# 2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning season

The 2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 27th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on December 16, 1991. The team clinched a playoff spot on March 8, 2019, when the Montreal Canadiens lost 8–2 to the Anaheim Ducks. This season marked the first time that Tampa won the Presidents' Trophy in franchise history, winning the Atlantic Division for the second consecutive year as well, their fourth division title overall. They also became the second team in league history to win 62 games, matching the record set by the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings, with the 2022–23 Boston Bruins later setting a new NHL record with their 63rd win on April 8, 2023. Their record-setting season ended abruptly when they became the first Presidents' Trophy winner to get swept in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was also the first time since 2014 that the Lightning were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round. In addition, this was the second time the Lightning were swept in the first round by a lower seeded team; the first time also being 2014, against the Canadiens.

## Off-season
### May

On May 23, 2018, the Lightning's 2017–18 season ended when they were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in game seven of the Eastern Conference finals. The loss was a 4-0 defeat at Amalie Arena.
On May 31, 2018, the Lightning announced that it was parting ways with assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Brad Lauer. Bowness had been an assistant since 2013. He was responsible for the defense and the penalty kill. Lauer had been a member of the Lighting's coaching staff since 2015.

### June

On June 7, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of defensive prospect Daniel Walcott to a one-year contract extension. Walcott spent the entire season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL). Walcot appeared in 62-games, recording five goals and 16 points.
On June 12, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward prospect Carter Verhaeghe to a one-year contract extension. Verhaeghe spent his season with the Crunch, where he played in 58 games and scored 17 goals and 48 points.
On June 13, 2018, the Lightning announced backup goaltender Peter Budaj had been traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Andy Andreoff. Andreoff has appeared in 159 NHL games over the last four seasons. During that time, he has 13 goals and 262 career hits.
On June 18, 2018, the Lighting announced the signing of Edward Pasquale to a one-year contract. Pasquale split his season in the AHL between the Syracuse Crunch and the Bakersfield Condors. He was originally acquired by the Lightning via trade with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2017–18 season.
On June 20, 2018, Victor Hedman won the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the 2017–18 NHL season. The award is given annually to the top defenseman that season, which is based upon the votes of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Hedman was the first defenseman in Lightning history to win the award. Additionally, Hedman and Nikita Kucherov were named as First Team All-Stars for the season.
On June 22, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of backup goaltender Louis Domingue to a two-year contract extension. Domingue went 7–3–1 over 11 starts with the Lightning. He was acquired by the Lightning during the 2017–18 season in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes.
On the same day, the Lightning named Jeff Halpern as an assistant coach. During the last two seasons, Halpern worked as an assistant coach with the Syracuse Crunch. It was unknown at the time whether the Lightning would be hiring an additional assistant to replace the last remaining vacancy left by the departure of assistants Rick Bowness and Brad Lauer.
On June 24, 2018, the Lightning released the roster for its 2018 Development Camp Roster. The roster consisted of 27 players, which included six of the seven players selected in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Six players participating played for the Crunch last season. There were also five forwards participating in the camp as invitees. Notable camp attendees include Cal Foote, Connor Ingram, Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh.
On June 25, 2018, the Lightning issued qualifying offers to Adam Erne, Slater Koekkoek, J. T. Miller and Cedric Paquette, allowing the Lightning to retain those players' playing rights. These rights entail the right match any contract offered to those players after the free agency period begins or draft compensation if the team declines to match the contract offered to the player.
On June 26, 2018, the Lightning announced it had signed forward prospect Ross Colton to a two-year contract. Colton spent the past two seasons playing for the University of Vermont. During that time, Colton led Vermont in goals, scoring 28 goals and 50 points in 69 games. Colton was originally drafted by the Lightning in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
It was announced Tom Kurvers had left the Lightning after ten years to become the new assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild. The last seven years of his tenure with the team had been as a senior advisor to general manager Steve Yzerman. In that capacity, he was based out of Minnesota where he often was at the Wild's arena scouting for the Lightning.
The Lightning announced it had re-signed forward J. T. Miller to a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension. The contract carries a cap hit of $5.25 million per season. Miller skated in 19 games with the Lightning last season, scoring 10 goals and 18 points. Miller was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers during the 2017–18 season prior to the trade deadline.
Later that day, the Hockey Hall of Fame committee announced the members of the 2018 Hall of Fame class, with former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis announced as a first-ballot induction. St. Louis is the Lightning's record holder in assists (588), points (953), power-play points (300), shorthanded goals (28), shorthanded points (44), game-winning goals (64), overtime goals (10), playoff goals (33) and playoff points (68). He also won the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy (two times), Ted Lindsay Award, NHL Plus-Minus Award, Lady Byng Trophy (three times) and the Stanley Cup while a member of the Lightning.

