The Tampa Bay Lightning may be ready to give their new goalie move an early test Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild.
Dennis Hildeby was the first goalie off the ice at practice Thursday, and that points to him getting the start in net for what would be his first appearance of the season. The Lightning brought him in over the offseason with the idea that he could help stabilize a position that had become a little too shaky whenever they turned away from Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Jonas Johansson gave Tampa Bay serviceable work across three seasons as Vasilevskiy’s backup, but the drop-off was clear when he had to carry the crease. He opened last season with a respectable 12-game stretch, putting up a .907 save percentage, but his play faded badly after that. Over his final 13 games, he finished with an .865 save percentage, and MoneyPuck credited him with a goals saved above expected of -10.4.
Even with that uneven goaltending, Tampa Bay still allowed the third-fewest goals in 2025-26. But the team’s record told the bigger story.
The Lightning went 11-10-2 with Johansson starting, which came out to a .522 points percentage. With Vasilevskiy in goal, that number jumped to .707.
That gap is exactly why Hildeby matters. Nobody is expecting him to duplicate what the reigning Vezina Trophy winner provides, but the Lightning are clearly hoping for something sturdier than what they got when Johansson was asked to do more than back up.
There is reason for optimism based on what Hildeby did last season. In 25 games with the Maple Leafs, he went 5-7-4 but posted a .914 save percentage.
MoneyPuck had him at 10.5 goals saved above expected, which ranked 16th in the NHL. Toronto still allowed the second-most goals in the league with him in the mix, but his individual numbers suggested a goalie trending in the right direction.
If Tampa Bay gets that version of Hildeby, it could make it easier to give Vasilevskiy more rest over the course of the season. And that would be a meaningful upgrade over the setup the Lightning had a year ago.
Thursday’s matchup also offers a chance to reset a rough recent track record against Minnesota. Over the last two seasons, Tampa Bay is 1-3-0 against the Wild. In those four games, the Lightning have allowed 4.25 goals per contest, and Vasilevskiy has posted an .841 save percentage in the matchup.
Hildeby does have a tiny bit of history against the Wild, though it hardly qualifies as a real sample. He played part of a game against Minnesota and stopped all nine shots he faced.
It’s not much to go on, but it is a starting point. And for a Lightning team looking for a cleaner answer in goal, that may be enough to make Thursday night interesting.
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Lightning Hand Dennis Hildeby A Big Test At A Tough Time
Dennis Hildeby is about to get a meaningful early-season exam in the Lightning crease, with the backup goalie lined up for his first regular-season start against the Minnesota Wild. Tampa Bay is keeping the same lineup it used in its previous game, which gives the coaching staff a chance to see how the group handles a different look in net without changing much else around him.
The timing is far from ideal, though, with center Dominic James still day-to-day because of a hand injury. Tampa Bay is also spending practice time on power-play adjustments, a reminder that this is more than just a one-game goaltending spot - the staff is juggling lineup health and special-teams tweaks while trying to keep the club on track. [Read more 🡒]