Newcomers key in capturing opening W
BRANDON — For Tampa Bay Lightning newcomers Luke Glendening and Jonas Johansson, there was no easing into things at the end of Tuesday’s season-opening 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
With the Lightning protecting a one-goal lead, the Predators pulled their goaltender and tested Tampa Bay’s ability to fend off an extra attacker for more than two minutes.
“They got some chances, but [goalie Johansson] was super solid back there,” forward Glendening said following Wednesday’s practice at TGH Ice Plex. “It’s not something we practiced, but I think it’s something that you just rely on the principles of it and knowing your reads. For the first time for us, it went well.”
Defending against an extra attacker was not something the Lightning were able to practice during their exhibition games because they had a late lead in most of them. So it was an early regular-season test of how they are able to blend in some of their new faces and work together under pressure.
The Predators pulled Juuse Saros for the final 2 ½ minutes. Nashville got four shots on goal, but Johansson, making his Lightning debut in place of injured Andrei Vasilevskiy, blocked each one.
“It’s hard, because it’s not something you get to practice a ton, and it’s really hard to replicate 5-on-6 [situations in practice] without really blasting pucks at guys, and nobody wants to do that,” coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday. “So other than kind of showing the guys what to do, you get [practice] in your games.
“That’s what you’ve got to give the guys credit for, because they did a heck of a job. [The Predators] had good skill players out there, so they’re going to get some looks. But we were in lanes, we got the pucks when we had to and at the end, some big faceoffs helped us out.”
Cooper called it “a good test for us” and said his team passed it.
“Hopefully, we’re in some of those situations again where teams have to pull their goalies,” he said. “That’d be a good sign for us.”
Those important lategame faceoffs are one reason the Lightning brought in Glendening in the offseason on a two-year, $1.6 million deal.
The 34-year-old, who played 10 seasons in the NHL with the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings before joining the Lightning, is exceptional at winning faceoffs. Over his career, Glendening has scored double-digit goals only three times, but he has won 55.7% of his faceoffs. Last season with Dallas he won 59%.
Glendening won 9 of 13 (69%) Tuesday, including two with his team down a man in the final minutes.
Assistant coach Jeff Blashill is familiar what Glendening brings to the ice. He coached the Michigan native with the Red Wings and had him in the minor leagues as well.
“[Glendening] was converted from winger to center, and one of the things that he needed to do when he was in [AHL] Grand Rapids to get the callup to Detroit was get better in the circle, and he really went to work at it,” Blashill said. “It was really awesome to see. He’s an athlete, so he gets better at things when he works, and he’s got a great work ethic.
“So, I watched him go from being an OK guy in the circle in the [AHL] to becoming an elite guy there, and then an elite guy in the NHL. He studies it hard. He takes things from other centers around the league, and he’s just become a real great faceoff guy and can kind of do it on both sides a little bit, which a lot of guys can’t.”
Glendening said Tuesday’s game was a good chance for the new additions to mesh with the core players. Nashville’s late barrage was a good experience they can build from.
“There are things we can improve, for sure,” Glendening said, “but I thought for a first game it went pretty well.”