By Michael Wax
In the final day of the 2024 Rookie Showcase, the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up their first win, 5-2, over the Florida Panthers.
"I thought we got better every day, in every period," said Syracuse Crunch head coach Joel Bouchard. "Our first period today was better than the first period last game... I thought today, for a group that it's been together for like five or six days, that's pretty impressive."
In a fun twist, all five goals were scored by players with a last name that starts with G: Geekie, Golicic, Gill, Gauthier, and Groshev. Here are three things we learned from the win:
Gill's Got Skill
After missing all of the 2023 Rookie Showcase and preseason with a shoulder injury, Dyllan Gill really impressed in his first time in a Lightning sweater during this tournament.
"For me, I was coming off shoulder surgery too, so I haven't played hockey in a long time," said Gill. "So I think I just tried to keep my game simple. Listen to the coaches. We're really lucky here. We have a great group of staff that's all in our corner. They're all trying to do everything they can to help us."
Gill picked up the game-winning goal in the second period while on a 5-on-3 power play, taking a pass from Niko Huuhtanen and ripping a one-timer to give the Bolts a 3-1 lead at the time.
"I think our guys did a good job at creating space out there," said Gill. "We had a lot of chances leading up to the goal. So I think it was just a bit of a collective effort."
Gill also contributed big-time on the penalty kill, blocking a ton of shots and making life easy for both Ryan Fanti and Harrison Meneghin in net.
"It definitely hurts," Gill said with a smile. "Obviously, guys here have a lot harder shot than what I'm used to in junior, but it's part of the job that you sign up for... I'm more than willing to do that if I'm going to keep getting opportunities out there. So I have no problem with the bruise I'll probably wake up with tomorrow."
Penalties
There were a lot of penalties in this one. The Lightning aren't worried though, as there was bound to be a learning curve for guys playing at this level.
"I think every time you get to the next level, you see things that you've never seen before," said Bouchard. "Guys were a little more dynamic. Guys were a little quicker, a little older, too. Every time you see a play for the first time, you might have a different reaction. So we saw a lot of quick reactions, getting the hands instead of getting the body and stuff like that."
The Lightning were fourth in the NHL in penalty minutes (901) last year, and to combat that, they will start in the rookie showcase by changing their style of play.
3G
As mentioned earlier, all five goal scorers started with G. However, one line consisted of 3/5 goal scorers: the 3G line of Max Groshev, Conor Geekie, and Ethan Gauthier.
"We didn't start together, right?" said Geekie. So I think it's one of those things where it's hard to get into something. I think [Groshev] and me, we definitely found our way. And obviously, [Gauthier] is just an easy guy to play with all around, so I think we found some chemistry towards the end."
Geekie opened up the scoring to get the Lightning a much-needed confidence boost after the Panthers dictated play early. As Max Groshev was fighting for the puck behind the net with two Panther defenders, he chopped the puck to Geekie, who fired a quick one-timer to make it 1-0.
Gauthier followed up a few periods later with his 4-1 goal, a snipe off the faceoff over the goaltender's right shoulder. Groshev would then make it 5-1 on a delayed penalty.
Between the three, they registered at least one point in each of the three games of the showcase.
Geekie, in particular, started the tournament slow but got better as the days went on. The 20-year-old is still adapting to the organization after the June trade, but knows the opportunity he has in front of him.
"Not everyone gets the opportunity to even be here and try and make the squad," said Geekie. "I'm just gonna try and make the decision as hard as possible and play my game."
And who knows? Maybe Geekie's pink visor will make an appearance at AMALIE Arena sometime this year.
"I wish it gave me better vision, Geekie said with a smile. "It just dims the glare. I'm not too sure why it's pink, but if you ask my friends at home, that's definitely a Conor Geekie visor."
The Bolts will start their preseason schedule Tuesday, Sep. 24, against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7:00 EST. They'll be in Tampa at the TGH Ice Plex for training camp as well for those who are interested in attending.
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