Tampa Bay Lightning: Top Games Each Month In 2016-17
By Will Clewis
As we inch closer to the regular season, let’s take a look at some of the top games each month that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be involved in during 2016-17.
The regular season is slowly approaching and we are about 65 days from opening night on Oct. 13. For now, we can only look forward and speculate how the Tampa Bay Lightning will perform this coming season, so instead of anxiously waiting for the puck to drop on a new year, let’s take a look at the top games to watch out for in each month.
The Lightning will appear on national television seven times during the regular season, including three times in the month of November on the NBC Sports Network. It’s a low number of games on a bigger stage for one of the better teams in the league the past few seasons, but it’s nothing to brood over.
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Out of the seven games on NBCSN, only two will be against Atlantic Division opponents, as the remaining five will be against Metropolitan Division and Western Conference teams. In addition, the Tampa Bay Lightning will appear on the network’s popular Wednesday Night Rivalry on Nov. 23, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Amalie Arena. Last season, the Lightning made an appearance on WNR, when they hosted the New York Rangers.
There are many exciting games on this year’s schedule, so let’s take a look at the must watch match-ups in each month.
October
To start off the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning will host their division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, on Oct. 13. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since their first round playoff series last season when the Lightning defeated the Red Wings in five games. Though Detroit won’t be the same team as last year, it should still be an exciting game and the Lightning will look to get off to a good start to a new campaign.
Remember what happened last year on opening night? Yeah, so do we.
November
The month of November is jam-packed with great games, including the Nov. 1 meeting between the Lightning and New York Islanders on NBCSN. This game marks their first meeting since the second round playoff series back in May when the Lightning defeated the Islanders in five games.
Both teams should be competing for playoff positioning throughout the season and this will be the first of three battles between the two sides, including twice in the same month.
In addition to the two games against the Islanders, the Tampa Bay Lightning will travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings for the second time on Nov. 15 and will host the Philadelphia Flyers on the aforementioned Wednesday Night Rivalry on Nov. 23.
Those are just a few games to look out for once November rolls around early on in the season.
December
In what was a very intense Eastern Conference Finals during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the two teams that battled it out in late May will meet again in the month of December. On Saturday, Dec. 10, the 2016 Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, will travel to Tampa to take on the Eastern Conference runners-up, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It should be an exciting rematch that paves the way for many more intense battles to come.
Maybe the two teams will meet again in a Conference Final, but for now, the game in December is the one to look out for.
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January
In the month of January, the Lightning will mainly face teams from the Western Conference, but they’re not to be overlooked. On Jan. 24, the Bolts will take on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in what should be a great match-up between two of the NHL’s top teams.
Also on the schedule in January is the game on the 8th when the Lightning take on the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The annual swing through California will take place in January as well when the Lightning play the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks, in that order.
February
The shortened month of February will feature more of the same as the Tampa Bay Lightning will take on a mix of teams from the Western Conference and play the Ottawa Senators twice. In addition, the NHL has implemented a “bye-week” into each team’s schedule in order to give players a bit more rest during the rigorous regular season. The Lightning’s bye week will occur during the week of Feb. 11 through the 18th.
The games of note during this month include the Feb. 7 meeting between the Lightning and Kings at Amalie Arena and the Feb. 10 game against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center, both of which will be broadcast on NBCSN.
March
When the month of March rolls around, Bolts Nation hopes that the Lightning will be in prime playoff positioning for the home stretch into April and the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most of the team’s opponents this month will be from within the Eastern Conference, as the Lightning will only play three out of conference teams in March.
Some games of importance include the March 3 meeting against the Penguins, the two games against the Red Wings on March 24 and 30, the game against the Florida Panthers on March 11, and the March 27 meeting between the Lightning and Blackhawks on NBCSN.
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April
Five of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s last six games of the 2016-17 regular season will be against Atlantic Division opponents, including the Buffalo Sabres in the final game of the season. The Lightning will play three straight games against the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens, and the game against the Canadiens will be broadcast on NBCSN.
In addition, the Lightning will play the Dallas Stars, one of the league’s top offensive teams, on April 2. As you can tell, this will be a critical stretch for the team, especially if they’re still battling for playoff positioning. Even if they have already clinched a playoff spot at this point, it’ll still be important to enter into the postseason on a positive note.
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The start of the regular season still feels like a long time from now, but it’s not too early to start looking at the top games in each month to watch out for. This coming season should be very exciting and there are some very enticing match-ups to circle on your calendar in 2016-17. Each month has some interesting games of note and though it can be easy to fall under the pressure of a high stakes meeting, we’re confident that this Lightning team can handle anything at this point.