TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the team’s 2024-25 regular season schedule on Tuesday, as a new era is underway due to the departure of franchise leader Steven Stamkos in the offseason.
The Bolts' season will start on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 11. Then, Tampa Bay will play Carolina again the following day for its home opener at Amalie Arena, sparking a stretch of six out of its next nine games on home ice.
The Lightning will take on each team in their division four times, with the exceptions of the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, which they will play three times. They will play every team in the Metropolitan Division three times each and against each Western Conference opponent twice (once home and once away).
The NHL's newest franchise, the Utah Hockey Club, will host Tampa Bay on March 22 before traveling to Amalie Arena for the second and final matchup of the season on March 27.
The Lightning will play an even split of 41 home and road games, with a season-long five-game homestand from Jan. 28 through Feb. 6. The schedule also includes four separate four-game road trips throughout the season.
Tampa Bay will play 12 back-to-backs, up from nine last season. Only one of those back-to-backs will be held at Amalie Arena on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29.
January and March are set to be the busiest months for the Bolts, with 15 games on the schedule during both months. They will play seven games in Tampa during March as well as November, the most for the team in a single month.
The team said ticket and broadcast information will be made available at a later date.
To view the full schedule, click here.
'Cruise lights' on Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office patrol cars raise questions, confusion among drivers
Every driver knows that when you see red and blue flashing lights on a patrol car, you slow down, pull over, or get out of the way.
But in Hillsborough County, drivers will also now see deputies with their lights on, but not flashing. They're called "cruise lights," and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) recently implemented their use on all patrol vehicles.
