en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Tampa Bay Lightning News https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/news In this episode of Recharge, we're going behind the scenes of media day, get a tour of Brandon Hagel's house and hear from Jon Cooper on the road ahead. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:59:15 GMT https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58159169 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58159169 false false Tampa Bay Lightning eye resurgence as Victor Hedman returns transformed—can elite goaltending power a title run? Greg Stephen spotlights Hedman’s dramatic of... Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:45:09 GMT Locked On Lightning https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58159029 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58159029 false false These two former Lightning players had solid games for their new teams. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:25:18 GMT Michael DeRosa https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158797 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158797 false false This team hasn't even played a regular-season game, yet we already have a few questions for them Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:09:22 GMT Harrison Smajovits https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158590 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158590 false false Each of the 12 organizations receives $25,000 as part of the joint “Strikes of Kindness” initiative. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:02:27 GMT Eduardo A. Encina https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158495 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58158495 true false Tampa Bay looks to break their streak of four straight first round exits with much of the same players from years past. Out staff OnSi gives our predictions. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:30:16 GMT Austin Dobbins https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155924 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155924 false false The captain has earned a place in the opening-night lineup, but he won’t get the typical minutes he’s been used to. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:15:42 GMT Eduardo A. Encina https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155721 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155721 true false Head Coach Jon Cooper, Forward Jeff Viel, and Defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous spoke to the media prior to tonight's matchup against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:58:26 GMT https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155449 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155449 false false With elite talents like Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s power play should be among the league’s best. Statistically, where do yo... Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:42:40 GMT Locked On Lightning https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155239 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58155239 false false Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel has made a name for himself the past few years, but when he arrived in Tampa back in 2022, he was stepping into a group where he barely knew anyone. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:38:57 GMT Diandra Loux https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58154424 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58154424 false false A new Lightning season means the Tampa Bay 28 Fan Zone segment is back. Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain met with Stephan and Cheyenne Yucatonis, who have been Lightning fans since day one. Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:47:52 GMT Lauren St. Germain https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58153793 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58153793 false false The Core Still Defines the Standard As long as the current core exists, the Lightning’s expectations remain Stanley Cup or bust. The team opened last season with six losses in seven games, but a five‑game rebound and two extended win streaks pushed them back into contention. They finished 50‑26‑6, good for second in the Atlantic […] Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:23:21 GMT James Williams https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58153505 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58153505 false false Game 1: Tampa Bay Lightning (0-0-0) at New York Rangers (0-0-0) Time: 7:00 PM EST Location: Madison Square Garden TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, MSG, ESPN+, 102.5 The Bone Odds: Lightning -135 Know the Opponents: Four seasons ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning opened their season with a 3-1 loss on the road to the New York Rangers. The Bolts were coming off their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final and there was no reason to think they wouldn’t be in the running for a fourth straight trip. Instead, the season ended with a first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, starting an annoying trend that continued through last season. At the time the Rangers were in the midst of a run that would see them hit the Eastern Conference Final in two out of three seasons before their fortunes went askew. The two teams that meet tonight have undergone changes since that season-opening game back in 2022-23, but one thing remains the same for both teams – the man in net. For the Rangers it’s Igor Shesterkin and for the Lightning it’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. As those two go, so go their teams. They are both charged with leading their teams back to the playoffs. For New York, they hope to take advantage of a Metro Division that is up for grabs outside of the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes while the Lightning need to make it to the playoffs in order to break their first-round streak. The Lightning start their 34th season of play having tinkered around the edges of their line-up. They did a good job of shoring up the key players they lost (Darren Raddysh, Nick Paul) by signing John Carlson and Ilya Mikheyev. One of their weaker spots, the back-up goaltender, was shored up with a trade for Dennis Hildeby, and they hope that a return to glory for Victor Hedman and Brayden Point helps keep them atop of the division. With limited playing time together in the preseason, it wouldn’t be a surprise if tonight’s game is a little rough for the Bolts. As a skill team, their timing is important to them and that is something that only comes through game play. That being said, they don’t want to get off to a start like they did last year and spend the season chasing the top of the standings. The Atlantic Division is already off to a hot start as the teams that have played went 3-1 on the first night of the season with the only team that lost, the Toronto Maple Leafs, losing to the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, the Rangers have shuffled things around quite a bit in front of Shesterkin. Their big move was to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev and Marcus Petterson. Their first-round pick, defenseman Alberts Smits made the roster and should give them some additional depth on the blueline. They rounded out the team with some value signings in old friend Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen. Is it enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Metro? Their fans are hoping so. Forwards: Ilya Mikheyev Brayden Point Nikita Kucherov Brandon Hagel Anthony Cirelli Jake Guentzel Pontus Holmberg Zemgus Girgensons Jeff Viel Gage Goncalves Jansen Harkins Conor Geekie Defense: J.J. Moser John Carlson Ryan McDonagh Erik Cernak Victor Hedman Max Crozier Goaltenders: Andrei Vasilevskiy Dennis Hildeby New York Rangers Forwards: Gabriel Perreault Mika Zibanejad Alexis Lafreniere Oliver Bjorkstrand J.T. Miller Pavel Dorofeyev Will Cuyelle Noah Laba Eeli Tolvanen Tye Kartye Joe Veleno Matt Rempe Defense: Vladislav Gavrikov Adam Fox Marcus Pettersson Sean Durzi Albert Smits Braden Schneider Goaltenders: Igor Shesterkin Jonas Korpisalo Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:21:30 GMT Justin G. https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58152390 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58152390 false false Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning taking … Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:11:16 GMT Joe Rendace https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58152306 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/58152306 false false