Fan events planned around Lightning's opening playoff series, which will begin in Tampa
By Rick Mayer
April 14, 2026 at 11:18 AM EDT
Tampa Bay earned home-ice advantage and will open against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Lightning earned home-ice advantage in their first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens after securing the No. 2 seed in the NHL Eastern Conference on Tuesday.
The best-of-seven matchup will open at 5:45 p.m. Sunday at Benchmark International Arena this weekend. Game 2 is in Tampa at 7 p.m.. If needed, Tampa Bay will also host Games 5 and 7. Games 3, 4 and 6 will be at Montreal's Bell Centre.
Meantime, the Bolts have scheduled several playoff-related events to get fans involved:
Pep rally: Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sparkman Wharf, east of Benchmark International Arena. Will have Lightning alumni appearances, music, giveaways, a live viewing of “The Block Party” podcast and a BroDenim pop-up shop.
ALSO READ: Tampa Bay Lightning score an arena lease extension through 2043
Playoff crawl: Saturday, all day. Bounce between participating bars at hubs in downtown Tampa, downtown St. Petersburg or Clearwater Beach. Establishments to be announced.
Plaza parties: For $5, fans without tickets can still watch home games with fellow fans outside the arena on Thunder Alley. While the telecast is shown on the Pam Iorio Garage, fans can enjoy live music, giveaways and more. The plaza will open two hours before puck drop.
Watch parties: For road postseason games at locations to be announced. Includes entertainment, appearances by ThunderBug and other Lightning personalities and giveaways.
Here's the entire first-round schedule:
Click here to purchase Lightning tickets and find the latest playoff information.
The best-of-seven matchup will open at 5:45 p.m. Sunday at Benchmark International Arena this weekend. Game 2 is in Tampa at 7 p.m.. If needed, Tampa Bay will also host Games 5 and 7. Games 3, 4 and 6 will be at Montreal's Bell Centre.
Meantime, the Bolts have scheduled several playoff-related events to get fans involved:
Pep rally: Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sparkman Wharf, east of Benchmark International Arena. Will have Lightning alumni appearances, music, giveaways, a live viewing of “The Block Party” podcast and a BroDenim pop-up shop.
ALSO READ: Tampa Bay Lightning score an arena lease extension through 2043
Playoff crawl: Saturday, all day. Bounce between participating bars at hubs in downtown Tampa, downtown St. Petersburg or Clearwater Beach. Establishments to be announced.
Plaza parties: For $5, fans without tickets can still watch home games with fellow fans outside the arena on Thunder Alley. While the telecast is shown on the Pam Iorio Garage, fans can enjoy live music, giveaways and more. The plaza will open two hours before puck drop.
Watch parties: For road postseason games at locations to be announced. Includes entertainment, appearances by ThunderBug and other Lightning personalities and giveaways.
Here's the entire first-round schedule:
- Game 1 – Canadiens at Lightning on Sunday, 5:45 p.m.
- Game 2 – Canadiens at Lightning on Tuesday, 7 p.m.
- Game 3 – Lightning at Canadiens on Friday, April 24 ,7 p.m.
- Game 4 – Lightning at Canadiens on Sunday, April 26, 7 p.m.
- Game 5 – Canadiens at Lightning on Wednesday, April 29, Time TBD
- Game 6 – Lightning at Canadiens on Friday, May 1, Time TBD
- Game 7 – Canadiens at Lightning on Sunday, May 3, Time TBD
Click here to purchase Lightning tickets and find the latest playoff information.