Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets
The Tampa Bay Lightning is always one of the NHL’s most electric teams—no pun intended—year in and year out, owing to the presence of goal scorers like Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. And with the addition of rookie Jonathan Drouin—the team’s no. 1 overall pick in the June 2013 Draft—the scoring numbers might climb even higher for Tampa Bay during the 2013-14 season.
Besides the offensive firepower on display in Tampa, there are a few main reasons to buy Lightning tickets this season…
The goaltending is one of the NHL’s best-kept secrets
Starting goalie Anders Lindback is one of the better young netminders in the league, a fact not widely known outside of the former Southeast Division—hence the “best-kept secret” part. But besides Lindback, there’s also Ben Bishop, the recently-traded-for goalie formerly of the Ottawa Senators.
A goaltending tandem of Lindback and Bishop could be the answer in net for the Lightning and their fans, and could help push the team back to the playoffs in 2014.
Tampa Bay hasn’t had a true goaltending competition in years, which is why the front office made the move for Bishop despite having in Lindback what GM Steve Yzerman considers a potential franchise goalie.
New season, new division
For fans, the view from their Tampa Bay Times Forum seats will be different from what it has been in years past. The former Southeast Division is now defunct, and the Lightning are moving to the newly realigned Atlantic Division, where they’ll go up against a new set of teams in 2013-14.
Gone are the days where fans were forced to suffer through games against the pesky Winnipeg Jets, the lowly Carolina Hurricanes and the ever-present Washington Capitals. Instead, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings will be in town several times this season.
And speaking of the Detroit Red Wings…
Former Detroit C Valtteri Filppula is now a member of Tampa Bay, meaning he’ll have more than a few chances to face his former team, now a divisional rival. Filppula was a salary cap casualty after the 2012 lockout drastically reduced the upper limit of what NHL teams could spend in constructing their rosters.
Those meeting alone might be worth the price of a Tampa Bay Lightning ticket.
Tampa Bay Lightning tickets are the hottest thing going as the Bolts get set for a return to the postseason and another run at the Stanley Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a slate full of the Eastern Conference’s best on their schedule, including games against some of their biggest rivals. The Bolts will take on Southeast Division foes like the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals as well as the best of the best, including the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. When you enter the Tampa Bay Times Forum, you’ll feel the electricity as the Tampa Bay Lightning make their push for a deep postseason run.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are led by two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy-winner Steven Stamkos, who has tallied a league-best 156 goals over the past three seasons. In 2011-12, Stamkos became the first player in four seasons to reach the 60-goal mark. Stamkos is aided by a pair of Tampa Bay Lightning legends in captain Vincent Lecavalier and right wing Martin St. Louis.
Led by Lecavalier and St. Louis, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games to capture the first and only Stanley Cup in team history in 2004. In 2010-11, their first season under general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Guy Boucher, the Tampa Bay Lightning narrowly missed their second Stanley Cup Final appearance, falling to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were founded in 1992 by NHL legend Phil Esposito, bringing professional hockey at its highest level to the state of Florida for the first time.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have played their home games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum since 1996, when it was known as the Ice Palace, after three seasons at The Thunderdome and a year with home ice at Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
Buy Tampa Bay Lightning tickets online to see some of the NHL’s biggest stars power the Bolts toward another magical playoff run. Don’t miss out! Get your Tampa Bay Lightning tickets now!
Tampa Bay Lightning ticket and team info
Tampa Bay Lightning tickets have been selling like hotcakes since the team took home the Stanley Cup in 2004. Last season, even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs, every game in the St. Pete Times Forum was a sellout. With good reason: the Lightning are simply shocking to watch. The atmosphere in the St. Pete Times, now called the Tampa Bay Times Forum. was electric during the Stanley Cup Finals, in which the Lighting beat out the Calgary Flames to treat their fans to their very first Stanley Cup. If you were there, you can't wait to see it again. If you weren't, make sure you are first in line to get your Tampa Bay Lighting tickets this season!
The Star
The Lightning made one major acquisition this season, but it was a big one. Goalminder Marc Denis joins the team from the Columbus Blue Jackets and fills a much needed hole in front of the net, as the Lighting was one of only two playoff teams to allow more goals than they scored. In 2002-03, Denis set the NHL record for most minutes in a season with a jaw-dropping 4,511. Expectations are high for him in Tampa Bay, as it was their struggles at goalie that led to their early exit in the playoffs last season. Now playing with an outstanding team around him, Denis has the opportunity, skills, and drive to become the Tampa Bay Lighting ticket to success in 2006-07.
The Coach
If there is a more passionate coach in the NHL than John Tortorella, we'd be shocked. He deservedly won the Jack Adams Award for best coach in 2004, not to mention the Stanley Cup. He's never been shy about criticizing his players, but they know that is was exactly this hard-driving style from behind the bench that brought the Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay in the first place.
The Team
If Denis performs the way he is expected to, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be a force to be reckoned with this season. The three-headed monster of Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St. Louis will once again be the core of the Lightning's offense and will make the team serious Stanley Cup contenders this season. Be there from the start with your Tampa Bay Lightning tickets!
Tampa Bay Lightning info
Tampa Bay Lightning tickets delivered a Stanley Cup in 2004. Lightning tickets delivered Southwest Division Championships in 2003 and 2004. What will Lightning tickets bring in the 2005-2006 NHL season? How about a shot at back-to-back Stanley Cups? Can the St. Pete Times Forum hold another Cup? You bet it can. The Lightning have managed to weather the storm and hold on to the nucleus of the team that won it all in 2004, making them a good bet to hit the NHL Playoffs hard again in 2006. The optimism surrounding this franchise is making NHL hockey fans in Florida line up their Tampa Bay Lightning tickets well in advance.
Bringing a hockey team to Tampa Bay seemed an unlikely event, but the NHL awarded Tampa Bay an expansion franchise, and the Lightning hit town in 1992. Their first season ended with the Lightning carrying a 23-54-7 record, typical of most expansions teams. Surprisingly though, the Lightning were an instant hit with sports fans in Florida, and in their second season drew more than 800,000 fans, despite winning only 30 games.
After four years in the NHL, the Lightning hit pay dirt with their first playoff season. That first experience in the postseason ended when the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated Tampa Bay after a six-game series. That defeat began a long dry spell for Tampa Bay that didn’t end until 1993, when the Lightning got off to a roaring start by winning their first seven games. It was good enough to spark a 36-win season. Tampa Bay went on to clinch a playoff spot by one point.
In 1994, the Lightning struck with a vengeance. Posting a 46-win season, the Lightning knocked off the New York Islanders in the first round and swept Montreal in the second. A seven-game series victory over the Philadelphia Flyers gave Tampa Bay its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, where they bested the Calgary Flame to claim their first championship.
TampaBay Lightning tickets in hand, Florida hockey fans are flocking to the St. Pete Times Forum to witness the Lightning battle for a second Stanley Cup. Getting past Eastern Conference foes like the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers won’t be easy. In fact, the Lightning face some stiff competition in their own division, including the Carolina Hurricane, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and Atlanta Thrashers. With the core of a Stanley Cup team already in place, don’t miss out on the action; reserve your Tampa Bay Lightning tickets today.
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