TAMPA – The countdown to the start of the 2021-22 season started on Tuesday as the Tampa Bay Lightning opened up the preseason with a trip up to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The disparity in the players dressed for the game proved as much of a gap as one might expect in the opener for both teams. The home team tends to field a team with a good portion of NHL regulars. The road team often leaves most of their team at home - no reason to put too many established players on an airplane too often before the season starts.
So keeping that in mind, even as there are NHL rules in place t...
