TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning today announced the team’s regular season schedule for the 2026-27 season, presented by AdventHealth. New for this season, the Bolts will play a total of 84 games, instead of the previous 82. After starting the season with one game on the road in New York, the Lightning will drop the puck at Benchmark International Arena on Saturday, October 3 against the Washington Capitals.
As part of the new 84-game schedule, the Lightning will play each of their Atlantic Division opponents four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 28 divisional matchups. They will play each team from the Metropolitan Division three times, while facing off against teams from the Western Conference twice.
84-Game Schedule Breakdown
| Atlantic Division | 28 games |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan Division | 24 games |
| Western Conference | 32 games |
| Total | 84 games |
The Lightning will play an even split of 42 games at home and 42 on the road. They will host a pair of six-game homestands, from November 14 through November 27 and February 12 to February 23. Tampa Bay’s longest road trip of the season will be four games, which they will embark on four occasions.
After opening their slate at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers in New York City on October 1, the Bolts will open their home schedule on October 3 against Washington, the first of a three-game home stand. Tampa Bay will play eight games at Benchmark International Arena in November, more than any other month. They will play seven home games during December and February. Both December and March feature the most road contests with eight each. December will be their busiest overall with 15 total matches.
The Lightning will play a total of 13 sets of back-to-back games. They will play eight of those with both games on the road, four with one home and one on the road, as well as one featuring both games at Benchmark International Arena.
Tampa Bay will not play its cross-state rival Florida Panthers at home until 2027, with games on February 16 and March 23. The Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes will make their only visit to Benchmark International Arena on November 25, while the Bolts will host a rematch of their 2026 first-round playoff series against Montreal when the Canadiens visit Tampa on December 31 and April 8.
Single game tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Special, single-game pre-sales will begin throughout the week of August 10. Each pre-sale group will be notified of their specific date and time.