UPDATE: Adam Erne has been suspended three games for his hit on Vladimir Sobotka in last night's game. Also, the Predators announced a late change to their lineup. Pekka Rinne will not play this evening.

For the second time in two nights, the Tampa Bay Lightning is prepped and ready for some preseason action. After snatching a shootout victory from the St. Louis Blues last night in Orlando, the Bolts are back at the Tampa Bay Times Forum for a contest against the Nashville Predators.

Despite turning in a performance that was far from pretty last night, the Lightning did show a lot of resiliency as they battled back from a 3-0 deficit. Tonight, a new crop of Lightning players will get an opportunity to impress Jon Cooper and the team’s coaching staff.

It’s worth noting that Jonathan Drouin, who was drafted 3rd overall back in June, is scheduled to make his Lightning debut tonight at center ice. While many expected him to suit up on Steven Stamkos’ wing right from the start of camp, the Lightning’s coaching staff has kept him in the middle. Cooper’s been adamant that the organization wants him to have the puck on his stick.

In addition to Drouin, the Lightning will send out an exciting crop of young players that includes Brett Connolly, Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Andrej Sustr, among others. Tonight’s lineup should give Lightning fans, and the organization itself, an opportunity to gaze into the future. These players, who may not be ready for NHL duty quite yet, will form the backbone of the team in just a few short years. Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, and Victor Hedman will also make their preseason debuts.

The Predators, for their part, will send out an equally impressive lineup. Along with Shea Weber, Mike Fisher, Pekka Rinne, and Colin Wilson, Barry Trotz will dress youngsters Seth Jones and Filip Forsberg. Jones, in particular, should command the attention of Bolts Nation as the Lightning passed on him to select Drouin in June’s draft. You can bet that Jones will be looking to make an impact and prove that the Bolts made a big mistake.

With great players slated to line up on both sides, tonight’s contest should be an exciting one. Here’s hoping that the Lightning walk away with an inspiring victory after sixty minutes.

As always, thanks for reading.

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