On Tuesday evening, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators kicked off the 2023-24 season in front of a national television audience at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The excitement was palpable, from when the festivities began on Ford Thunder Alley to the final horn sounding.
From Lightning players interacting with fans during the blue carpet walk into the arena to rapper Big Boi performing pregame, there was plenty to keep fans engaged even before the arena doors opened.
Once doors opened, the fans with tickets entered the arena, while those without tickets were allowed to watch at one of two watch parties near the arena, either on Water Street or on Thunder Alley.
Warmups provided fans a chance to see their favorite team and player(s) up close. The new additions were a focus for me, though I also loved seeing how Lightning captain Steven Stamkos skated over to the glass and interacted with a few youngsters. (I found out later the youngsters were his two boys and defenseman Victor Hedman’s kid.)
Player introductions followed for the home team. Coach Jon Cooper got a loud ovation, as did Stamkos, Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point, but the loudest cheers came from the introduction of injured goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. They were so loud that some fans were nearly brought to tears.
The game itself was back and forth. Kucherov scored the season’s first goal, but a second-period parade to the penalty box zapped much of the Lightning’s momentum.
A villain to Bolts nation (from his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs late last season), Ryan O’Reilly tied the game late in the middle frame. That prompted boos from much of the sold-out crowd. Heck, most of the crowd booed whenever O’Reilly touched the puck, so one can say he’s not well-liked in this area.
Seconds into the final frame, Juuso Parssinen gave the Predators a 2-1 lead. It started to feel a little like last season, where an early goal sometimes found the Lightning chasing.
In a turn of events, however, undrafted rookie Waltteri Merela drew a penalty on Predators captain Roman Josi. That sent Tampa Bay to a power play, and Nick Paul scored the first of his two goals in the third period to tie the game.
Brandon Hagel then broke the tie less than a minute later on a penalty shot that went up high over the glove of Predators netminder Juuse Saros.
Unfortunately, the Bolts couldn’t hold Nashville scoreless. Tommy Novak took a bad angle shot that eluded Bolts starter Jonas Johansson, tying the game at three.
Paul sent Bolts fans home happy, scoring his second goal of the game on the power play in the final five minutes of regulation.
Johansson made a flurry of big-time saves with Saros pulled and the Predators pressing for the tying goal. It’s a surprise he wasn’t named one of the game’s three stars, given the big saves he made, especially in a second period that saw Nashville outshoot the Bolts 13 to 5 and in the final minute of regulation.
Kucherov finally sealed the deal, scoring into the empty net seconds before the final horn sounded for a 5-3 final. That sent Bolts Nation out onto Thunder Alley and home happy.
While the Lightning won on the ice, both teams showcased their respective cities and hockey in the south in a positive light. That’s a win for the NHL, which is always looking to grow the game in different ways.
