Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, and Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh each scored as the Tampa Bay Lightning dominated the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night, 4-1. The win was the eighth straight home win at Benchmark International Arena to start the season, improving on the franchise-setting mark.

Brayden Point scored twice in the first period, and Anthony Cirelli scored the game-winner as the Tampa Bay Lightning improved to 7-0-0 at home, the best season-opening run in franchise history.

Lightning's last 15 years is not the norm

Growing up in Moscow, Russia, Nikita Kucherov dreamed of playing in a vaguely known foreign organization he had only heard about: the National Hockey League. He idolized Russian players like Sergei Fedorov, part of Detroit's "Russian Five" in the 1990s. Today, Kucherov is one of the league's premier players, setting a standard for future players, whether they're from Russia, North America, or anywhere there is a sheet of ice and a dream to play hockey, and play it well.

Nikita Kucherov etched his name atop the Tampa Bay Lightning scoring list, but took a back seat to another Russian player on this night, as Dmitri Simashev scored the first two goals of his NHL career, including the winner 1:44 into overtime, to lift the Utah Mammoth over the Lightning, 5-4, on Saturday at Delta Center.

The Colorado Avalanche scored twice in the first six minutes and never let go, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 Friday night at Ball Arena. Jake Guentzel scored twice on the power play for Tampa Bay, which outshot Colorado 34-24, but the Bolts couldn't climb out of an early hole.

Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is once again on the cusp of greatness. The two-time Hart Trophy winner needs one point to eclipse Steven Stamkos as the Tampa Bay Lightning's all-time leading scorer. It's never been a matter of if; it's always been a matter of when.

While Brandon Hagel, Victor Hedman, and Nikita Kucherov have dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning's headlines in the first eight games of the season, forward Jake Guentzel has quietly put together a solid start and become a major factor in the Bolts' 6-2-0 record. The 'Silent Assassin' will need to build on his strong start as the Lightning look to win out west this week, starting tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Nikita Kucherov scored twice, and Jake Guentzel scored the game-winning goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning rattled off four unanswered goals to beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2. The Bolts remain unbeaten at home after five games and improved to 6-2-0 overall.

Victor Hedman scored the game-winner in overtime, while Brandon Hagel added two goals as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Seattle Kraken, 4-3. The goal was the Bolts' captain's first of the season, and his first since February 28th, weeks before leaving the team for mental health reasons.

After losing to the New York Rangers 4-1 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the second time in less than two weeks, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper had one thing to say to the gathered media afterwards: "Do you guys want to just play my presser from a week ago here?" As the Lightning head back to Tampa to prepare for Thursday night's home matchup against the Seattle Kraken, the Bolts know they still have a lot of work to do to avoid nights like the past two in New

John Carlson scored twice, and Dennis Hildeby played spectacularly in net as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Thursday night. Nikita Kucherov notched two more assists, continuing his opening-season point streak. The win was the Bolts' third straight, capping a three-game home stand.

Pontus Holmberg and Ilya Mikheyev each scored and assisted as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 Monday night. The goals were the first of the season for both, and the Bolts improved to 2-1-0. Brayden Point also scored his first goal of the season at 16:05 in the first period, redirecting a John Carlson shot from the blue line past Flyers goalie Dan Vladar.

Conor Geekie scored the game-winning goal, and Brandon Hagel added two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals 3-1 Saturday night. The performance contrasted sharply with their opening-night showing against the New York Rangers, where they were soundly defeated 5-1. Although it was only the second game of the season, the Lightning were determined to show that they were capable of far more than they showed at Madison Square Garden Thursday night.

Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev both scored early Thursday night to set the tone as the New York Rangers downed the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1. The Lightning failed to build momentum at Madison Square Garden as they struggled to find a rhythm.

The Tampa Bay Lightning open the regular season tonight on a mission: to overcome past mistakes and build on their experiences. Considered one of the favorites to win a competitive Atlantic Division, the Bolts know time is precious. As the team opens with a visit to New York to face the Rangers, hope and excitement certainly wear Tampa Bay blue and white.

The new CBA gave the Tampa Bay Lightning an offer no other team can make, and the reigning MVP has every reason to take it: Seven years. Only one team can offer Nikita Kucherov that seventh year.

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the club’s season-opening roster for the 2026-27 NHL season today. Tampa Bay’s roster includes 15 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. Bolts Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois also announced that forward Benjamin Rautiainen has been loaned to Tappara of the Finnish Liiga.

Benjamin Rautiainen scored a power play goal, then scored the game-winning shootout goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning came back to defeat the Florida Panthers, 3-2. Lucas Mercuri added a goal in his first appearance with the Bolts.

The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up their final preseason warm-up Saturday morning before heading to South Florida to face the Florida Panthers. The game will cap a grueling two weeks of training camp, where 67 players vied for a spot on the team's 23-player roster.