Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning became the sixth NHL team to clinch a postseason berth, locking up their spot in the playoffs with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

The Stanley Cup champions are 33-14-2 and in third place in the Central Division after a realignment caused by the coronavirus pandemic grouped them with the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars.

It's the fourth consecutive season the Bolts have secured a berth in the postseason, and they will be expected to make another deep run as long as they stay healthy. So far, though, that hasn't proved too straightforward.

Steven Stamkos has been out since April 8 after being placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower body injury, while Nikita Kucherov isn't expected to return before the end of the regular season after hip surgery in December. And defenseman Jan Rutta missed about a month with a lower body injury in late March.

The Lightning still have enough pieces to succeed in the postseason, but they will need them back if they are to have a legitimate shot to repeat in the Stanley Cup Final.

The goal for the rest of the season will be to get everyone healthy and tinker with some last-minute line combinations before the playoffs open on May 11.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are offering one lucky fan and five of their friends the opportunity of a lifetime: a night with the Stanley Cup.

According to Ben Montgomery of Yahoo Sports, the Lightning are turning one of their suites at Amalie Arena into an Airbnb for one night only on April 24.

The first fan to book the reservation when it goes live can stay the night in the Amalie Arena suite with five other guests. The cost to book the suite is $5,000, which will benefit the Lightning Foundation and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

In addition to getting to sleep near the Stanley Cup, the lucky winner and their friends will have their own private happy hour complete with champagne and a five-course meal.

They will also be treated to a tour of the arena, private ice time, a chance to sound the goal horn and a movie on the Lightning Vision screen.

The Lightning won the Stanley Cup last season when they beat the Dallas Stars in six games in the Stanley Cup Final.

That marked the second Cup win in franchise history for the Bolts and their first since the 2003-04 season.

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs thanks to his 10 goals and 12 assists in 25 games.

Tampa is once again in position to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season, as its 60 points are tied for the second-most in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Colorado Avalanche lead the way with 64 points. 

Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos will miss at least the next 10 games with a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday.

The 31-year-old made 57 appearances during the 2019-20 regular season but was limited to a total of 2:47 on the ice during a playoff run that culminated in a Stanley Cup. He underwent surgery for a core muscle injury in February 2020.

Before the puck dropped for the abbreviated 2021 season, the Lightning announced they would likely be without Nikita Kucherov until the postseason because of hip surgery. That put more pressure on Tampa Bay's captain to lead the attack.

Through 38 games, Stamkos has 17 goals and 17 assists.

The Lightning's repeat bid took a hit with Kucherov's injury and Kevin Shattenkirk's departure in free agency. Still, plenty of players are back from last year's squad to at least keep the franchise in contention until the playoffs, when the Russian winger might be back on the ice.

Losing Stamkos for another extended period is a big blow, though.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have removed captain Steven Stamkos from the NHL's COVID-19 list, according to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.

That would make Stamkos eligible to return Monday night against the Florida Panthers, though he has recently been dealing with a lower-body injury.

The 31-year-old hasn't stepped onto the ice since Tampa Bay's 6-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. On Friday, he acknowledged his positive COVID-19 test but was optimistic the result was only a false positive:

It would appear Stamkos' test was a false positive since players who are flagged for multiple positive tests face an isolation period lasting at least 10 days.

Stamkos missed all but a few minutes of Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup run, eventually undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury in October.

The two-time All-Star hasn't shown any lingering effects from the injury or the procedure. He's third on the team with 14 points (seven goals and seven assists), helping to fill the void left as Nikita Kucherov recovers from hip surgery.

Thanks in part to Stamkos' contributions, the Lightning have the third-most points (21) in the NHL and look poised for another deep playoff run.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed that star winger Nikita Kucherov is expected to miss the 2020-21 regular season after undergoing hip surgery.

The 27-year-old is among the NHL's most dangerous offensive players, finishing last season with 33 goals and 52 assists in 58 games. He led the Lightning in points (34) in the playoffs over 25 games as they went on to lift the Stanley Cup.

In 2018-19, Kucherov enjoyed a career year that saw him score 41 goals and dish out 87 assists for a personal-best 128 points. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer and was named league MVP by virtue of winning the Hart Memorial Trophy.

The Russian has progressively gotten better since debuting with 18 points in 52 games as a rookie with the Lightning in 2013-14. His point totals climbed to 65, 66 and 85 before finally reaching the 100-point plateau in 2017-18.

The Lightning hadn't even finished celebrating their Stanley Cup triumph before they faced the brutal reality of the NHL's salary cap. The silver lining of Kucherov's surgery is that his absence will provide some financial relief as he goes on long-term injured reserve.

