Another free agent is off of the board for this summer. The Utah Mammoth locked up forward Nick Schmaltz for eight years at $8 million per season. The contract kicks in next season and will keep the 30-year-old in Salt Lake City until the 2033-34 season.
A consistent 20+ goal scorer, Schmaltz has already set a career-high with 24 on the season as he tries to help the Mammoth make it to the playoffs for the first time in their new city. While Schmaltz could have tested free agency this sum...
about 5 hours ago
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Between the second and third periods of their 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets J.J. Moser spoke to the Lightning’s broadcast crew about their struggles,
“We’re just not executing. We’re not breaking out well, we’re spending way too much time in our d-zone. We’re not killing plays fast enough. We’re not fast enough in the d-zone, and then they have a lot of time in their o-zone. It’s always hard if they have the puck all of the time.”
The sweaty and out-of-breath defenseman summe...
about 23 hours ago
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Lost in the frustration and gloom of the Lightning’s 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was the fact that Nikita Kucherov picked up his 70th assist of the season as he had the helper on Gage Goncalves’ deflection goal in the first period. The goal gave the Lightning a lead (their first against a non-Toronto team since the Olympic Break) and notched a little history for Kucherov.
According to the Lightning, Kucherov is now the 10th player in NHL history with at least five career 70-assi...
1 day ago
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Another night, and another loss for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A team that just a month ago couldn’t lose, looks completely lost on the ice as they drop their sixth game out of their last seven. Despite scoring first, a three-goal second period by the Columbus Blue Jackets left the Lightning asking more questions as they kicked off their homestead with a 5-2 loss to the hard-charging Metro Division team.
Gage Goncalves scored in his return from injury and J.J. Moser cut the lead to one goal...
1 day ago
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Alright folks. We’ve had a few days to absorb what happened last week. Most of the players that have been traded have played for their new teams (minus the ones waiting for visas). The people that get paid to write about these things have expressed their thoughts on the winners and losers of the deadline, […]
2 days ago
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Game Sixty-Three: Columbus Blue Jackets (32-21-10) at Tampa Bay Lightning (39-19-4)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Benchmark International Arena, Ten minutes from La Segunda Bakery, a Tampa institution since 1915
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, FDSNOH, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning – 238
Know the Opponents: The Cannon
Let’s see….why is today a good day to start a new winning streak? First off, the Lightning are back at home after a tough road trip. Second...
2 days ago
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Unlike their NHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch are on a bit of a heater. With a 3-2 overtime win against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a 4-1 win over Utica on Sunday, the Crunch ran their winning streak to five games. They now trail Laval by just three points, but have three games in hand. The Crunch will look to improve on their 4-1-1 record against the Rocket on Saturday when they meet for the final time in the regular season.
According to the league’s playoff primer , the Crunch’s magic n...
2 days ago
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the biggest benefactors of the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund this season. On Monday, they contributed another $5,000 as Brandon Hagel was fined for his actions in the Bolts’ 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. In case you were wondering, yes, that is the maximum amount allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The stated reason he was fined was “for serving as the aggressor in an altercation with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin”...
3 days ago
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It seems the only consistent part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s season this year has been the rate of injuries suffered by their players. Lost in the “spectacle” of the loss to Buffalo was the fact that the Lightning spent most of the game with only five defensemen. Erik Cernak left the game just seconds into the second period following a fight with Michael Kesselring and didn’t return.
It’s hard to say what it was that kept him from returning. Neither player landed a clean punch ...
3 days ago
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It looked like things were headed to another blowout loss to the Buffalo Sabres as the Tampa Bay Lightning trailed 4-1 in the second period. Instead they poured on the offense and eventually led 7-5. Then the home team roared back with three goals in just over four minutes, capped off by Josh Doan’s power play goal, to pick up the 8-7 victory.
Corey Perry scored in his second game with the Bolts while Nikita Kucherov had three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the loss. From the blue line, J....
4 days ago
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Game Sixty-Two: Tampa Bay Lightning (39-18-4) at Buffalo Sabres (38-19-6)
Time: 6:00 PM EST
Location: KeyBank Center, Beef on weck vs. Cuban Sandwich
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, MSG-B, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -115
Know the Opponents: Die by the Blade
Since coming out of the extended break, the Tampa Bay Lightning are 2-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, they are 0-4 against everyone else. They look to snap the struggles in a ke...
4 days ago
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Well, that’s a relief. The Tampa Bay Lightning snap their four-game losing streak with a convincing win over a reeling Toronto Maple Leafs squad, 5-2. With four assists, Nikita Kucherov hit the 100-point mark for the fourth season in a row. Corey Perry scored in his first game since the trade deadline and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27-of-29 shots.
Yes, it was the Maple Leafs, a team that is driving the struggle bus right off of Niagara Falls (the Canadian side), but after failing to taste...
4 days ago
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Game 61: Tampa Bay Lightning (38-18-4) at Toronto Maple Leafs (27-25-11)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Scotiabank Arena, The Big Smoke
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, NHL Network, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -180
Know the Opponents: Pension Plan Puppets
Well, now we kind of know what the team will look like heading into the playoffs. The Lightning had a relatively quiet deadline day and will finish off the final 21 games of the season with the squad that they...
