The Tampa Bay Lightning opened the 2026 preseason with a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators at Benchmark International Arena, and on today's Daily Strike, Steve Versnick breaks down all the biggest moments from the win.

New Lightning forward Ilya Mikheyev wasted no time making an impact, scoring early in the game after arriving from the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason. Plus, Conor Geekie delivered the game-winning goal while top prospect Sam O'Reilly continued to impress with an assist and another strong performance in training camp.

Hear postgame reaction from Jon Cooper, Sam O'Reilly and Ilya Mikheyev, along with analysis of a penalty-killing unit that shut down all six Nashville power plays. The Lightning also dominated the faceoff circle, winning 65% of the draws in a complete team effort.

Also in this episode:

• Full recap of the 2-1 preseason-opening win
• Ilya Mikheyev's first goal as a Bolt
• Conor Geekie's game-winning tally
• Sam O'Reilly's continued push for a roster spot
• John Carlson records an assist in his Lightning debut
• Takeaways from Tampa Bay's special teams performance
• Preview of Tuesday's preseason matchup in Nashville
• This Day in Lightning History: Nikita Kucherov's record-setting 2020 Stanley Cup Final performance

Subscribe to Daily Strike for daily Tampa Bay Lightning news, game recaps, training camp updates, player interviews, roster battles, and everything happening around the Bolts throughout the 2026-27 season.

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