But Kucherov will be sorely missed in the regular season when Tampa Bay starts its title defense on Jan. 13.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and veteran forward Tyler Johnson are reportedly working on finding a potential trade fit.

Johnson has a no-trade clause, but according to TSN's Darren Dreger, he has given the Lightning "several teams to work with" as they attempt to find a taker.

The 30-year-old Johnson, who has spent all of his eight NHL seasons with the Lightning, helped guide Tampa to a Stanley Cup championship last season, recording four goals and three assists in 25 playoff games.

Per CapFriendly, Johnson has four years remaining on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $5 million, meaning he could be difficult to move unless the Bolts are willing to eat part of the contract.

Johnson was once among Tampa Bay's top offensive contributors, as he put up a career-high 29 goals and 72 points in 2014-15. His high point total in a season since then is just 50, and he finished with only 31 points in 65 regular-season games last season.

With that said, Johnson is just two years removed from tying his career high of 29 goals, and that scoring upside may be enough for a team to take a chance on him, especially if that team can put the 5'8", 180-pound center alongside some other highly talented offensive players.

Johnson's production in Tampa has largely depended on his supporting cast. He has put up numbers when playing next to the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos or Brayden Point, but when placed in a lesser role, his scoring has naturally suffered.

Johnson has long been a quality depth player for the Lightning, but they could really benefit from his $5 million cap hit coming off the books.

Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is a restricted free agent this offseason. Veteran blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk is an unrestricted free agent, and they would likely love to re-sign him if possible.

Veteran forward Patrick Maroon is a UFA and forward Anthony Cirelli is an RFA. On top of that, Point will reach RFA status at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.

The salary cap forces NHL teams to make difficult decisions, and they usually end up keeping their stars and letting some of the complementary pieces go.

Johnson is a secondary player at this point in his career, and although the Lightning may no longer have room for him, he could be a quality fit for another contending team or a team in need of veteran leadership if they are able to clear enough cap space to accommodate him.

The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their Stanley Cup title in unique fashion with a boat parade through the city Wednesday. 

The socially distanced event allowed the team to see the fans after spending the entire postseason in a bubble environment in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada.

The players were certainly ready for fun well before the parade began:

This mindset didn't change once the boats took off:

Fans were able to watch along from the river walk after supporting the team from afar during the playoff run.

The Lightning were impressive throughout the postseason, going 16-6 overall while never facing a Game 7 in any round. Even with captain Steven Stamkos sidelined for most of the playoffs, the rest of the team stepped up, including Conn Smythe winner Victor Hedman.

It all helped bring home the second Stanley Cup title in franchise history and first since 2004.

After a bizarre season that featured an extended break due to the pandemic and a postseason in a bubble, the players enjoyed a well-earned celebration Wednesday.

It's time to celebrate, Tampa Bay.

Safely, of course.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended the 2019-20 NHL season and moved the playoffs to bubble-like environments in Toronto and Edmonton. It is only right, then, that the Tampa Bay Lightning's championship celebration is impacted by the ongoing issues, although fans will still have an opportunity to party following the victory over the Dallas Stars.

According to the club's official website, the Lightning and the City of Tampa will host two celebratory events on Wednesday.

The first is the 2020 Stanley Cup Champions Boat Parade on the City of Tampa Riverwalk/Hillsborough River and begins at 5 p.m. Fans are urged to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Attention then shifts to the 2020 Stanley Cup Champions Celebration at Raymond James Stadium, where stadium doors open at 6:30 prior to the 7:30 celebration.

Fans can sit in socially distant pods and must claim their mobile only tickets on Ticketmaster.

Television and live-stream information was unknown as of Tuesday at 2 a.m. ET. Check local listings for television and live stream information.

Tampa Bay earned the right to celebrate with a 2-0 victory in Monday's Game 6 behind goals from Brayden Point and Blake Coleman and a shutout from Andrei Vasilevskiy. The game was rarely ever in doubt as the team quickly bounced back from Saturday's double-overtime loss in Game 5.

Defenseman Victor Hedman was awarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the entire playoffs thanks to 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists.

It was quite the unusual season for the entire NHL, but Tampa Bay was a dominant force throughout and a deserving champion. Fans may not have been able to attend the playoff games, but they will be able to celebrate on Wednesday.

Maybe it was a building full of reminders of a great hockey dynasty.

Or maybe it was the memory of last year, and a collapse labeled epic by anyone who witnessed it.

Regardless of reason, these Tampa Bay Lightning were a different team than in 2019.

