The Tampa Bay Lightning are back where the season starts to count, and opening night brings a few questions that already loom large. They’ll face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, with preseason in the rearview and the 2026-27 campaign ready to begin.
One of the biggest concerns is whether Tampa Bay can avoid another sluggish opening stretch. Last season, the Lightning stumbled badly out of the gate, going 1-4-2 in their first seven games before catching fire and winning seven of the next eight.
Even that turnaround wasn’t enough to erase the damage. They finished three points short of a division title, which meant a tougher path in the playoffs.
A better start could have changed the first-round picture and given them a more favorable matchup against the Boston Bruins instead of having to navigate a difficult series with the Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers offer an immediate test, too. They finished last in the Metropolitan Division a year ago, but they still took two of three from Tampa Bay. For a team trying to set the tone early, this is the kind of game that can matter beyond one night.
Another storyline is Conor Geekie, who played his way onto the opening night roster after a strong preseason. In four games, he posted two goals and an assist for three points. Even more notable, his production came in timely moments: a game-winning goal, a game-tying goal and a game-tying assist.
The question now is whether that preseason spark carries over once the games count. Across 66 NHL games over two seasons, Geekie has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points.
At Syracuse in the AHL last season, he looked far more productive, averaging more than a point per game and scoring 17 goals in 56 contests. Before his NHL debut in 2024-25, he had appeared in just two professional games, so the Lightning clearly gave him time to develop.
He doesn’t need to explode out of the gate, but the early weeks should tell us plenty. Against the Rangers, he’s gone scoreless in two career games, so there’s a chance to make a statement right away.
The third issue is the backup goalie situation, even if that won’t be decided on opening night. Jonas Johansson is out, and Dennis Hildeby is in.
For much of the 2020s, Tampa Bay has searched for a dependable second option behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. Johansson will be remembered for filling in when the reigning Vezina Trophy winner missed time with a back injury three seasons ago, but he never settled in as the answer.
The broader picture hasn’t been much better. Since 2019-20, the Lightning have had a backup goalie finish above a .900 save percentage only twice, and just once above .910.
Hildeby arrives after a solid run with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he split time with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. He was Toronto’s only goalie to finish above .900, putting up a .912 save percentage, and he did it over a respectable 20-game sample.
Tampa Bay would love more than that. With a bigger schedule and Vasilevskiy’s health history, the Lightning need at least 30 games from him.
In Other News...
Victor Hedmans Opening Night Role Says A Lot About Tampa Bay
Victor Hedman is set to return for the Lightnings regular-season opener in a noticeably different role, one that reflects both where Tampa Bay is right now and where its longtime defense anchor has been over the past year. After a season limited to a career-low 33 games because of injuries and a personal leave for mental health, Hedman is back in the lineup as the team eases him into the schedule while keeping an eye on the long haul.
Jon Cooper has already mapped out some of the opening-night usage around him, with Hedman expected to help on the penalty kill while others handle the top power-play assignments. It is a reminder that Tampa Bay is not simply plugging veterans back in and hoping for the best, but trying to manage minutes carefully as it opens another season with real expectations and a few lineup decisions that signal how the coach wants this group to look from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Get Early Chance To Rewrite A Frustrating Rangers Trend
The Lightning head into Madison Square Garden with a chance to run into a familiar Rangers issue, because New York has not exactly made a habit of delivering crisp home-opening performances. The Rangers are trying to set a different tone after a rough start last season, and this early matchup gives them an immediate test in front of their own fans.
From Tampa Bays side, there is also a recent backdrop worth watching. The Rangers have generally handled this matchup better of late, which makes this one more than a routine date on the schedule for a Lightning team looking to spoil the building and keep New York from rewriting an uncomfortable trend right away. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Fans Can Probably Relax About Kucherov's Contract Cloud
Nikita Kucherov is heading into the final season of his current deal with the Lightning, and the lack of an extension has naturally created some chatter around a franchise player who remains central to Tampa Bays identity. Even so, the backdrop around this situation is more reassuring than alarming, especially with the teams salary cap picture improving as it looks ahead to the next round of business.
TSNs Pierre LeBrun reported that the odds of Kucherov leaving are low, which is the kind of update Lightning fans wanted to hear while the contract clock ticks. There is still no finished extension in place, but the expectation around the situation is that it will ultimately get done once the season runs its course and Tampa Bay gets to work with a little more financial flexibility. [Read more 🡒]