The Tampa Bay Lightning limped out of the gate, losing both games on home ice to start the season. They had moments where it looked like they were clicking, but they haven’t been in control of the game long enough to hang on and win.
Let’s look at some insights from the first two games. Nothing is certain yet about how early in the season we are, but there is still plenty to observe.
Major errors overwhelm damage control
When things went in the opponent’s favor, things quickly got out of hand. In the season opener, the Lightning allowed a goal in the opening minute of the second period, and before they knew it the Ottawa Senators had scored four unanswered goals. Their two-goal lead became a two-goal deficit.
The same thing happened in reverse in the loss to the New Jersey Devils. They stepped up to the plate and put the Lightning in a 3-0 hole before the end of the first period. When the Lightning got back within a goal, they lost the puck and allowed a shorthanded goal on a breakaway.
Whether it was sloppy defense in one spot or a bad pass in the offensive zone, these little mistakes caused the game to fall apart and they struggled to limit the damage and get momentum back in their favor.
The verdict on special teams, mainly the power play, is up in the air
Last season’s power play was a roller coaster at times for the Lightning, even though they were statistically among the best in the league. Come play-off time, it dried almost completely. What does it look like so far? I guess you can say it’s already a rollercoaster.
In the loss to the Senators, they scored on two of their three power play opportunities, putting themselves up 3-1 in the first period. Against the Devils, they allowed more goals when on the man advantage than they scored — for reference, they went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Related: Devils score early and often in wins over Lightning
The penalty killing might be fine. Opponents are a combined 1-for-8. If their penalty kill is 87.5% for an entire season, then it will probably be the best in the NHL. It wouldn’t be too surprising considering they were sixth in the NHL in the penalty kill last season, and this held up more in the playoffs than on the power play.
Offensive depth looks better
Look, it hasn’t all been bad. Even with a slow start, there is still something positive to evaluate.
Surprisingly, this is a positive conclusion from the start. The team’s stars didn’t contribute much to the loss to New Jersey. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point combined for one point. Meanwhile, Max Crozier assisted on two goals. Darren Raddysh, Ryan McDonagh and Yanni Gourde all found the back of the net in the match. Raddysh specifically has three points in these first two games of the 2025-2026 season.
Oliver Bjorkstrand provides the extra boost the Lightning hoped to get from him in last year’s playoffs, if not for his injury. His high level of play in preseason has translated into the regular season so far, as he scored a point per game early on.
Again, it’s early. We have no idea if these offensive contributions will come consistently. But Kucherov and Point will get their job done more often than not, and if they get the support they’ve lacked in recent seasons, this Lightning team could look more like their Cup contender again.
It was a weak start, but these are all solvable problems, and if you’re Lightning, you hope one of them lasts. Just like that, two games played and 80 to go. Let’s see if these games become a reflection of who this team is. In some ways they hope not, but in other ways they do.
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