The Tampa Bay Lightning fell short in two out of three games last week, including an important home contest against the Carolina Hurricanes. For the week ahead, we’ll look at the team’s current slump, Nikita Kucherov’s Hart Trophy case, and more.
Lightning Are Still Slumping
For a while, the Lightning were the hottest team in the league. There was a point you could argue they had overtaken the dominant Colorado Avalanche, winning 20 times in a 23-game stretch. That good fortune has vanished, though.
Related: 3 Thoughts About the Lightning’s Recent Skid
Since Feb. 26, the Lightning are 2–7–0. According to Natural Stat Trick, they have a 46.90% expected goal share during this span, so we aren’t looking at a puck-luck anomaly—the Bolts have genuinely regressed.
After being defeated twice last week, the Lightning are in danger of losing out on home-ice advantage in the postseason. With 84 points in 65 games, they’re only ahead of the third-place team in the Atlantic Division, the Montreal Canadiens, by a hair. Montreal has 82 points in 65 games.
At the same time, first place is still within reach. The Buffalo Sabres have 88 points in 67 games as opposed to 65. However, the teams are trending in opposite directions—Buffalo has nine wins in its last 10 matchups. Tampa Bay needs a jolt of energy to right the ship.
Could Kucherov Win the Hart Trophy?
In some positive news, NHL.com writers were recently polled on who they thought should win the Hart Trophy, and Kucherov was the victor via a tiebreaker.
This is notable, since it wasn’t just any poll. NHL.com has been conducting these for a little while now, and their hit rate is fairly high. Since the winner of the Hart Trophy is determined by writers, it makes sense that this would be the case.
So, while nobody knows who is taking home the hardware, Kucherov most definitely has a shot. In 61 games this season, he has 34 goals and 72 assists. He is on pace for a fourth-consecutive 80-assist campaign, something that has only been accomplished by Wayne Gretzky. If you’re curious, nobody else can accomplish the feat in 2025-26—just No. 86.
Lightning Schedule March 16–22
| Date | Time (EDT) | Opponent (Record) | Location |
| Tuesday, March 17 | 10 p.m. | @ Seattle Kraken (30–26–9) | Climate Pledge Arena |
| Thursday, March 19 | 10 p.m. | @ Vancouver Canucks (20–38–8) | Rogers Arena |
| Saturday, March 21 | 10 p.m. | @ Calgary Flames (26–33–7) | Scotiabank Saddledome |
| Sunday, March 22 | 8 p.m. | @ Minnesota Wild (38–17–12) | Grand Casino Arena |