Oh sure, the stars were still there. Playoff goals leader Brayden Point. All-world goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. And dynamic defensive catalyst Victor Hedman. All were full-time players last spring.

All left Nationwide Arena in disgust after the league’s best regular-season team shook hands with jubilant Columbus Blue Jackets players and wished them well after an embarrassing four-game sweep.

In that red-faced aftermath, they used phrases like “didn’t have an answer,” “didn’t see this coming” and “hard to pinpoint.”

Fast-forward to Monday night at Edmonton’s Rogers Place—exactly 531 days and about 2,000 miles past the debacle in central Ohio—and any one of that trio could have been cradling the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP that writers and media members awarded to Hedman.

And no one would have complained.

Because this Lightning team was all about the Stanley Cup.

The league’s second-southernmost franchise captured its second NHL championship in the league’s northernmost city—defeating the Dallas Stars, 2-0, to end their best-of-7 series in six games and complete an unprecedented postseason odyssey with a league-best 18-7 record.

This time around, the Stars were the ones skating away dejectedly.

And the phrases coming from the guys in blue and white, whose giddiness echoed throughout an otherwise silent barn as they surrounded the trophy before the official presentation, sounded more like “loss for words,’ “so many emotions” and “tough to describe.”

If you look at the standings—where Tampa Bay has won more games (158) and amassed more points (333) than any team in the last three regular seasons—it was expected.

But in terms of intangibles like mettle, grit and determination, and the willingness to take the lumps that come with the grisly playoff beards, these Lightning finally proved themselves. They became the first expansion-era team to win a Cup a season after a first-round sweep.

“We’re a different group," Hedman said.

"It's so worth it now. We’re coming home with the Cup. It means the world. Being a part of this organization for 11, 12 years. It's been a great ride. It's gonna take a few weeks or months to sink in.”

Perhaps it’s the geography talking, but fans of a certain vintage might shelve this team’s metamorphosis story alongside one that also occurred in northern Alberta a generation or so before.

Back then, it was a 106-point Oilers team—whose 1983 playoff roster boasted surnames like Gretzky, Messier, Kurri and Coffey—encountering a veteran New York Islanders unit and expecting to blow through them thanks to youthful enthusiasm and statistical star power.

Four games later the Islanders captured a fourth Stanley Cup, and Gretzky relayed a story of walking past the winning dressing room and dreading seeing the visitors in the throes of celebration. Instead, he saw a host of players draped in ice bags and exhaustion, and learned a lesson about the sacrifices winning demands.

A year later, the Oilers faced those same Islanders in the championship round, earned a gritty 1-0 decision in the series opener on Long Island and wound up taking the series—and the Cup—in five.

Hurdle cleared, they proceeded to win four of the next six titles as well, with the 1984-85 squad earning acclaim from fans in 2017 as the greatest NHL team of all time.

The symbolic hurdle came for the Lightning in round one of these playoffs, when they emerged from a round-robin tune-up series and exorcised the Columbus ghost in five competitive, but nevertheless decisive games. A five-game elimination of this year’s Presidents Trophy winners—the Boston Bruins—followed, and was succeeded by a spirited six-game ouster of the New York Islanders.

Along the way they won six of their eight overtime games, followed each of their seven losses with a win and did so almost entirely without the services of their "best" player, center Steven Stamkos, who scored 29 goals and 66 points across 57 games in the regular season, but saw less than three minutes of ice time in the entire postseason thanks to a lingering core muscle injury that left him "unfit to play."

Whenever adversity arrived, unlike last year, the mantra overcame the moribund.

Next man up. Next man in. Play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.

It's an anthem sung by the lunch-pail likes of Pat Maroon, Zach Bogosian and Kevin Shattenkirk, all of whom were acquired before or during the season to gird the team's heart and soul.

The payoff? A somber walk past the bench one year. A celebratory lap around the rink the next.

"It still doesn't feel real. I'm so proud of every single player on this team," Stamkos said. "I'm speechless. This is amazing. Everything we've gone through. The ups and downs. The doubters. We proved them all wrong."

Of course, given modern free agency and salary caps—and considering no team since 2000 has won more than three Cups—it’s unlikely that Tampa Bay will go full-on Oilers and hang four more banners between now and 2026. In fact, the Lightning’s cap situation is particularly precarious in that they have no fewer than 10 free agents to deal with and just more than $5 million in available space.

So keeping this team or a reasonable facsimile of it together in a compressed offseason is a task general manager/tinkering wizard Julien BriseBois will have to tend to as soon as locker room revelry subsides.

But you can’t blame them if they take an extra champagne sip or two in the meantime.

For this group in particular, it’s been a long time coming.