Browsing: lightning

Oct 15, 2025, 05:58 PM ET

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Kings have reacquired veteran goalie Pheonix Copley in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning to provide depth while Darcy Kuemper is slowed by a lower-body injury.

The Kings acquired Copley, 33, in exchange for future considerations.

Copley spent the previous three years in the Kings’ organization, including 42 games last season for the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The former Washington netminder started 35 games for Los Angeles during the 2022-23 season before missing most of the 2023-24 season due to knee surgery.

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The Lightning claimed Copley off waivers earlier this month while they were worried about the status of starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, who struggled with an injury in training camp. Vasilevskiy ultimately was healthy enough to play in Tampa Bay’s season opener.

Anton Forsberg is the primary backup to Kuemper, who was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season along with Vasilevskiy.

Forsberg started the only victory in four games this season for the Kings (1-2-1).

Kuemper missed practice Wednesday along with captain Anze Kopitar due to lower-body injuries. Forsberg seems likely to start when the Kings host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

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TAMPA, Fla. — Shane Pinto scored his second goal of the night late in the third period to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday in the opener for both clubs.

Dylan Cozens and Artus Zub also scored for the Senators, and Claude Giroux added an empty-netter. Brady Tkachuk had three assists.

Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots for Ottawa.

Brayden Point had a goal and two assists for Tampa Bay, which fell to 21-10-2 in season openers. Nikita Kucherov scored twice and Oliver Bjorkstrand had a power-play goal.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, who played only two periods in the pre-season, finished with 29 saves.

Jake Sanderson intercepted a pass at centre ice and transitioned up ice quickly to take the puck to the net, where Pinto punched in a loose puck with 1:47 left to put the Senators ahead for good at 4-3.

The Lightning jumped on top early as Bjorkstrand, acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline last season, slid into the slot to receive a pass from Jake Guentzel and snap a shot past Ullmark with 14:25 left in the first period. Point made it 2-0 less than 90 seconds later, and Cozens answered with a power-play goal for Ottawa midway through the period.

Kucherov regained the two-goal advantage for Tampa Bay with 5:14 left in the first on the Lightningâ€s second power-play goal of the period.

Zub threw a puck toward the net on the opening shift of the second that bounced off the post, then off Vasilevskiy 42 seconds into the period. Pinto converted a breakaway that tied the game with 4:51 left in the second.

Senators: At Florida on Saturday.

Lightning: Host New Jersey on Saturday.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The NHL has suspended Tampa Bay forward Scott Sabourin four games and defenseman J.J. Moser for two games for their actions in the Lightning’s preseason finale against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

Additionally, the Lightning organization was fined $100,000 and Lightning coach Jon Cooper was fined $25,000, the NHL said without further explanation.

The Lightning called up six players from their AHL affiliate in Syracuse for the game; those six combined for 77 penalty minutes and five of the six drew either a match penalty, misconduct or game misconduct during the matchup.

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The NHL rulings, handed down Monday, means Sabourin will forfeit $16,145.84 — or roughly $850 for every second that he played in Saturday’s penalty-filled debacle. Moser will lose $35,156.26.

It’s unclear when Sabourin will serve the suspension, since the Lightning sent him back to Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Monday. Sabourin played in only one NHL game last season.

Sabourin — who was on the ice for only 19 seconds Saturday — was given a match penalty for going after Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad just 2:17 into the game. That hit set the tone for a matchup where officials called 65 penalties, issued 13 game misconducts and handed out 312 penalty minutes.

At one point, the Lightning had three skaters on their bench.

“That was a first for me,” Cooper said after that game. “I think we had more coaches than players on the bench at one point.”

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Scott Sabourin (46) and Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, right, trade blows during Saturday’s penalty-filled preseason finale between the state rivals. Associated Press

Moser’s suspension came for boarding Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist during that game. Moser was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.

