The Lightning have spent the first stretch of this season doing one thing very well: collecting points. After 14 games, they sit at .714 in points percentage, trailing only Boston’s .719 in the Atlantic Division, and they’ve done it while playing fewer games than anyone else in the division.
Now they get another shot to keep the home run going. Tampa Bay has opened the season 7-0-0 at home, a new franchise record after Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Detroit. That run also put the Lightning in rare company, making them the 10th team in the last 20 years to start a season with a home winning streak that long, and the first since New Jersey did it last season.
That matters even more with a road-heavy stretch waiting after tonight’s game against Chicago. The Lightning are headed into a run that includes back-to-backs Saturday in Minnesota and Sunday in Winnipeg, then another pair of games Wednesday in Buffalo and Thursday in Columbus. They’ve been sharp at home, but their road record sits at 2-3-2.
There’s also a chance the lineup gets a boost. Center Zemgus Girgensons could return tonight after missing three games with a lower-body injury. He was back at practice Wednesday.
In net, the expectation is Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the numbers against Chicago have been excellent. He is 14-1-0 with a 2.11 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in 15 career starts against the Blackhawks.
The lone loss came in his most recent meeting with Chicago, a 3-2 defeat on Oct. 23, 2025.
Brayden Point has a milestone within reach as well. He needs two points to get to 700 for his career, and if he gets there tonight in his 699th game, he would become the third-fastest player in team history to hit that number, behind only Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. He’s also coming off a two-goal performance in Tuesday’s win over Detroit and has piled up 10 points - four goals and six assists - while going plus-8 over his last eight games.
The projected lineup has Point centering the top line with Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov. Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Gage Goncalves are listed together on the second line, followed by Ilya Mikheyev, Girgensons and Pontus Holmberg, with Jeff Viel and Conor Geekie rounding out the forward group.
On defense, the projection has JJ Moser with Max Crozier, Ryan McDonagh with Erik Cernak, and Victor Hedman with John Carlson. Charle-Edouard D’Astous is also listed, with Vasilevskiy expected to start in goal.
In Other News...
Kucherov Just Turned Tampa Bays Biggest Contract Fight Into Something Bigger
Nikita Kucherov has pushed Tampa Bay into a familiar but uncomfortable place, with a contract standoff now spilling into a trade request. The Lightning stars situation is not framed around money as much as it is about how the relationship has functioned behind the scenes, and that makes it feel bigger than a simple negotiation over dollars and years.
For Tampa Bay, the immediate message from both the general manager and coach has been clear: there is no intention to move him. Still, the gap between what Kucherov is seeking and what the Lightning have put on the table has turned this into one of the teams defining storylines, with most around the league expecting him to stay for now before the long-term question comes back into focus later. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Just Put Vasilevskiys Long-Term Future Under A Brighter Spotlight
Nikita Kucherovs contract situation has already put the Lightning in a tricky spot, and it is now casting a wider shadow over the rest of the roster. With one star already headed toward a potentially messy offseason, Tampa Bay has another major name whose future is suddenly worth watching a little more closely than usual.
Andrei Vasilevskiys camp has made clear he is happy in Tampa Bay, even as his agent noted negotiations can always alter the picture. The Lightning still have one of the leagues premier goalies in place, but with a strong free-agent market ahead, the club may need to navigate another high-stakes conversation if it wants to keep its core intact for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Suddenly Face A Kucherov Exit Scenario Fans Never Expected
Nikita Kucherovs future has become one of those rare Lightning storylines that would have sounded far-fetched not long ago. NHL analyst James Mirtle raised the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs chasing the Tampa Bay star if he reaches free agency, a scenario that would instantly reshape the conversation around one of the leagues most important players and one of the Lightnings most recognizable faces.
The idea is still more theory than plan, but it underscores how complicated this situation has become. Mirtle pointed out that Toronto could at least explore the fit, even if the financial hurdles and roster limits would make a move difficult to pull off. For Tampa Bay, the bigger issue is simply that a player central to everything the franchise has built is now at the center of a very real exit discussion. [Read more 🡒]