Dennis Hildeby is getting the nod for the first time in the regular season, with the Lightning turning to their new backup goalie tonight against the Minnesota Wild at Benchmark International Arena.
That appears to be the lone change to Tampa Bay’s lineup from Monday’s 4-1 win over Philadelphia. The Lightning are sticking with the same 11-forward, seven-defenseman alignment, and center Dominic James is still out as he works back from the hand injury he suffered just before training camp opened.
James is day-to-day and could be an option when the Lightning begin a short two-game road trip to New York on Saturday against the Islanders.
Hildeby has already seen some preseason work, starting two games and stopping 43 of 48 shots for an .896 save percentage. His most recent outing came Sept. 26 against Florida, when he turned aside 20 of 22 shots for a .909 save percentage.
Tampa Bay’s schedule gives it some flexibility, with the first back-to-back set not arriving until Oct. 23-24 at Colorado and Utah. Rather than wait that long, the Lightning are using the end of the season-opening three-game homestand to get Hildeby into game action.
The other wrinkle worth watching is the power play. Tampa Bay’s unit had a different look in Wednesday’s practice, with defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous working the point and defenseman John Carlson sliding over to the left circle.
It’s the latest try at jump-starting a power play that has opened the season 0-for-13. The group has generated more chances lately, though, after an 0-for-7 showing on opening night that still came with 10:54 of power-play time.
Coach Jon Cooper wouldn’t commit to whether the new setup would be used tonight. The skate was optional, so most of the regulars were not on the ice with the group, and Cooper said it’s important to keep trying different looks in practice.
Here’s the projected lineup against the Wild:
Forwards
Gage Goncalves-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel-Anthony Cirelli-Jake Guentzel
Ilya Mikheyev-Zemgus Girgensons-Pontus Holmberg
Jeff Viel-Conor Geekie
Defensemen
J.J.
Moser-Doug Carlson
Ryan McDonagh-Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman-Max Crozier
Charle-Edoaurd D’Astous
Goaltender
Dennis Hildeby
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It is the kind of test that matters beyond a single night. The Lightning have seen enough from Jonas Johansson and know what Vasilevskiy means to their ceiling, but they are also trying to find a more dependable bridge to keep their No. 1 fresher over the long haul. Hildebys numbers from last season offered a glimpse of that possibility, and now Tampa Bay gets its first real look at whether he can make the case in live game action. [Read more 🡒]