There were so many penalties called that the on-ice crew evidently lost track of who had been kicked out. Florida’s Niko Mikkola was credited with an assist midway through the third period on a goal by Boqvist that was disallowed about 15 minutes later because Mikkola was unaware he had been ejected earlier in the period — and therefore ineligible to be playing.

“It got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said that night. “It wasn’t really hockey out there.”

Sabourin was one of six players called up Friday by Tampa Bay for Saturday’s game. Those moves came one day after the Lightning and Panthers had another preseason game featuring 49 penalties and 186 penalty minutes.

Ekblad left Saturday’s game after the hit from Sabourin. He was able to practice Monday and is expected to play when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their season at home Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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SUNRISE, Fla. — Niko Mikkola had an assist on a goal that gave the Florida Panthers an 8-0 lead. Problem was, he’d been kicked out of the game a few minutes earlier and nobody noticed.

It was that kind of night between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida defeated Tampa Bay 7-0 in the preseason finale for both clubs Saturday night, though the score was irrelevant. There were 65 penalties for 312 minutes on the stat sheet, including 13 game misconduct penalties — seven for Tampa Bay, six for Florida. The penalty count kept rising after the game, as officials were making sure everything that was called got logged.

“I have no idea,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said, when asked what message Tampa Bay was trying to send with its style of play. “I’m not worried about it; training camp is over. We had some good games … and no one was complaining about ice time by the end of it, so it’s over.”

Florida had 17 power-play chances in the game, by the NHL’s count.

“It got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It wasn’t really hockey out there.”

The parade to the penalty boxes started about two minutes into the game when Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin — who was among six players the Lightning called up for the game — went after Florida’s Aaron Ekblad. Sabourin got a major penalty after playing only 19 seconds.

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“It made you think there might be something coming,” Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen said, when asked what he thought when he saw the Lightning called up players for the game.

What would have been the eighth Florida goal of the night, midway through the third period, was taken away 15 minutes after Jesper Boqvist scored. Off-ice officials realized that Mikkola couldn’t have had an assist on the play — since he’d been ejected earlier in the period.

The teams skated with the scoreboard saying Florida led 8-0 for about five minutes of actual game time, before officials informed both teams that the goal had been taken away and Mikkola had to leave the game.

The Lightning took nine penalties and had no shots on goal in the third period.

Saturday’s game came two nights after the teams combined for 49 penalties and 186 minutes in another preseason contest, one the Lightning won 5-2.

Tampa Bay went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 through 2022, winning two titles in that span. Florida has been to each of the past three Stanley Cup Finals and has won the past two Cups. And there has long been a heated rivalry between the franchises.

“I think anybody that’s been a part of this rivalry would probably look at this box score and A, not be surprised and B, I can’t believe it’s taken this long for something like that to happen,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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SUNRISE, Fla. — Niko Mikkola had an assist on a goal that gave the Florida Panthers an 8-0 lead. Problem was, he’d been kicked out of the game a few minutes earlier and nobody noticed.

Florida beat Tampa Bay 7-0 in the preseason finale for both clubs Saturday night, though the score was irrelevant. There were 65 penalties for 312 minutes on the stat sheet, including 13 game misconduct penalties — seven for Tampa Bay, six for Florida. The penalty count kept rising after the game, while officials were making sure everything that was called got logged.

Florida had 17 power-play chances in the game, by the NHL’s count.

“It got silly. It got stupid by the end of it,†Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “It wasn’t really hockey out there.â€

The parade to the penalty boxes started about two minutes into the game when Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin — who was among six players the Lightning called up for the game — went after Florida’s Aaron Ekblad. Sabourin got a major penalty after playing only 19 seconds.

“It made you think there might be something coming,†Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen said, when asked what he thought when he saw the Lightning called up players for the game.

What would have been the eighth Florida goal of the night, midway through the third period, was taken away 15 minutes after Jesper Boqvist scored. Off-ice officials realized that Mikkola couldn’t have had an assist on the play — since he’d been ejected earlier in the period.

The teams skated with the scoreboard saying Florida led 8-0 for about five minutes of actual game time, before officials informed both teams that the goal had been taken away and Mikkola had to leave the game.

