Tampa Bay Lightning News

Tampa Bay has relied heavily on Andrei Vasilevskiy in recent seasons, so its plan for 2026-27 with newcomer Dennis Hildeby remains unclear, but he will likely start on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The 25-year-old Hildeby benefited from team injuries last season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, earning a promotion to the NHL, where he played well when called upon, posting a 2.86 GAA and .914 SV% in 20 appearances (5-7-4). Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -139 home favourites against a Minnesota team that is 2-1-0 this season.

Tampa Bay has relied heavily on Andrei Vasilevskiy in recent seasons, so its plan for 2026-27 with newcomer Dennis Hildeby remains unclear, but he will likely start on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The 25-year-old Hildeby benefited from team injuries last season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, earning a promotion to the NHL, where he played well when called upon, posting a 2.86 GAA and .914 SV% in 20 appearances (5-7-4). Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -139 home favourites against a Minnesota team that is 2-1-0 this season.

James is recovering from a broken hand that sidelined him for the entirety of training camp. He returned to practice this week, but will miss at least one more game. The 24-year-old forward made his NHL debut last season, tallying 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games with Tampa Bay.

Harkins is no stranger to the NHL, with 45 points (18G / 17A) in 306 career games, but has spent significant time in the AHL in recent seasons. He signed a one-year contract worth $850,000 with Tampa Bay in the offseason.

Vasilevskiy had a forgettable season-opening outing, allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers, but he returned to form in his next outing, saving 20 of 21 (.952 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The 32-year-old goalie has a solid 2025-26 season, winning his second Vezina Trophy, and will likely be relied upon heavily again in 2026-27. Tampa Bay enters the action on Monday as sizeable -218 home favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has been outscored 13-4 through three games this season (0-1-2).

Vasilevskiy had a forgettable season-opening outing, allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers, but he returned to form in his next outing, saving 20 of 21 (.952 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The 32-year-old goalie has a solid 2025-26 season, winning his second Vezina Trophy, and will likely be relied upon heavily again in 2026-27. Tampa Bay enters the action on Monday as sizeable -218 home favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has been outscored 13-4 through three games this season (0-1-2).

Crozier has not played in either of Tampa Bay's first two games, but he will make his debut on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26-year-old defenseman played a career-high 35 games with Tampa Bay last season, averaging 16:01 time-on-ice and scoring 10 points (1G / 9A).

James is recovering from a broken hand that sidelined him for the entirety of training camp, but he could make his return to the lineup on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The 24-year-old forward made his NHL debut last season, tallying 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games with Tampa Bay.

Lilleberg exited Saturday's game due to an undisclosed injury and is expected to remain sidelined for at least a week. The 25-year-old Norwegian defenseman played 50 games last season with the Lightning, tallying 12 points (4G / 8A) and averaging a career-high 17:18 time on ice.

Fresh off winning his second Vezina Trophy, Vasilevskiy will be between the pipes to open the 2026-27 season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 32-year-old goalie posted a solid 2.31 GAA and .911 SV% last season in 58 games (39-15-4), and should have a heavy workload again in 2026-27 with the largely unproven Dennis Hildeby as his backup. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -142 road favourites against a New York Rangers team that lost 3-0 in their season opener against the Boston Bruins.

Fresh off winning his second Vezina Trophy, Vasilevskiy will be between the pipes to open the 2026-27 season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 32-year-old goalie posted a solid 2.31 GAA and .911 SV% last season in 58 games (39-15-4), and should have a heavy workload again in 2026-27 with the largely unproven Dennis Hildeby as his backup. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -142 road favourites against a New York Rangers team that lost 3-0 in their season opener against the Boston Bruins.

James broke his hand during offseason training and he's expected to be sidelined for the first couple of weeks of the season. This should open the door for the Lightning to take a look at some young players in the opening games of the season, before James returns to his bottom-6 role. The 24-year-old had 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games during his rookie season.

Gourde appeared in all 82 games last season, scoring nine goals and 19 assists (28 points) while playing a key role on the Lightning's checking line with Zemgus Girgensons and Pontus Holmberg. With Gourde expected to be out until December, he's expected to miss at least the first 26 games of the season.