Lightning Edge Predators 2-1 in Preseason Opener
Ilya Mikheyev scored 93 seconds into his first game as a Bolt, and Tampa Bay killed all six Nashville power plays.
The Tampa Bay Lightning opened the 2026 preseason with a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday at Benchmark International Arena, scoring twice in the first period and never giving the lead back.
Ilya Mikheyev needed 93 seconds to make his first impression. The winger, signed to a four-year contract on July 1, deflected a point shot from fellow offseason addition John Carlson for the opening goal. Mikheyev skated on a line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.
"When you score, the team scores in the first few shifts, it's good for confidence as a team and helps you feel confidence right away," Mikheyev said.
Nashville answered in the seventh minute through Brady Martin, who cut in at the blue line and finished from the bottom of the faceoff circle.
The go-ahead goal came from the kids. Sam O'Reilly centered Benjamin Rautiainen and Conor Geekie, and after a long shift in the offensive zone O'Reilly forced a Nashville turnover. The puck found Geekie alone in the high slot, and the 22-year-old beat Juuse Saros through the glove with just under five minutes left in the first.
"I just saw the puck go up there, tracked back hard, tried to go stick on puck, and I got a stick on it," O'Reilly said. "Then thankfully Geeks was right there and made no mistake."
Carlson led the Lightning in ice time at 21:56, pairing with JJ Moser. Andrei Vasilevskiy went the full game in his preseason debut and stopped 12 of 13 shots. Tampa Bay finished 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, with Mikheyev logging 3:57 shorthanded and O'Reilly 3:35.
"I'm not going to be able to poke holes in too many guys' games tonight," coach Jon Cooper said. "Everybody, you ask them to do the job, they passed the test."
With a shorter camp and a trimmed exhibition schedule, the lineup looked close to what Tampa Bay expects on opening night, though second-round picks Ethan Czata and Oleg Kulebiakin also got a look.
The two teams meet again Tuesday in Nashville, with puck drop set for 8 p.m. ET.