The Lightning took nine penalties and had no shots on goal in the third period.

Saturday’s game came two nights after the teams combined for 49 penalties and 186 minutes in another preseason contest, one the Lightning won 5-2.

Tampa Bay went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 through 2022, winning two titles in that span. Florida has been to each of the last three Stanley Cup Finals and has won the last two Cups. And it has long been a heated rivalry between the franchises.

“I think anybody thatâ€s been a part of this rivalry would probably look at this box score and A, not be surprised and B, I canâ€t believe itâ€s taken this long for something like that to happen,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

It came close, but Saturday’s gong show didn’t quite beat the record for most combined penalty minutes in one game. That record belongs to the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators, who in 2004 combined for 419 penalty minutes — 409 of which took place in the third period. If this had been a regular-season game, it would have taken the cake for most PIMs since 2011, per Sportsnet Stats.

The Panthers and Lightning each have some time to cool down, though, as their next meeting isn’t until Nov. 15.

— With files from Sportsnet Staff

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Saturday’s game between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning might have just had it all.

More than 300 penalty minutes, 13 ejections, a hat trick, a shutout and a goal taken away retroactively.

That’s right, thanks to the Florida-based clubs turning the contest into something that might have fit on Saturday’s card at UFC 320, the Panthers lost out on Jesper Boqvist’s third-period tally.

When Boqvist scored Florida’s eighth goal of the night, Niko Mikkola was on the ice and collected an assist on the play. The only problem? Mikkola had been handed a game misconduct earlier in the game.

So, when it was discovered that Mikkola wasn’t supposed to be in the game anymore, the officials convened and informed the teams that the point was coming off the board and Florida would receive a penalty.

Mikkola was handed his misconduct at 4:01 of the third period.

The Panthers ultimately won the game 7-0 in the final pre-season tilt for both sides. Perhaps the most intense rivalry in the NHL right now, even exhibition games can’t keep the Lightning and Panthers from parading into the penalty box.

The division rivals are set to play four times this season, with the first matchup scheduled for Nov. 15.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning appear close to getting one of their key pieces ready for the regular season.

Superstar goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took to the ice at Lightning practice on Friday as his recovery from an undisclosed injury took another step, per team reporter Gabby Shirley.

Vasilevskiy first suited up on Tuesday after missing all the team’s organized practices since Sept. 19 with the undisclosed ailment.

“He’s just going through some treatments and stuff that, you know, it’s player management,” head coach Jon Cooper told reporters last week.

The Lightning have one pre-season outing left against the Florida Panthers on Saturday in Sunrise, though it hasn’t been announced whether or not the Russian superstar will don his pads.

Asked Monday if Vasilevskiy will need a game or two to be ready for the regular season, Cooper said, “Sometimes itâ€s not what I think; itâ€s what the player thinks. You want to put him in a spot where heâ€s feeling comfortable. And Vasyâ€s gone through multiple training camps where heâ€s played just two games. So, letâ€s just see how later in the week goes.â€

Over his 63 appearances last season, Vasilevskiy posted a 2.18 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, his best stats in several seasons.

The Lightning’s season opener is Oct. 9 at home against the Ottawa Senators.

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The sky held back rain for most of the Championships and then sent down beaucoup buckets as the crowd saluted Cole Hockerâ€s last lap gold dash in a highly entertaining 5000 on the final evening. (KEVIN MORRIS)

TOKYO, JAPAN, August 13–21 — The noise often seemed deafening. The return of the worldâ€s best track & field athletes packed National Stadium with throngs of enthusiastic fans, most of them Japanese, who of course cheered on their own with gusto but were more than happy to share their noise with athletes from around the globe.

The last World Championships held in the fabled venue* back in â€91 hosted 581,462 fans over 9 days. (*=The stadium used in â€91 and constructed for the â€64 Olympics was rebuilt on the same site between â€16 and â€19.) The â€21 Olympics, handicapped by the Covid pandemic, hosted just upwards of zero. This time, unburdened by quarantine restrictions, the fans returned in droves, with a total of 619,288 attending during the 9-day span.

