How the mighty have fallen. The Tampa Bay Lightning were once the model of consistency in the NHL. Beyond just the two Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021, they’ve made the playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons, and their .643% regular season points percentage in that span is the best in the league.
The positive news came the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s way after a first-round exit a few nights ago. Anthony Cirelli has been named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, which is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: It was another first-round exit for the Tampa Bay Lightning, their fourth in a row. One executive thinks they lost their identity, and obviously, the Victor Hedman injury hurt, as well as the underperforming Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Can you name every NHL franchise's all-time leader in points in five minutes?
The season for the Tampa Bay Lightning is over, having lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a seven-game series in the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There have been successful rookie seasons in NHL history, and there have been superior efforts worth celebrating time and time again. Here's our list of the 25 notable seasons from those with official rookie status, as deemed by the NHL, in reverse chronological order.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the very first round. The Montreal Canadiens won Game 7 on Sunday to punch their ticket to the next round.
Nikita Kucherov was a catalyst of the Tampa Bay Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, leading the postseason in scoring both times — but he’s been anything but a difference-maker since.
Another successful regular season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, in which they came in second place in the Atlantic Division, understandably led to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that was heavy with expectations, especially for a club with so many top-tier veteran pieces.
Jon Cooper is the longest-tenured current NHL coach.
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs are holding their breath as Auston Matthews weighs his future, the Tampa Bay Lightning get an emotional update from Victor Hedman, and the Dallas Stars face a complicated contract situation with Jason Robertson.
It appears defenseman Victor Hedman will return to the NHL, but he’s got a road to travel before he does. The Tampa Bay Lightning played these playoffs without their superstar, who took time away for personal reasons.
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman announced Tuesday that his extended absence was a result of a need to address his mental health. The 35-year-old defenseman missed the Lightning's final 15 games of the regular season and all seven contests in a first-round playoff loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite a rather bumpy performance this year, one of the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s top stars insists it was because of his health. At the team’s end-of-season media availability, Lightning forward was questioned about his reduced production throughout the 2025-26 campaign and whether injuries plagued him.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Tampa Bay Lightning were ousted in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite championship expectations. And for the fourth straight year, Nikita Kucherov’s underwhelming performance was one of the key reasons why.
The Tampa Bay Lightning can point to unlucky bounces and fortunate goals from the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7, but that excuse only goes so far. For the fourth straight year, Tampa Bay’s playoff run ends in the opening round.
With a 2-1 win in Game 7 on Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens have officially moved on to the 2nd round, where they will go head-to-head with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion by the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs on Sunday night, but that was not because of the performance of Jake Guentzel.
For the fourth year in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning struck out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Bolts head coach Jon Cooper was still gracious in defeat following his team’s 2-1 loss in Game 7 of their series against the Montreal Canadiens at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Alex Newhook broke a third-period tie with the game-winning goal to give the visiting Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
When it comes to winning in the Stanley Cup playoffs, nobody really cares how you do it. They just care that you find a way to do it.
The Montreal Canadiens are in a do-or-die situation tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where the winner advances to the second round against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are turning to a road-style routine at home as they prepare for a decisive Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
With a chance to win the series on Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens came close but couldn’t get the job done as they fell 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime.
Gage Goncalves scored the overtime game-winning goal to give the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday and force Game 7 of their Stanley Cup playoff series.
The Montreal Canadiens might be in trouble.
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has the chance to take home a long-awaited honor. He has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, awarded to the best head coach during the NHL season.
In one of the closest series of the first round, the Montreal Canadiens stole Game 5 from the Tampa Bay Lightning with the only third-period goal.
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