The Tampa Bay Lightning have settled into the NHL’s upper class early in the 2026-27 season, and the latest national power rankings show they’re not going anywhere.
Tampa Bay sits fifth overall, sitting on a 7-4-0 record and a +1.00 rating score. Jon Cooper’s team also carries a projection of 47.9 wins, a number that puts the Lightning among the league’s strongest blend of current results and season-long expectation. In a crowded race, that profile keeps them firmly in the conversation near the top of the Eastern Conference.
What’s driving the placement is a formula that looks familiar: star power, stability, and enough defensive structure to win when the margin is slim. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are doing the heavy lifting on offense, while Victor Hedman has been the steadying presence on the blue line as Tampa Bay works through a re-tooled defensive group. And in net, Andrei Vasilevskiy has supplied the kind of timely stops that keep the Lightning from sliding in the standings.
That combination has helped Tampa Bay separate itself from a pack of teams still trying to find their footing. The Lightning have already shown they can handle tight, high-leverage games, and the positive goal differential backs that up. Early models may still be sorting out the true pecking order, but Tampa Bay’s championship-level structure appears intact.
Elsewhere in the conference, the Florida Panthers remain in the mix among a crowded group of playoff hopefuls, with Boston and Ottawa adding to the traffic in the Atlantic Division. For now, though, the Sunshine State still has one of its two contenders planted firmly among the league’s elite.
And with a favorable run of upcoming home games at Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay has a real chance to keep climbing before November arrives.
In Other News...
Flyers Prospects Are Giving Syracuse Hope During A Shaky Start
The Syracuse Crunch have already been asked to juggle a busy early stretch, playing three games in five days and coming out of it with a mixed bag. They dropped decisions to the Laval Rocket and Rochester Americans, but did get a much-needed win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and the bigger takeaway for Tampa Bays AHL affiliate is that there have been some encouraging signs even amid the uneven start.
Ethan Gauthier, Jakob Pelletier and Brendan Furry were among the names making the week interesting, providing key goals and points when Syracuse needed some offense. The Crunch are sitting fifth in the North Division for now, and with the next matchup coming against the Hamilton Hammers on Oct. 30, the early-season question is whether those flashes can turn into something steadier. [Read more 🡒]