TAMPA, Fla. — Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy doesn't mince words when voicing his frustration concerning three straight first round playoff exits- especially when it comes to losing on home ice.
"Obviously the home record, playoffs at home, terrible. In front of our fans," he said bluntly. "Getting s— kicked. Again, consistency, discipline. That's the fine line. Sometimes you have to play it simple instead of making hero plays. We'll work on it and hopefully we'll get the job done."
Nikita Kucherov used the same words to describe what it'll take for the Bolts to get back to being a championship contender.
"Cameras are in the back. I can't really say what I actually fell about it," he joked during media availability. "Consistency. I think consistency and discipline in our game. We can't play one game, and then three games like "Eh, whatever."
The vast majority of Tampa Bay's roster is a carbon copy from last season. Veterans like Ryan McDonagh say that helps add a renewed level of confidence to the locker room.
"We pick up where we left off," the 36-year-old defenseman said. "You don't have to have those conversations as much about getting to know a guy. Obviously, there's a handful of new guys that we'll get up to speed with our group right away, here. Just confidence-wise, having that familiarity is huge. Look to build off that in camp and get rolling."
Forward Jake Guentzel enters his second season with the Lightning on the heels of a 44p-goal, 42-assist campaign in 2024. He's excited to build on what he thinks is strong foundation during training camp.
"That's the best thing about training camp. Playing with different guys, and just trying to gel together as much as you can," he explained. "It's going to be a fun journey ahead. And we can't wait to go through the long stretch of the season and see where we come out of it."
The Lightning host the Carolina Hurricanes for their first preseason home game tonight at 7pm at Benchmark International Arena.
All Lightning games will be broadcast live on The Spot – Tampa Bay 66 (WXPX-TV) and will also be streamed here.
The Spot Tampa Bay 66 is the official broadcast partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Spot and Tampa Bay 28 are both owned by EW Scripps.
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