Tampa Bay Lightning: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Jon Cooper Blasts Paul Maurice With Comments After Lightning/Panthers Game 3

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper used Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice's words against him after their Game 3 win in Sunrise. We've officially got ourselves a series in the Battle of Florida; the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 to cut into what was a 2-0 series lead at the beginning of the day.

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Minus Hagel, Lightning storm back, dodge 3-0 hole

Without suspended winger Brandon Hagel in the lineup, the Tampa Bay Lightning stormed back to defeat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Saturday, cutting their deficit in this Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1 on the strength of five unanswered goals.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / The Hockey Writers / April 26

3 Takeaways From Lightning’s Bounce Back Game 3 Win

With one of their top forwards, Brandon Hagel, suspended and the team set to go on the road down two games to the defending Stanley Cup champions, Game 3 was a must-win for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Breakaway on SI / April 26

Lightning’s Jake Guentzel Tells NHL Discipline Matthew Tkachuk

The Tampa Bay Lightning took Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, giving them their first win of the series. The 5-1 victory was pivotal for the Lightning's playoff hopes, as they were in danger of falling behind 3-0 in the Battle of Florida.

Leon Draisaitl News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Goal leaders from each NHL season since 1990' quiz

How many of the yearly leaders in NHL goals since the 1990-91 season can you name in five minutes?

The '60+ goals in an NHL season' quiz

The 'NHL players with multiple Hart Trophies' quiz

The 'NHL active points leaders' quiz

NHL News / Field Level Media / April 26

Lightning dispatch Panthers to make series closer

Nick Paul scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the host Florida Panthers 5-1 on Saturday afternoon in Sunrise.

Nikita Kucherov News / Breakaway on SI / April 26

Lightning Need More From Nikita Kucherov

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a 0-2 series hole against the Florida Panthers. Going against the defending Stanley Cup champions was already a daunting task for the Lightning, but this deficit is only making their troubles worse.

NHL News / Athlon Sports / April 26

Lightning Forward Suspended After 'Extremely Forceful' Action vs. Panthers

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a suspension following Game 2 of the first-round series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.

NHL News / The Hockey Writers / April 26

Lightning's Brandon Hagel suspended for dirty hit

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has been suspended one game for his hit on Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 of their Battle of Florida. As a result of the suspension, Hagel will miss Game 3 of the series, which the Florida Panthers lead 2-0.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Inside The Rink / April 25

NHL Playoffs: Tampa Bay Lightning Offense Struggles in Game 2 Loss

Coming off an embarrassing loss in Game One, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew they needed to be a lot better in Game Two to avoid going down 0-2 in their first-round series against the Florida Panthers.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / Daily Faceoff / April 25

How do the Lightning bounce back after 0-2 series deficit

The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in a difficult position. Going into their first-round matchup against their state rival, the Florida Panthers, the Lightning had home-ice advantage and many pundits picked them to take down the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Brandon Hagel News / Field Level Media / April 25

Lightning F Brandon Hagel facing disciplinary hearing

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel will have a disciplinary hearing with the league Friday following his hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Brandon Hagel News / Pro Hockey Rumors / April 25

Lightning's Brandon Hagel facing suspension

Lightning winger Brandon Hagel will have a player safety hearing today for his major interference penalty against Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in last night’s loss, the league announced.

NHL News / Daily Faceoff / April 25

Lightning’s Brandon Hagel to have hearing for hit on Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov

Some extra punishment looks to be in order of a recent act in the Battle of Florida. On Friday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel will have a hearing for his hit on Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov.

NHL News / Field Level Media / April 24

Lightning look to turn page, even series vs. Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning have lost home-ice advantage. Now they must find a way to ensure they do not head to the home of the defending Stanley Cup champions down by a pair of games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Anthony Cirelli News / Daily Faceoff / April 24

Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli a game-time decision ahead of Game 2

The Tampa Bay Lightning might be without one of their key players in a crucial game. On Thursday, head coach Jon Cooper revealed that forward Anthony Cirelli is going to be a game-time decision for Game 2 of the team’s Atlantic Division Semifinals against the Florida Panthers.

NHL News / Blade of Steel / April 23

Jake Guentzel Unleashes on Matthew Tkachuk After Scoring a Goal

Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel scored a power-play goal last night and absolutely gave it to Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk as he exited the penalty box.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / The Hockey Writers / April 23

Lightning & Crunch Partnership Creates Best NHL/AHL Postseason Run

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Syracuse Crunch have each qualified for the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons. That is the longest active run by any NHL organization in which both its NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) teams have qualified for the playoffs.

NHL News / Last Word On Sports / April 22

NHL Predictions: Playoff Series Preview with Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers

Welcome back to NHL Predictions, this time it is our 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs preview, where we break down matchups, analyze trends, and pretend we aren’t just flipping coins and calling it “advanced analytics.” This year’s Sunshine State Showdown brings us a sizzler, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.

Tampa Bay Lightning News / NHL on ClutchPoints / April 19

Lightning’s Jon Cooper provides crushing Oliver Bjorkstrand injury update ahead of Panthers series

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers will square off in round one against one another. Unfortunately though for the Lightning, head coach Jon Cooper said that Oliver Bjorkstrand will miss the entire series, according to Elliotte Friedman on X (formerly Twitter).

Nikita Kucherov News / Athlon Sports / April 18

NHL Makes Major Nikita Kucherov Announcement on Thursday

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov closed out the 2024–25 regular season with another major achievement. In Thursday's finale against the New York Rangers, a 4-0 Tampa Bay loss, Kucherov failed to bulk up his final point tally of the campaign but still secured the NHL's scoring title for a second straight year.