### July

On July 1, 2018, the Lightning announced that it had signed Ryan McDonagh to a 7-year contract extension, which was valued at $47 million. McDonagh had the second highest ice time among Lightning players during the team's trip to the Eastern Conference Final. McDonagh was originally acquired by the Lightning in a trade at the deadline from the New York Rangers.
That same day, the Lightning announced the signing of defenseman Cameron Gaunce to a one-year contract. Guance was originally a draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 draft. Over the course of his career he has appeared in 32 NHL games. Last season he skated in 67 games with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.
On July 2, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of defenseman Slater Koekkoek to a one-year contract extension. The contract was valued at $865,000. Koekkoek was originally selected by the Lightning in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Koekkoek had four goals and four assists last season for the Lightning in 35-games.
On July 10, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward Nikita Kucherov to an eight-year contract extension. The contract is valued at $76 million with an annual cap hit of $9.5 million. The contract is the richest contract in franchise history. Kucherov led the team last season in points (100), goals (39), and assists (61). Kucherov was an NHL-All star last season and was named a first team all-star.
On July 11, 2018, the Lightning announced the re-signing of forward Adam Erne to a one-year contract extension. The contract is valued at $800,000. Last season Erne skated in 23-games with the Lightning, recording three goals and an assist. Erne missed the last half of the season and all of the playoffs due to a lower-body injury.
On July 12, 2018, the Lightning announced the hiring of assistant coach Derek Lalonde. Lalonde served as the head coach of the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League. Lalonde had previously worked with Lightning head coach Jon Cooper while he was the head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.

### September

On September 11, 2018, Steve Yzerman unexpectedly announced that he was resigning as General Manager after eight seasons, however, he was remaining with the team in an advisory role for the final year of his contract. Assistant General Manager Julien BriseBois replaced Yzerman as general manager. BriseBois had served as assistant general manager since 2010. In that capacity BriseBois also served as general manager of the Norfolk Admirals while they were the Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate, and its current affiliate the Syracuse Crunch.

## Training camp
### September

On September 14, 2018, the Lightning placed defenseman Jake Dotchin on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract. The team said it was due to a material breach of contract. It is believed that the team was unhappy with Dotchin's conditioning at the start of training camp. Dotchin's agent declined to comment, and said they would look to the CBA for any potential remedy.
On September 15, 2018, Jake Dotchin cleared waivers. With no team claiming Dotchin, the Lightning can move forward in the process in terminating his contract.
On September 19, 2018, reports began to surface concerning Jake Dotchin. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Dotchin showed up to camp with his body fat up to as high as 25 percent. Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the BMI of Dotchin was unconfirmed, but that it was being reported that he showed up to training camp 30 pounds over his playing weight last season. Additionally, McKenzie reported that the National Hockey League Players' Association had become involved in the process. The dispute is set to be heard before an impartial arbitrator to determine whether the Lightning can terminate Dotchin's contract.
That same day the Lightning announced its first round of training camp cuts. All five of the Lightning's training camp invitees were part of the initial cuts. Additionally, the Lightning cut 2018 second-round pick Gabriel Fortier and seventh-round pick Radim Salda. Fortier will re-join the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Fortier has played for the Drakkar the past two seasons.
On September 22, 2018, the Lightning claimed forward Danick Martel via waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. Martel originally joined the Flyers as an undrafted free agent. Martel scored 20+ goals in each of his three seasons in the AHL playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Last season Martel made his NHL debut with the Flyers, which came over a 4-game stint with the team.
On September 23, 2018, the Lightning made its second round of roster cuts for training camp. The roster cuts brought the Lightning's roster down to 28-players. Of the cuts Gabriel Dumont and Michael Bournival saw limited action with the Lightning last season. Forwards Andy Andreoff, Dumont, Carter Verhaeghe, defenseman Cameron Gaunce, and goaltender Edward Pasquale have to pass through waivers for assignment to the Syracuse Crunch. Prospects Adam Erne, Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov, and Erik Cernak are still with the team.
That same day the team announced that forward Tyler Johnson is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury. Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois stated that the team was optimistic that Johnson would be ready for the season opener against the Florida Panthers. However, he did concede that it was not a guarantee that Johnson would be ready for that game.
On September 30, 2018, the Lightning announced its third round of roster cuts. Defenseman Eric Cernak and forwards Alexander Volkov and Mitchell Stephens were assigned to the Crunch. The team has not made its official opening night roster announcement. However, it appears that newly acquired forward Danick Martel and 2015 4th round draft pick Mathieu Joseph have made the opening night roster.

### October

On October 3, 2018, the Lightning announced its opening night roster. The forward group consists of Anthony Cirelli, Cory Conacher, Adam Erne, Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, Mathieu Joseph, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Danick Martel, J. T. Miller, Ondrej Palat, Cedric Paquette, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos. The defensemen are Braydon Coburn, Dan Girardi, Victor Hedman, Slater Koekkoek, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, and Anton Stralman. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Louis Domingue are the Lightning's goaltending tandem.

