The Tampa Bay Lightning officially kicked off the 2016-17 season Tuesday night at Amalie Arena, but ultimately came up empty handed despite a rallying effort against a former divisional rival. The Bolts dropped game number one of the preseason to the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.m
With a significant portion of the Lightning's roster absent to recover from the World Cup of Hockey, Tuesday night's exhibition match provided more opportunities than normal for the organization's younger core of prospects. Just like all 29 other clubs, the preseason is a time to practice execution and team chemistry, and the kinks certainly showed.