The difference couldnâ€t have been more mind-blowing. In â€21, athletes broke World Records only to hear scattered clapping from a few dozen volunteers and journalists. Nothing felt more eerie than watching an athlete produce the performance of a lifetime and by reflex, look up into the stands almost expecting to see loved ones and fans reacting. Their disappointment was palpable as they pivoted to do a half-hearted celebration for the TV cameras, empty seats behind them.

This time, the spirited fans made sure the athletes got their due recognition. When vaulter Mondo Duplantis flew over the highest height in history in the meetâ€s sole World Record, the reverberation of their roar shook the night.

Mondoâ€s 20-8 (6.30) marked his 14th flight over a global standard, keeping this yearâ€s competition from joining the four editions (â€97, â€01, â€07, â€13) where no World Records toppled.

Of Championship records, fans saw many, including Duplantisâ€s, of course. He topped his own 20-4½ (6.21) from Eugene â€22.

In the 800, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya commandeered the lead from start to finish to clock 1:41.86, leading the top 6 finishers under the 1:42.34 MR that Donavan Brazier set in Doha â€19.

Canadaâ€s Ethan Katzberg demolished the hammer best with his 277-11 (84.70). The old topper was 274-4 (83.63) by Ivan Tikhon of Belarus when he won his second World title in Osaka â€07.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden rocketed to a 10.61 in the 100, snapping the record of 10.65 that Shaâ€Carri Richardson set in Budapest â€23.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levroneâ€s 47.78 American Record in the 400 broke one of the oldest meet standards, the 47.99 that Jarmila Kratochvílová set in Helsinki â€83. Also under the old mark was Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic at 47.98.

A bigger shock came in the womenâ€s 800, not that the meet record fell, but who it was that made the falling happen. Kenyaâ€s unheralded Lilian Odira surprised with her 1:54.62 to upset Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson. That broke the 1:54.68 that Kratochvílová set in Helsinki â€83 the day before her 400 standard, the oldest of the meet records.

In the steeple, Faith Cherotich of Kenya won in 8:51.59, breaking Norah Jerutoâ€s 8:53.02 from Eugene â€22.

The United States womenâ€s 4×4, running in a downpour, clicked off a record 3:16.61 to nip the 3:16.71 that the U.S. set in Stuttgart ‘93. Fans debated whether the rain robbed the Tokyo crowd of a second WR.

The last in this compilation but the first of all the meet records this time around was the United States tying its own 3:08.80 best from Budapest in the mixed 4 x 400.

The forecasted and much-feared heat played a role, to be sure, but did not wreak the havoc that some had seen coming. In the end the start times of some of the road events were moved up, but there was no rescheduling of track events.

The rains of monsoon season stayed away until the final night, when they had a dramatic effect. No event felt the brunt more than the menâ€s discus, which faced a delay of 2 hours before a competition where good footing was worth gold, particularly to Swedenâ€s Daniel StÃ¥hl.

While the original planning had set the menâ€s 4×1 as the climactic event, no one could argue that StÃ¥hlâ€s amazing final throw did not fit perfectly as the moment to wrap the meet. Certainly the fans agreed, staying in their seats despite the inclement weather, long after the relay had finished, spellbound by the amazing platter battle.

Worth noting is that 53 nations scored medals, the most ever. With each edition, the World Championships becomes more of a truly global event. In the inaugural event in Helsinki, 42 years ago, only 25 nations made the podium.

United States Produces Record Medal Count

When Noah Lyles brought the relay team across the line first in the 4 x 100, that gave Team USA its highest-ever gold medal total at 16, bettering the 14 that the team had scored in â€05, â€07 and â€19.

The 26 overall medals that the U.S. scored easily topped the medals table, but did not come close to the record 33 medals scored by Team USA when it had a home field advantage for Eugene â€22.

