The Lightning will play all seven of their new Central Division foes eight times (four home, four away) to compile the 56-game schedule. The Bolts won't play another team outside the Central this season unless they make the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top four teams from the division will qualify for the postseason and square off in the first two rounds (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 in the opening round; winners matching up in the second round). So no Bruins, Pens, Caps or Leafs on the horizon, for now anyway.
The abbreviated regular season schedule is also a change from the normal 82-game lineup. With the late start date and the NHL's desire to complete the 2021 season by mid-July to ensure the 2021-22 season returns to a normal October-to-April timetable, this year's regular season had to be shortened to accommodate.
The 2021 schedule sets up much like you would see in Major League Baseball with two-game series and a handful of three-game series against opponents (and the occasional one off mixed in).
Here's one more change you'll see in 2021: another championship banner hanging from the rafters of AMALIE Arena.
When the Lightning open the season January 13 at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, they'll unveil their 2020 Stanley Cup champions banner to hang next to the one acquired in 2004. The Tampa Bay-Chicago matchup will be one of five games Opening Night in the NHL. The Lightning conclude the regular season at in-state rival Florida on May 8.
Here are some other scheduling quirks that stand out in 2021 for the Bolts:
- Tampa Bay plays six back-to-backs, the first coming February 1 and 2 when they host the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings on consecutive nights.
- The Lightning start the season with four-straight games at AMALIE Arena followed by four games on the road. In fact, the four home game, four road game format continues until mid February.
More: Full 2020-21 Schedule
- The Bolts will get a quick replay of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final as they host the Dallas Stars in the third and fourth games of the season. Once that two-game set is complete, the Lightning will have played the Stars in eight of their last 10 games going back to last postseason.
- Four of Tampa Bay's first six games will come against teams they defeated in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following the aforementioned home games against the Stars, the Lightning travel to Columbus for a two-game set, the Bolts' first games away from AMALIE Arena in 2021.
- The Lightning will play six-straight games at home from April 15-25 for their longest homestand of the season. The longest stretch away from AMALIE Arena is five games from March 3-11 when they play three games in Chicago followed by two contests in Detroit.
- Twelve of the Bolts' 56 games will be played in the Central time zone. The rest are in the Eastern time zone.
- Start times for all 56 games have not yet been announced.
- Tampa Bay went 8-3-5 during the 2019-20 regular season against teams they'll face in their division this year. Add in playoff results and that record improves to 16-6-5 (4-1 against Columbus in Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round, 4-2 in Stanley Cup Final versus Dallas).
