The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the NHL Playoffs for the sixth straight year following a solid 2022-23 regular season. Head coach Jon Cooper's team has its sights set on earning the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup, but up first is an opening-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Here's everything you need to know about the Lightning's first round series.
- What Seed Are the Lightning in the 2023 NHL Playoffs?
- Who Are the Lightning Playing in the 2023 Playoffs?
- Lightning First Round Playoffs Schedule 2023
What Seed Are the Lightning in the 2023 NHL Playoffs?
The Lightning finished the 2022-23 regular season with a 46-30-6 record, which earned them the No. 6 overal l seed in the Eastern Conference. Nikita Kucherov led the way for Tampa Bay, recording a team-high 83 assists and tallying 30 goals while playing in all 82 games. The Lightning's most recent playoff appearance came in 2022, when they fell to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Who Are the Lightning Playing in the 2023 Playoffs?
As the third-place finisher in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning will play the Maple Leafs — who posted the second-best record in the Atlanta Division — in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. This will be a typical best-of-seven series that follows the 2-2-1-1-1 format. That means the better seed (Toronto) will host Games 1 and 2, plus Games 5 and 7 if those are necessary. The worse seed ( Tampa Bay) hosts Games 3 and 4, plus Game 6 if that is necessary.
Looking ahead, if the Lightning win this series and advance, they would face either the 1-seed Boston Bruins or the Florida Panthers (second wild card team) in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Lightning First Round Playoffs Schedule 2023
The Lightning's first-round playoff schedule is not fully set yet. We'll update this space once Tampa Bay's full series information is available.
|
Game |
Date/Time |
Location |
TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Tuesday, April 18 (7:30 p.m. ET) |
Scotiabank Arena |
ESPN |
|
2 |
Thursday, April 20 (7 p.m. ET) |
Scotiabank Arena |
ESPN |
|
3 |
Amalie Arena |
TBS |
|
|
4 |
Monday, April 24 (7:30 p.m. ET) |
Amalie Arena |
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|
5* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Scotiabank Arena |
TBD |
|
6* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Amalie Arena |
TBD |
|
7* (if necessary) |
TBD |
Scotiabank Arena |
TBD |