Everything you need to know ahead of the Lightning's matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday:
When: Thursday, October 8 - 7 p.m. ET
Where: Benchmark International Arena - Tampa, FL
TV coverage: The Spot - Tampa Bay 66 (check local listings); Pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio coverage: 102.5 MHz-FM, Lightning Radio 24/7
Stream: TampaBayLightning.com/StreamNow
Lines from Monday's game (subject to change)
Forwards
Gage Goncalves -Brayden Point- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Jake Guentzel
Ilya Mikheyev - Zemgus Girgensons - Pontus Holmberg
Jeff Viel - Conor Geekie
Defensemen
JJ Moser - John Carlson
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman - Max Crozier
Charle-Edouard D'Astous
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Dennis Hildeby
Thursday's Matchup
The Lightning close their three-game homestand on Thursday with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Minnesota Wild...This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season, as Tampa Bay will also visit the Wild on Nov. 7...The Lightning are 14-20-4 all-time against Minnesota and 11-6-2 on home ice...Tampa Bay went 1-1-0 against the Wild in 2025-26, falling 5-1 on March 3 on the road before taking a 6-3 home win on March 24...Jake Guentzel (1-2—3) and Darren Raddysh (1-2—3) led the Lightning in scoring against the Wild last season, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was 1-1-0 with an .844 save percentage...Nikita Kucherov is the team’s all-time scoring leader versus the Wild behind 10-11—21 in 21 games, while Jake Guentzel (7-8—15 in 11 GP) has the second-most points among active Bolts...Vasilevskiy carries a 7-7-2 career record in his NHL career against the Wild with a .907 save percentage and one shutout...Dennis Hildeby has never started a game versus the Wild but stopped all nine shots he faced in one relief appearance with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tampa Bay Sports Item of the Game
Ice Palace 30th Anniversary Puck and Tee
The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate the 30th Anniversary of their home arena, the Ice Palace, and you can commemorate the celebration with a 30th Anniversary collectors puck and tee. Available in store at Benchmark International Arena and online at TampaBaySports.com, while supplies last.
The Road Ahead
Saturday, October 10 at New York Islanders
Tuesday, October 13 at New York Rangers
Thursday, October 15 vs. Seattle Kraken
