With the end of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Tampa Bay Lightning are now ready to get back to work. The NHL season resumes on Wednesday, with the Lightning among the 16 teams that play immediately.
Here’s a look at upcoming games, injury updates and, of course, a quick post-Olympic check-in on some key players.
Multiple Bolts Win Olympic Medals
Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel went head-to-head as the United States and Canada battled for the gold medal for the first time since the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. It was also a rematch of last season’s 4 Nations Face-Off Final.
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Guentzel took home the gold. Hagel took home the silver, along with head coach Jon Cooper and general manager Julien BriseBois. Both players had a pair of shots on goal in the gold medal game, but neither got on the stat sheet.
Cooper was spotted congratulating Guentzel on winning the gold. NHL reporter for SNY and CBC Julie Strewart-Binks caught it on video.
Meanwhile, Erik Cernak was the only other Lightning player to reach the final four. The alternate captain for Slovakia settled for fourth place after losing to Finland, 6-1.
Lightning Games to Watch
The Lightning will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday in their first game after the break. It’s the second time the teams will meet this season. Guentzel and Auston Matthews will go back to being rivals after being teammates for the past couple of weeks.
Two of the last three games in February will be on home ice. They’ll go to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday before hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The Lighting will start March with a four-game road trip that will feature rematches with both the Maple Leafs and Sabres.
Lightning Injury Updates
The Lightning announced over the Olympic break that defenseman Max Crozier will likely miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury. He will miss about 10 weeks, giving him a late-April return. Crozier last played during the Stadium Series game on Feb. 1. He has 10 points in 34 games this season.
Meanwhile, Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point continue to work their way back to the lineup after suffering injuries that kept both of them from representing Canada in the Olympics. Cirelli sustained a shoulder injury in the Stadium Series, and he was spotted working one-on-one in a no-contact jersey on Feb. 19.
Point, on the other hand, is expected to make his return this week. He’s been out since Jan. 12 with a lower-body injury that cost him his trip to Milan.
“It was tough for sure, but you know that’s the game of hockey,” Point said, via News Channel 8, Tampa Bay’s local NBC affiliate. “Injuries happen, but other guys got opportunities to go, which was awesome, and I was really happy for the guys who got to go.”
Nick Paul was not seen on the ice during practice on Feb. 19. There is no timeline for his return as he deals with an undisclosed injury.
That should get everyone up to speed as the Lightning get ready to hit the ice this week when the push for gold gives way to the push for a Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay is comfortably leading the Atlantic Division with 27 games remaining.