American fans had plenty to cheer about, with gold medals every day but one. No one came through with a better medal set than Jefferson Wooden, who scored three golds in the 100/200/4×1. That made her the only woman besides Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to have managed that triple.

McLaughlin-Levrone, in capturing gold in the 400 and 4×4, joined Jearl Miles (â€93), Allyson Felix (â€09) and Phyllis Francis (â€17) as the only ones to win those two golds in the same meet.

On the menâ€s side, it was Lyles who won three medals, though he started off with a bronze in the 100 before he won golds in the 200 and relay. Rival Kenny Bednarek, with a silver in addition to the relay gold, was the only other American male to score multiples.

Fans of Cole Hocker didnâ€t take his DQ in the 1500 well, but surely enjoyed his surprise win in the 5000, when he became only the second U.S. athlete to win the gold, after Bernard Lagatâ€s â€07 victory.

One additional bit of medals trivia is that in winning the 100 on the second night of the meet, Jefferson-Wooden captured the 200th gold medal ever won by the United States. By meetâ€s end, that total number had reached 211. Only six other nations have topped 100 cumulative medals of any color: in order, the Germanies (combined), Kenya, Jamaica, Russia, Great Britain and Ethiopia. The U.S. now boasts 469 in all, far more than double any other nation.

Was it a fantastic track meet? It surely was. And the Japanese people proved excellent hosts, putting on the event seamlessly, managing the biggest crowds ever, and generating plenty of noise. Itâ€s been said that the awarding of this championships to Tokyo was motivated by the desire to let the city show its capabilities and splendor, something that it was robbed of by the pandemic-delayed Olympics.

Mission accomplished.

The By-Nation Medal Chart

Nation
Men

Women

Overall

Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total

United States*
6
2
3
11
9
3
2
14
*26

Kenya
1
—
2
3
6
2
—
8
11

Jamaica
1
3
2
6
—
3
1
4
10

Italy
1
1
2
4
—
2
1
3
7

Netherlands*
—
—
1
1
2
1
1
4
*6

Canada
2
1
1
4
1
—
—
1
5

Germany
1
2
—
3
—
1
1
2
5

Great Britain
—
1
—
1
—
2
2
4
5

Australia
—
—
1
1
1
—
2
3
4

China
—
1
1
2
—
1
1
2
4

Ethiopia
—
1
—
1
—
1
2
3
4

Botswana
2
—
1
3
—
—
—
—
3

Brazil
1
2
—
3
—
—
—
—
3

Cuba
—
—
1
1
1
—
1
2
3

New Zealand
2
—
—
2
—
—
1
1
3

Spain
—
—
1
1
2
—
—
2
3

Sweden
2
—
1
3
—
—
—
—
3

Bahrain
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
2
2

Belgium*
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
*2

Ecuador
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
2
2

France
1
—
1
2
—
—
—
—
2

Japan
—
—
1
1
—
—
1
1
2

Mexico
—
1
—
1
—
1
—
1
2

Portugal
2
—
—
2
—
—
—
—
2

Trinidad
1
1
—
2
—
—
—
—
2

Algeria
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Colombia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Czechia
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Dominica
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Dominican Republic
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Greece
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Grenada
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Hungary
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Ireland
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Korea
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Latvia
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Lithuania
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Morocco
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Nigeria
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Poland
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
1
1

Puerto Rico
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Qatar
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Saint Lucia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Samoa
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Serbia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Slovakia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Slovenia
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

South Africa
—
—
1
1
—
—
—
—
1

Switzerland
—
—
—
—
1
—
—
1
1

Tanzania
1
—
—
1
—
—
—
—
1

Ukraine
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Uruguay
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

Venezuela
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
1
1

24
24
24
72
24
24
26
74
*149

* = includes mixed-sex relay medal

Jeff Hollobaugh is a writer and stat geek who has been associated with T&FN in various capacities since 1987. He is the author of How To Race The Mile. He lives in Michigan where he can often be found announcing track meets in bad weather.

