Jack Finley Makes NHL Debut For Lightning Against Boston

BOSTON, Mass. — After sending down forward Gage Goncalves to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, the Tampa Bay Lightning called up another rookie forward to boost their bottom-six offensive core. Yesterday, Jan. 14, the Bolts called up 6-foot-6 center Jack Finley from the Crunch ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins.

Finley made his National Hockey League debut in Boston as the 22-year-old took his rookie lap on enemy territory at TD Garden during warm-ups. His father, Jeff, was also in attendance to witness his son’s debut, as he himself was an NHL player with 708 games under his belt.

Finley played just 8:25 minutes of ice time in his inaugural NHL campaign against the Bruins, shooting once on Jeremy Swayman and taking several faceoffs; he finished with a plus-1 rating. For his first game, he played very well and looked eager to participate, but his team lost 6-2 to the Bruins.

About Finley

Originally a 57th overall 2020 draft pick by the Lightning, Finley has participated primarily in the AHL for the Crunch. However, it was a long-time coming for the rookie to make his debut for the team that drafted him.

Making his professional debut in the AHL with the Crunch, Finley got a brief taste of AHL hockey while playing in the Western Hockey League during the 2020-21 season, where he skated in only two games. In four seasons with the Crunch, the center has notched 27 goals and 32 assists in 131 games.

During this season with the Crunch, he accumulated two goals and four assists for six points in ten games. He also battled a tough injury to start the 2024-25 season, but seems to have acclimated well.

Bottom-Six Concerns

Now, it is unclear where Finley will fit with the Bolts for the next games. However, the overall concern with this team is its response to the lack of offensive production from the bottom-six lines.

Relying on the top six is proving time and again not an effective method of winning, especially against division rivals such as Boston, who are neck and neck in the standings. Likewise, Finley offers size and strength to the Bolts that they simply cannot ignore.

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