The 2025-26 NHL regular season begins Oct. 7. Leading up to the season opener, NHL.com is identifying six things to watch for each team. Today, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last season: 47-27-8; second in Atlantic Division, lost to Florida Panthers in Eastern Conference First Round

Coach: Jon Cooper (14th season)

Biggest challenge

The easy answer is the Florida Panthers. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have eliminated them in the Eastern Conference First Round each of the past two seasons. Tampa Bay had home-ice advantage last season but was banged up at a time when Florida was getting healthy. So yes, the Lightning’s biggest challenge might very well be getting past their in-state rival, just as the Panthers’ biggest challenge a few years ago was getting past theirs. But ask Cooper, the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, and he will tell you his team’s biggest challenge is to stay hungry through the entire regular season, not get complacent, not think they’re good enough and it’s all about what happens in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When that happens, teams lose their edge. The Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are itching to jump into the top three of the Atlantic Division, looking to knock out one or all of the Panthers, Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. The challenge for Tampa Bay is to stay ahead of the teams behind it.

How they make playoffs

The Lightning have arguably the best balance of offense and defense in the League. Last season, they led the NHL with 292 goals and allowed the fourth fewest (216). They had three of the 12 first- and second-team NHL All-Stars at the end of the season, including forward Nikita Kucherov, a first-team All-Star who won the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer for the second straight season. Forward Brandon Hagel, defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy were second-team All-Stars. There have been only minor changes to the lineup; the only two regulars from last season who are no longer with Tampa Bay are defenseman Nick Perbix (74 games played) and center Luke Glendening (77 games). The core is intact and the expectation for the Lightning is to remain consistently strong through all three zones, once again at or near the top of the League in goals for and goals-against. Just stay the course and stay healthy, and they’ll be in the playoffs.