The defending Atlantic Division champion Bolts open the season with just two matchups against division foes in their first 12 games but finish with four straight and five of their last six against the Atlantic.
Here are a few more highlights from the 82-game regular season slate for the Lightning:
- The Lightning begin the season with five-straight games at home, beginning with the aforementioned home game against the Panthers on October 6, then have to wait five days before playing again when they suit up October 11 versus Vancouver. The five-game, season-opening homestand is tied for their longest homestand of the season (The Bolts also have a five-game homestand from November 21-29 around Thanksgiving).
- After starting the season with five in a row at AMALIE Arena, the Bolts hit the road for five games through the Western Conference starting in Minnesota (Sept. 20) and ending in Arizona (Oct. 27) with stops in Chicago (Oct. 21), Colorado (Oct. 24) and Vegas (Oct. 26) in between. This road trip will be the team's longest of the season (by games).
- The Lightning have 11 back-to-back sets on the schedule, with 10 of them coming exclusively on the road. The 11th back-to-back set begins February 9 at home versus Pittsburgh before the Bolts travel to Florida to take on the Panthers on February 10. The number of back-to-back sets is one of the lowest in recent memory, however, with nearly all of them on the road, that advantage is somewhat negated.
- Tampa Bay's Western Canada trip comes right before the holiday break when the team travels to Winnipeg (Dec. 16), Vancouver (Dec. 18), Calgary (Dec. 20) and Edmonton (Dec. 22). The Lightning then have four days off before picking back up at home on December 27 versus Philadelphia.
- The Lightning have 10 days off between games January 19 versus San Jose and January 30 at Pittsburgh. The Bolts will take their mid-season weeklong break at this time, sandwiched around the All-Star Game in San Jose on January 26.
- The Lightning finish the season entirely on the road in April with a four-game road trip through the Atlantic Division against Ottawa (April 1), Montreal (April 2), Toronto (April 4) and Boston (April 6), a trip that could have major implications for playoff participation, seeding, etc.
- Tampa Bay won't get its first crack at Stanley Cup champion Washington until March 16 when it hosts the Capitals at AMALIE Arena. The Lightning will play all three games versus Washington in a span of 15 days with follow up games March 20 at Capital One Arena and March 30 at AMALIE Arena.
- All of the Lightning's road games in February are part of a back-to-back set. The Bolts begin the month with back-to-back games in New York against the Islanders (Feb. 1) and the Rangers (Feb. 2). A game Feb. 10 at Florida is the second half of a home-and-away back-to-back set. On Feb. 18, the Lightning will travel to Columbus and play in Philadelphia the following day. The Bolts close out February with back-to-back games at the New York Rangers (Feb. 27) and Boston (Feb. 28).
- Beginning November 13 at Buffalo, the Lightning will play every other day through December 3 at New Jersey, a three-week stretch that will see them play 11 games with exactly one day of rest between each game.
- As before, all weekday games at AMALIE Arena will begin at 7:30 p.m. while all weekend home games drop the puck at 7 p.m.
- Looking for New Year's Eve plans? The Lightning play in Anaheim December 31 with a 7 p.m. start time in California, meaning, on the East Coast, the Bolts will likely still be playing when the ball drops at midnight.
- The Lightning will play a handful of afternoon games, all on the road: Oct. 26 at Vegas (3 p.m. Pacific start), November 17 at Philadelphia (1 p.m. start) and April 6 at Boston (12:30 p.m. start) on the final day of the regular season.
