As he skated his rookie lap before warmups, a group of people closest to O’Reilly filled the front row of seats, some wearing 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 jerseys.
“I saw some of them,” he said after the game. “I tried to wave at them to kick themselves and kind of get off the glass. I didn’t want the guys to see it, but I’m so thankful that my friends came down at this point.”
After Buffalo made it a one-goal game early in the third period, O’Reilly helped the Lightning extend their lead and seal the victory. His NHL contribution ended with multiple goal celebrations, a power play time, his first career point and a win for good measure.
O’Reilly became the 22nd player in franchise history to record a point in his NHL debut. He is the third Lightning player in the last decade to finish his NHL debut with an assist, joining Max Groshev last season and Anthony Dear in 2018.
He is the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to score a point in his NHL debut, and he logged 12:56 of ice time, winning three faceoffs while adding two shots and a blocked shot for a +2 rating.
It was only one game, 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 a kid to do. Obviously, he will enjoy this one with lots of friends and family. Everyone remembers their first, and I’m sure he’ll remember that one.”