NHL PREVIEW OCTOBER 12, 2021

TAMPA BAY TO RAISE STANLEY CUP BANNER, BEGIN QUEST FOR “THREE-PEAT”
For the second straight season and third time in franchise history, the Lightning will open a campaign as defending Stanley Cup champions when they host the Penguins on another banner-raising night at AMALIE Arena tonight.

• Tampa Bay looks to become the sixth team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in three or more consecutive seasons. Pittsburgh was the last club to attempt a “three-peat” – the Penguins won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017 before falling to the Capitals in the Second Round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
• The Lightning hold the NHL’s best points percentage in season openers (min. 10 GP), going 19-7-2 (.714) in 28 all-time contests. Defending Stanley Cup champions are 59-25-16 (100 GP) in season openers in NHL history.

SEATTLE SET TO CONTEST FIRST REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
The NHL’s two newest franchises will go head-to-head at T-Mobile Arena when the Golden Knights welcome the Kraken, who will officially make their League debut and weave themselves into the Seattle cultural tapestry alongside the likes of Frasier, grunge music, coffee and the Space Needle.

• The 31 other current NHL franchises and seven defunct clubs own a combined record of 14-21-3 (.408 P%) in their first-ever regular-season game, including a 6-10-2 (.389) mark on the road. Vegas earned a 2-1 win in its debut Oct. 6, 2017 at Dallas. James Neal scored both goals for the Golden Knights that night to become the seventh player with multiple tallies for a modern-era franchise in its debut.
• The last time an NHL team went head-to-head against a Seattle-based club in a regular-season or playoff game was more than 101 years ago during the 1920 Stanley Cup Final, when the original Ottawa Senators ousted the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA in five games. The Metropolitans folded following the 1923-24 season, two years before the Stanley Cup was competed for solely by NHL teams.

“2021 NHL FACE-OFF CONCERT” TO START THINGS OFF BEFORE PUCK DROP
Before the puck drops on the 2021-22 season, the 2021 NHL Face-Off Concert featuring multi-platinum band All Time Low and a special appearance by the Stanley Cup will entertain fans in downtown Tampa and be featured on ESPN’s pregame coverage.