Thomas allows one goal in his Panthers preseason debut
By James O'BrienSep 26, 2013, 10:20 PM EDT
Tim Thomas made his Florida Panthers preseason debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night and seemed to acquit himself pretty nicely.
"It felt good for being the first time in a game-like atmosphere for 15 months," Thomas told the Miami Herald's George Richards.
The 39-year-old stopped nine out of 10 shots before being replaced halfway through the second period by Jacob Markstrom. His only blemish came when Tyler Johnson scored a power-play goal.
Thomas' presence was pretty much a last-second announcement, which might in part explain why the announced attendance at Germain arena was just 3,451.
The Lightning ended up winning 3-2 in OT, but even that came with a promising bit for Florida, as Jonathan Huberdeau scored both of his team's goals.
It's obviously just a small taste in a meaningless game, but Thomas and the Panthers should be happy that it was a solid enough performance.
(Thomas photo via the Panthers.)