Tampa Bay Lightning Finally Return to the Ice With Nearly Full Roster Against Predators

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After a long summer, the Tampa Bay Lightning finally return to the ice for a contest against the Nashville Predators. The Lightning begin this season looking to finally escape their trend of first-round exits, and while the preseason will not determine whether that happens, Sunday's matchup provides the first opportunity to see what this version of Tampa Bay looks like on the ice.

The Lightning will host the Predators at Benchmark International Arena at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. Tampa Bay officially announced the matchup as its preseason opener, with the two teams scheduled to meet again in Nashville on Tuesday. The biggest storyline heading into the game is how much NHL experience Tampa Bay is putting on the ice. Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The lineup also includes Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak, JJ Moser and Ilya Mikheyev. The team entered training camp with 67 players, giving head coach Jon Cooper plenty of options as the Lightning begin sorting through their roster. For a preseason game, getting this many established players involved gives Tampa Bay an early opportunity to evaluate how its veteran core looks together.

There will obviously be plenty of attention on Kucherov, Point and the rest of Tampa Bay's top-end talent, but the preseason is also about the players fighting for jobs. The Lightning have a mix ofThat makes Sunday's game more than just a chance to knock off some rust. It is the first live test of a Lightning roster that knows the standard in Tampa Bay has changed.

The team has not won a playoff series since 2022, and the past four postseason appearances have ended in the first round. The regular season success has continued, but Tampa Bay is entering another year with the expectation that the results need to translate to the playoffs. The Lightning have four preseason games on the schedule, beginning with Sunday's matchup against Nashville. They will then travel to Nashville Tuesday before hosting the Florida Panthers Thursday and visiting Florida on Saturday.

There will be no standings implications and no playoff consequences, but after a long summer, simply seeing Kucherov, Point, Carlson, Hedman, Vasilevskiy and the rest of the Lightning back on the ice will provide the first glimpse at what Tampa Bay can become this season. And with nearly the entire group available, there should be plenty to watch when the puck drops at 5 p.m. at Benchmark International Arena.

Austin also writes for the Five Reasons Sports Network, covering all South Florida sports. As a current athlete, Austin specializes in in-depth analysis, player profiles, combining on-field knowledge with strong storytelling to cover football, basketball, and beyond. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Business Management at Webber International University. Twitter: @austindobbins13

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