The Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at Ball Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
Jan 6, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) and Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) skate after the puck during the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
How to Watch Lightning vs Avalanche
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When: Friday, October 23, 2026
Tampa Bay enters the matchup as one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winning seven of its first nine games to open the 2026-27 season. The Lightning have won three straight, including an impressive 6-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in their most recent outing. Nikita Kucherov has led the offensive attack with 13 points through nine games, while Brandon Hagel has contributed seven goals. With Andrei Vasilevskiy anchoring the defense, Tampa Bay looks like an early Stanley Cup contender.
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Colorado has experienced a more inconsistent start, entering Friday with a 5-4-1 record after losing three of its last four games. Nathan MacKinnon continues to lead the Avalanche offensively with 16 points, while Cale Makar remains one of the league’s most dangerous defensemen. The Avalanche will look to get back on track in front of their home crowd against a Lightning team they defeated in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. With some of hockey’s biggest stars sharing the ice, Friday’s matchup has the potential to be one of the most entertaining games of the young season.
This is a great NHL matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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