TAMPA — Individual success in the preseason often means little.
Teams rarely field regular lineups during the preseason, so teammates and opposing players are not the same as they will be once the regular season starts.
What it can do, however, is serve as a confidence boost and a launching pad into the regular season.
Jonathan Drouin hopes his preseason performance provides a springboard to help him reach new heights in the upcoming season.
Entering Saturday’s preseason finale against Florida, Drouin has three goals and six points. And the goals were of the highlight-reel variety — a breakaway, an end-to-end rush to split the defense and an inside-out move on a defender before firing into the top of the net against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.