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Milwaukee Admirals right wing Ozzy Wiesblatt (89) slams Chicago Wolves defenseman Dominik Badinka (4) into the boards in a game Friday, April 18, 2025, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Continuing with the trend of mixing NHL veterans with young prospects through the pre-season, Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Saturday in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

While it’s typical to be inconsistent during the pre-season, the Predators appeared disjointed at times and looked like they could break through on other occasions, but fell to the Lightning 4-1 at the newly-named Benchmark International Arena.

Darren Raddysh scored at 5:34 of the first, Mitchell Chaffee tallied one in the second, Brandon Hagel got one late in the third and Gage Goncalves sealed the victory for the Lightning.

Ozzy Wiesblatt scored the only Nashville goal in an otherwise uninspiring night for the Predators, who fall to 2-1-1 in pre-season.

The two teams also met last Tuesday in Nashville, with Tampa Bay coming from behind to win in a shootout. The Predators attempted to pull a similar comeback Saturday, but came up well short.

Here are three takeaways from the matchup against Tampa Bay.

The Predators Started Sluggish

One of the biggest reasons the Predators had such a disappointing 2024-25 was their penchant for slow starts.

The first three games of this pre-season saw the opposite, with the Preds jumping out in front first. That was not the case Saturday, however, as Tampa Bay struck twice, once in the first period and once in the second, for a 2-0 lead. The Preds trimmed the margin to one, but that was as close as they came all night.

Juuse Saros, who had allowed only one goal in his first 60 minutes of pre-season action, yielded two scores on six shots through one-plus periods. He did make several key saves to keep Tampa from widening the gap before giving way to Matt Murray after 40 minutes Murray gave up the final two goals in the third.

The Predators couldn’t get out of the defensive zone and had numerous erratic passes in the first 20 minutes. They picked up the pace in the middle frame, outshooting the Bolts 14-6 in the period and 29-17 for the game. But only one of those shots went in the net.

Ozzy Wiesblatt Gets An Emotional Goal

Some players were seeing their first action of the pre-season including Tanner Molendyk and Zach Lâ€Heureux, who were both coming off injuries.

Ozzy Wiesblatt, who took a brief leave of absence following the death of his brother Orca earlier this month, also suited up for his first action of the pre-season, and he made his presence felt in an emotional way.

Wiesblatt, who played in the Gold Star Showcase Thursday and scored a goal in the five-a-side shootout, got his first goal in actual pre-season action to trim the Bolts†lead to 2-1.

The 23-year-old forward deflected a shot from Fedor Svechkov to get the Preds on the board at the 11:48 mark of the second. Michael Bunting picked up a secondary assist.

It may not have officially counted in the career stat sheet, but it certainly counted in the hearts of all who have been pulling for the Wiesblatt family.

Ozzyâ€s brother, Oasiz, is also back in camp. He, too, notched a goal in the shootout in Thursdayâ€s showcase. On Saturday, it was Ozzyâ€s night. He even got in a scrap in the third period, going off for cross-checking

Wilsby Went To Work

One name both Brunette and general manager Barry Trotz has raved about throughout the first week of camp is Adam Wilsby. The 25-year-old left-shot defenseman is one of the candidates to make the roster with Hague out.

Wilsby was paired with Roman Josi throughout the night. With the Predators trailing 1-0 in the first, both made bids to tie the game, only to be stymied by Bolts goalie Brandon Halverson.

As expected, there were some hiccups. A high-sticking call in the first period and a somewhat questionable tripping call in the second landed Wilsby in the sin bin. Wilsby and Josi were both on the ice on Tampaâ€s second goal. Josi overextended and Wilsby didnâ€t get over in time, and the Lightning took a 2-0 lead.

Wilsby showed his athleticism throughout the game and continues to keep his name in front of Brunette and Trotz for making the roster out of camp. Having the experience and leadership of Josi as his partner can only help the younger playerâ€s development and comfort level.

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Penalties proved costly in a game where the Nashville Predators led the majority of the way.

