The Tampa Bay Lightning have released their 82-game schedule for the 2025-26 regular season, presented by AdventHealth. The campaign will launch with a home opener at AMALIE Arena on Thursday, October 9, against the Ottawa Senators.
A highlight of the season will be the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on February 1, where the Lightning will host the Boston Bruins for an outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium. This will be the franchise’s second appearance in the event, following a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators in 2022.
The schedule is evenly balanced with 41 home and 41 road games. The team’s longest homestand is a seven-game stretch from March 24 to April 4. Conversely, the longest road trip will be five games from January 10-18, supplemented by five separate four-game road swings. The season also features 15 sets of back-to-back games. March will be the busiest month overall with 16 contests, while January will be the busiest month on the road with nine away games.
Tampa Bay will face every NHL opponent at least twice. Matchups within the Atlantic Division will occur four times each, with the exception of three games apiece against the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. The team will play each Metropolitan Division opponent three times and will face every Western Conference team twice—once at home and once on the road.
In place of an All-Star Game, the NHL will pause for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, set for February 6-22 in Italy. The Lightning will be well-represented, with five players named to preliminary national rosters: Oliver Bjorkstrand (Denmark), Erik Cernak (Slovakia), Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia), Victor Hedman (Sweden), and Brayden Point (Canada). Additionally, Jon Cooper will serve as head coach and Julien BriseBois as assistant general manager for Team Canada.
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