As he skated his rookie lap before warmups, a cluster of those closest to O’Reilly filled the front row of seats, some donning jerseys from his former teams, including the OHL’s London Knights.
O’Reilly said his mind went blank when he stepped onto the ice, but he quickly spotted his family and friends in the jerseys.
“I saw a couple of them,” he said postgame. “I tried to give them the wave to kick them and kind of get away from the glass. I didn’t want the boys seeing it, but I’m super grateful to have buddies come down for this moment.”
After Buffalo made it a one-goal game early in the third period, O’Reilly helped the Lightning further their lead and seal the win. His NHL introduction ended with plenty of goal celebrations, time on the power play, his first career point and a win for good measure.
O’Reilly became the 22nd player in franchise history to record a point in their NHL debut. He’s just the third Lightning player in the last decade to finish their NHL debut with an assist, joining Max Groshev last season and Anthony Cirelli in 2018.
He is the fifth youngest player in franchise history to earn a point in their NHL debut, and he earned 12:56 of ice time while winning three faceoffs, adding two hits and a blocked shot with a +2 rating.
It was only game one, but O’Reilly made a quality first impression.
“I thought he was great tonight,” Brandon Hagel said. “I think he did everything you could ask from a kid. Obviously he’s going to enjoy this one with lots of friends and family. Everyone remembers their first, and I’m sure he’s gonna remember that one.”