A late goal by the Lightning in the third period and a conversion in the third round of the shootout gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 win over the Predators on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

“I didn’t like our third period,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously, starting the game with a penalty didn’t help anything. I thought we got going and had a great second [period]. In the third we were kind of waiting around a little bit.”

The Predators were scoreless in the shootout as Steven Stamkos, Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault all missed on their attempts. Boris Katchouk scored the game-winning goal for the Lightning.

Here are three takeaways from the Predators preseason shootout loss to the Lightning.

Fans got a taste of what could be ahead of the Predators’ 2025 5th overall pick, Brady Martin, as he scored twice in the second period, both from the same area of the ice.

“It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” Martin said. “It’s pretty cool to score in front of a crowd like that and to hear them go wild is pretty cool.”

On the first goal, Martin scored from the right side of the slot off a pass from Matthew Wood, who was on the right side of the goal line close to the net.

His second goal came on the power play on the opposite side. Michael Bunting gave Martin a pass from just above the left side goal line and Martin one-timed it high into the net. The Predators’ top prospect was due for a goal as he led the Predators in ice time after the first period.

Martin finished the night with those two points. He’s been playing in a prominent spot in the lineup in these first two preseason games, centering the second line with Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault.

This bodes well for Martin as he’s looking to crack the Predators roster instead of heading back to Sault St. Marie for another season of juniors.

“Playing with the veterans, they’re leading me along the way,” Martin said. “I think just playing with them is helping me a lot. Learning all different tips and tricks is going to hopefully help me in the future.”

The Lightning committed 20 minutes in penalties in their first preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. That carried over into Tuesday’s matchup as they logged 12 penalty minutes.

At the same time, the Predators committed 18 minutes in penalties, one of which was assessed before the game had officially started. Six seconds into the game, Fedor Svechkov was given a delaying game – Face-off violation for a hand pass. After he committed the penalty, the clock was reset to 20 minutes.

“He [Svechkov] played with his hand right off the face-off and that’s a penalty,” Brunette said. “They [the officials] brought it back to center ice and reset the clock, because it wasn’t a legal puck-drop. I didn’t know the rule either.”

Another notable penalty came in the second period when Jonathan Marchessault was given a two-minute minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Tampa’s Grant Spada, who engaged with Marchessault on the penalty, was given a double-minor, putting the Predators on the power play.

Marchessault was in the box again for roughing in the third period.

What this all means is the Predators penalty killing and power play units got a lot of work.

Nashville was on the power play five times for a 9:12 total minutes, and converted on 1-of-5 opportunities. It was on the penalty kill six times and had a 100% execution.

The Predators took half of their six penalties in the third period, and while they were able to kill off each one, they were rarely on the attack and ultimately scored the game-tying goal.

On paper, the Predators’ special teams had a strong night, but they had constantly hampered themselves due to penalties.

On Tuesday, the Predators only top scorer from last season that did not play was Ryan O’Reilly.

Meaning that Nashville had all of its firepower, including Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and more. The top of its depth chart played Tuesday night.

The Lightning did not bring at least nine of their top scorers from last season, which included Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Darren Raddysh was the only player who traveled and scored at least 30 points in a single game last season.

Even it’s goaltending tandem, Brandon Halverson played one game last season.

On paper, this should’ve been a game that the Predators ran away with, similar to their pair of victories over the Panthers on Sunday. However, Nashville played into the penalties, and it ultimately cost them in the end.

“The lucky thing is that game did not count, so we learn from it, go in tomorrow, practice hard and move on from it,” forward Michael Bunting said. “It’s just an unfortunate ending.”

While it is the preseason and the results don’t count, it is somewhat concerning that the Predators, at near full strength, struggled against the Lightning’s prospects, AHL players, and a few regulars.

It’s not going to get any easier for the Predators as they will travel to Tampa Bay on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday, face those top squads and may be depleted in those games as their top players may not travel.

One preseason loss is not the end of the world, as the Predators have three more games left before they open their 82-game slate against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 in Nashville.

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