 game into a 5-3 win. Cole Reinhardt scored the eventual game-winner, and Sandis Vilmanis finished the scoring on an empty-net goal.
One more chance before the games count
The Lightning have one preseason game left, and several questions remain unresolved.
The power play needs to generate. The defensive structure needs to tighten. And Tampa Bay’s established players still haven’t consistently separated themselves from opponents who rely heavily on prospects and depth players.
There were positives Thursday, particularly Harkins’ two-goal performance and another preseason goal from Geekie.
But with opening night approaching, Tampa Bay still looks out of shape, emotionally and physically.
The Lightning get one more opportunity to find it Saturday when they face the Panthers in Sunrise to close the preseason.