5 days ago
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In his port-deadline press conference (see below) Julien BriseBois updated the gathered reporters on the status of a couple of injured players. It looks like Gage Goncalves is considered day-to-day. Could he be back for the Buffalo game on Sunday? Maybe. Chances are he’ll be out for a couple of more days before rejoining the team in game action.
Nick Paul is still week-to-week according to the general manager. That’s good news for Conor Geekie, who is likely with the team until Paul is he...
5 days ago
| 3 reads
For the second consecutive trade deadline it appears that general manager Julien BriseBois is bringing a player back into the organization. Last year it was Yanni Gourde. This year it’s Corey Perry.
Corey Perry to Tampa Bay from LA — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 6, 2026
The rumored cost is a second-round pick. Which, based on some of the other deals made over the last 24 hours seems to be about right. What was once thought to be a buyer’s market has decidedly swun...
6 days ago
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Well, the Tampa Bay Lightning made their first move of the trade deadline. They placed Curtis Douglas on waivers with the intent to assign him to the Syracuse Crunch. It’s a move that some have been expecting for quite awhile, and perhaps the team felt that, with as many transactions flying around, it’s as good as time as any to try and slip the big man through. The move also opens up a roster spot and allows Douglas to participate in the AHL playoffs should he clear today at 2:00 PM.
Aft...
6 days ago
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Say what you will about the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they don’t do things in small doses. It’s all or nothing for them. They started the season losing six of seven. Then they won fifteen out of eighteen games. After that it was seven losses out of nine. Then they were the best team in hockey with twenty wins out of their next twenty-two. Now, after a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets they are the proud owners of a four-game losing streak.
Brayden Point had the lone tally for the Lightning as ...
6 days ago
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So far the Tampa Bay Lightning have had a quiet trade season. They lost Jack Finley on waivers, made some minor trades, but all-in-all, general manager Julien BriseBois has been pretty content with his often injured, but still conference-leading roster. Could that change over the next 20+ hours? If history is any indication, yes, yes it will.
As usual, there hasn’t been much solid reporting on the Lightning’s trade interests. Yes, there has been speculation and tires kicked on names like ...
7 days ago
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Whelp, if nothing else, the Raw Charge Curse is alive and well. Just mere days after writing about Dominic James, the energetic rookie suffered an injury that will effectively end his regular season.
Injury updates for the Lightning:
#GoBolts forward Gage Goncalves is day to day with a lower body injury.
Forward Dominic James had surgery for a lower body injury, he’s out 8-10 weeks. — Benjamin Pierce ( @boltsben.bsky.social ) March 5, 2026 at 8:01 AM
In the loss to the Buffa...
7 days ago
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Game 60: Tampa Bay Lightning (38-17-4) at Winnipeg Jets (24-26-10)
Time: 8:00 PM EST
Location: Canada Life Centre, The Heart of the 204
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, ESPN+, TSN3, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -186
Know the Opponents: Arctic Ice Hockey
It wasn’t that long ago where it came so easy for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The goals, the saves, the wins. A month ago the Lightning were riding at the top of the world. It would be a bit melodramatic to say t...
7 days ago
| 2 reads
For the record, Coach Jon Cooper isn’t worried about the team right now. Yes, he acknowledges that they’re not playing well, but he’s confident that the team will figure it out. For 55 games or so this has been a tough defensive team that makes opponents work for every goal. Right now that’s not happening and the Minnesota loss was a microcosm of the losing streak.
They gifted the Wild a stretch of power plays that ended with a Mats Zuccarello power play goal to make it 2-0. Then Andrei V...
8 days ago
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It may have a new name, but the home arena for the Minnesota Wild continues to be a house of horrors for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The newly christened Grand Casino Arena witnessed another loss, their fourteenth out of nineteen games played there, for the Lightning as they fell 5-1 to home team. Matt Boldy had three assists while Kirill Kaprizov (after striking iron three times) set Minnesota’s franchise goal record with an empty-netter.
As has been the case since returning from the Olympi...
8 days ago
| 4 reads
Game Fifty-Nine: Tampa Bay Lightning (38-16-4) at Minnesota Wild (35-16-10)
Time: 9:30 PM EST
Location: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul Minnesota – Home of Charles Schultz
TV/Stream/Radio: TNT, TruTV, HBO Max, 102.5 FM, Lightning App (audio only)
Odds: Lightning -142
Know the Opponents: Hockey Wilderness
Coach Jon Cooper was as critical of his team after their uninspired loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday as he’s ever been,
“No push back, no urgency, no driv...
9 days ago
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The tinted visor. The gap-tooth smiled. It’s back. On Tuesday, prior to their game against the Minnesota Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they had recalled forward Conor Geekie from the Syracuse Crunch. With injuries to Gage Goncalves, Dominic James, and Nick Paul, there was a need for some help in the middle of the ice, and the Lightning are turning to one of their top prospects to fill it.
The 21-year-old started the season with the Lightning, but after posting just one assi...
9 days ago
| 3 reads
The Tampa Bay Lightning held a brief practice before jumping on a plane to the Twin Cities yesterday. Noticeably absent were Gage Goncalves and Dominic James, both of whom left the game against Buffalo with injuries. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ll be in the line-up for the near future.
Injury updates: #GoBolts Coach Jon Cooper said Goncalves and James are still being evaluated, will miss some time. Recalls are possible.
“They won’t be playing in the next game or two, but we’...
9 days ago
| 2 reads