Former Blackhawk Brandon Hagel, who dealt in a blockbuster trade on March 18, capped the scoring with an empty netter in a cruel April Fools' Day prank.
It marked the first trips to Amalie Arena as visitors for former Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk. Johnson spent his first nine seasons with the team before being dealt to Chicago in a salary cap maneuver that saw Brent Seabrook's contract going the other way. He contributed heavily to Tampa Bay's back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships the previous two seasons, earning glowing praise from head coach Jon Cooper.
Raddysh and Katchouk, on the other hand, are both in the midst of their rookie seasons, although they had both been in the Lightning's system since being drafted in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Of the highlighted players making their return to Tampa, none factored into the contest's scoring, with Calvin de Haan and Alex DeBrincat tallying for Chicago and Ross Colton scoring twice, including the game-winner, for the victorious home squad.
POLL | ||
AVRIL 2 | 191 ANSWERS RECAP: Johnson, Raddysh, Katchouk make return to Tampa Should the Blackhawks have traded Brandon Hagel | ||
Yes | 79 | 41.4 % |
No | 112 | 58.6 % |
List of polls |