Kristers Gudlevskis knows every game he plays will be important this preseason.
With Andrei Vasilevskiy out 2-3 months following vascular surgery, Gudlevskis would appear the leading in-house candidate to temporarily replace him as the Lightning's backup goalie to start the season.
But Gudlevskis still has to prove it on the ice, and he got off to a strong start Saturday, racking up 18 saves in the Lightning's 5-1 win over Nashville to open the prospects tournament at Germain Arena.
"I thought he was oustanding," said AHL Syracuse coach Rob Zettler. "He gave us a chance to come back with his play.