Tampa Bay Lightning: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Lightning Place Jansen Harkins On Waivers

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Jansen Harkins on waivers. Regardless of the waiver outcome, the transaction will allow the Lightning to activate Dominic James from injured reserve on Thursday.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Lightning Show Fast, Aggressive Play in 4-1 Win Over Flyers

The season didn't get off to the start that the Tampa Bay Lightning had hoped after being blown out by the New York Rangers to open the season, but they have now strung together back-to-back wins after beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1.

Ilya Mikheyev News / Field Level Media / October 5

Ilya Mikheyev nets key goal as Lightning defeat Flyers

Tampa Bay's Ilya Mikheyev had a goal and an assist as the Lightning won for the second straight time on their three-game homestand, handling the winless Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Monday night.

Washington Capitals News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Most goals in NHL history' quiz

How many of the 22 players in NHL history with at least 600 career goals can you name in five minutes?

The 'Conn Smythe Trophy winners' quiz

The '2026-27 NHL captains' quiz

The ''EA NHL,'' covers since 2000' quiz

NHL News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / October 5

Three Players Who Led the Lightning to Victory Over the Flyers

The Tampa Bay Lightning faced the Philadelphia Flyers in the second night of their three game homestand and dominated the Flyers. Tampa had control of the game from the opening face-off and scored 4 times en route to a 4-1 victory.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The best and worst NHL free agency deals since 2000

The NHL has had an interesting new millennium. It was a league sans a salary cap when the 2000s started… and then the owners locked the players out for an entire season.

Emil Lilleberg News / Daily Faceoff / October 5

Lightning’s Emil Lilleberg to miss time following injury from fight

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without one of their defensemen for the next little while, as head coach Jon Cooper told reporters that Emil Lilleberg will be out for Monday night’s game and possibly about a week longer after suffering an injury during a fight.

NHL News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / October 5

Lightning Take on Flyers Needing to Get Power Play Going

The Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1) stay at home for the second game of their three-game homestand to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (0-1-2). Tampa is coming off a 3-1 victory against the Washington Capitals where they looked much more like themselves then in the season opener.

Andrei Vasilevskiy News / Field Level Media / October 3

Andrei Vasilevskiy sharp as Lightning beat Capitals

Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots in his 600th career game, and the Tampa Bay Lightning won for the first time this season by topping the visiting Washington Capitals 3-1 on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Daily Faceoff / October 3

How much pressure are the Lightning under?

The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a rough start in 2026-27, after falling 5-1 to the New York Rangers to open their season on Thursday night. While the team still has lofty resumes, the average age is creeping higher as management looks to stretch the team’s contention window as long as possible.

NHL News / Field Level Media / October 3

Lightning chase 'pushback' in home opener against Capitals

The Lightning stumbled to a season-opening 5-1 road loss against the New York Rangers on Thursday, far below Tampa Bay's standard but an October occurrence the club has seen before.

NHL News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / October 2

How a Slow Start Doomed the Lightning Against New York

The Tampa Bay Lightning opened the 2026-27 season on the big stage at Madison Square Garden, against a Rangers squad looking to rebound after being shutout to open the season in Boston.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The defining figure for every NHL franchise

People will talk about the “Mount Rushmore” for a franchise, which is to say the four people, usually four players, that most define the franchise. Not always the four-best players, but the four that evoke the essence of the franchise.

NHL News / Daily Faceoff / October 2

Jon Cooper rips Lightning for poor performance: 'It was almost like the game was an inconvenience to play'

Jon Cooper did not hold back with his thoughts on the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s performance in their season opener.

Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin scores first career goal

The 10 worst value contracts in the NHL for 2026-27

The '2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning' quiz

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / October 1

Tampa Bay Lightning Dominated by Rangers in Season Opener

The Tampa Bay Lightning opened up their 2026/27 season on the road in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers and it didn't end well for the Bolts.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Most TD's through four games' quiz

The 'NFL RB TD-catch leaders' quiz

The 'Most HRs by an MLB first baseman' quiz

The 'Active 100-hit MLB seasons' quiz

NHL News / Yardbarker / October 1

Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin scores first career goal

New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is the 18th different goaltender to score a goal,

Jack Hughes confused by awkward joke about extensive injury history

Devils score season-opening win over Flyers on Hughes' OT goal

Kraken, Flyers pull off player-for-player trade early in season

Ducks sign Tristan Luneau to six-year extension

Oilers' Zach Hyman out for two weeks with undisclosed injury

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / October 1

Tampa Bay Lightning 2026/27 Season Predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning season officially begins in New York against the Rangers. The expectations remain the same for Julien BriseBois and the Jon Cooper led Bolts, to hoist the Stanley Cup Trophy yet again.

Nikita Kucherov News / NHL Rumors / September 30

Should There Be Concern That Nikita Kucherov Doesn’t Have a Contract Extension?

TSN: Reigning Hart Trophy recipient Nikita Kucherov is entering the final year of his contract and is without a contract. Pierre LeBurn wonders how much of gong show that would be if he was in a Canadian market.

Nikita Kucherov News / NHL Trade Talk / September 28

Is Tampa Bay Nearing an Ultimatum Scenario With Nikita Kucherov?

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Nikita Kucherov still don’t have a contract extension done, and Elliotte Friedman thinks the clock may matter more than it seems.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Tampa Bay Lightning On SI / September 28

Nikita Kucherov Ranked as NHL's Third Best Player as Contract Negotiations Stall

The Tampa Bay Lightning return to the ice this week and the NHL Network has finished their rankings of the top-50 players in the National Hockey League.

Jonas Johansson News / Pro Hockey Rumors / September 25

Lightning Trade Jonas Johansson To Senators

The Lightning have traded goaltender Jonas Johansson to the Senators in exchange for future considerations. The move ends a months-long effort by Tampa Bay to find Johansson a new home.

NHL News / Yardbarker / September 25

Four NHL teams under most pressure to win the Stanley Cup this season

Let's take a look at four NHL teams that are going to be facing the most pressure to win during the 2026-27 season.

Mark Messier torches Oilers for controversial Mike Babcock hiring

Zach Hyman invites Messier to visit Oilers after Babcock comments

Sharks name Macklin Celebrini 14th captain in franchise history

Is the NHL cooling down on expansion a good thing?

Five NHL rookies who have stood out the most during 2026-27 preseason

Tampa Bay Lightning News / The Hockey Writers / September 23

3 Takeaways From Lightning’s First 2 Preseason Games

The Tampa Bay Lightning have their preseason underway, getting loosened up for when the games actually matter in a little over a week. So far, two games are in the books, splitting a home and away preseason series against the Nashville Predators.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / NHL Rumors / September 16

NHL Rumors: Nikita Kucherov and Tampa Bay Lightning Will Continue to Talk Contract

The NHL season is underway as training camps are opening and teams begin meeting with the media. One of those teams speaking to the media today is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Yanni Gourde News / Pro Hockey Rumors / September 16

Lightning’s Yanni Gourde Out Until December Following Hip Surgery

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without a key bottom-six forward through the first chunk of the 2026-27 season. In his press conference before training camp, General Manager Julien BriseBois announced (via beat writer Benjamin Pierce) that forward Yanni Gourde will be out until December after offseason hip surgery.