## Standings

Atlantic Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 62 | 16 | 4 | 56 | 325 | 222 | +103 | 128 |
| 2 | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 47 | 259 | 215 | +44 | 107 |
| 3 | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 46 | 28 | 8 | 46 | 286 | 251 | +35 | 100 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 249 | 236 | +13 | 96 |
| 5 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 36 | 32 | 14 | 33 | 267 | 280 | −13 | 86 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 33 | 39 | 10 | 28 | 226 | 271 | −45 | 76 |
| 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 29 | 227 | 277 | −50 | 74 |
| 8 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 29 | 47 | 6 | 29 | 242 | 302 | −60 | 64 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

2018 preseason game log: 4–3–0 (Home: 1–2–0; Road: 2–1–0; Neutral: 1–0–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordRecap
1September 18Carolina Hurricanes1–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena12,4540–1–0
2September 19@ Carolina Hurricanes1–6PasqualePNC Arena6,0070–2–0
3September 21@ Nashville Predators5–1DomingueBridgestone Arena17,3421–2–0
4September 22Nashville Predators5–2IngramAmalie Arena14,4572–2–0
5September 25Florida Panthers2–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena11,4852–3–0
6September 27vs. Florida Panthers6–2DomingueAmway Center3–3–0
7September 29@ Florida Panthers3–2VasilevskiyBB&T Center10,4874–3–0 :
Lightning score listed first;
  Win
  Loss
  Overtime/shootout loss :

### Regular season

2018–19 regular season game log :
October: 8–2–1, 17 points (Home: 5–1–0; Road: 3–1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 6Florida Panthers2–1SOVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0921–0–02
2October 11Vancouver Canucks1–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0921–1–02
3October 13Columbus Blue Jackets8–2VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0922–1–04
4October 16Carolina Hurricanes4–2DomingueAmalie Arena19,0923–1–06
5October 18Detroit Red Wings3–1VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0924–1–08
6October 20@ Minnesota Wild4–5OTVasilevskiyXcel Energy Center19,0804–1–19
7October 21@ Chicago Blackhawks6–3DomingueUnited Center21,0125–1–111
8October 24@ Colorado Avalanche1–0VasilevskiyPepsi Center16,7536–1–113
9October 26@ Vegas Golden Knights3–2VasilevskiyT-Mobile Arena18,2077–1–115
10October 27@ Arizona Coyotes1–7DomingueGila River Arena13,6237–2–115
11October 30New Jersey Devils8–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0928–2–117 :
November: 10–5–0, 20 points (Home: 6–3–0; Road: 4–2–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
12November 1Nashville Predators1–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0928–3–117
13November 3@ Montreal Canadiens4–1VasilevskiyBell Centre21,3029–3–119
14November 4@ Ottawa Senators4–3OTDomingueCanadian Tire Centre11,36410–3–121
15November 6Edmonton Oilers5–2VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09211–3–123
16November 8New York Islanders4–2VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09212–3–125
17November 10Ottawa Senators4–6VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09212–4–125
18November 13@ Buffalo Sabres1–2DomingueKeyBank Center15,83312–5–125
19November 15@ Pittsburgh Penguins4–3DominguePPG Paints Arena18,42213–5–127
20November 17@ Philadelphia Flyers6–5OTDomingueWells Fargo Center19,06014–5–129
21November 19@ Nashville Predators2–3DomingueBridgestone Arena17,41914–6–129
22November 21Florida Panthers7–3DomingueAmalie Arena19,09215–6–131
23November 23Chicago Blackhawks4–2DomingueAmalie Arena19,09216–6–133
24November 25New Jersey Devils5–2DomingueAmalie Arena19,09217–6–135
25November 27Anaheim Ducks1–3DomingueAmalie Arena19,09217–7–135
26November 29Buffalo Sabres5–4DomingueAmalie Arena19,09218–7–137 :
December: 13–0–1, 27 points (Home: 6–0–0; Road: 7–0–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
27December 1@ Florida Panthers5–4OTDomingueBB&T Center12,36119–7–139
28December 3@ New Jersey Devils5–1DominguePrudential Center13,39420–7–141
29December 4@ Detroit Red Wings6–5SOPasqualeLittle Caesars Arena18,47721–7–143
30December 6Boston Bruins3–2DomingueAmalie Arena19,09222–7–145
31December 8Colorado Avalanche7–1DomingueAmalie Arena19,09223–7–147
32December 10New York Rangers6–3DomingueAmalie Arena19,09224–7–149
33December 13Toronto Maple Leafs4–1VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09225–7–151
34December 16@ Winnipeg Jets4–5OTVasilevskiyBell MTS Place15,32125–7–252
35December 18@ Vancouver Canucks5–2VasilevskiyRogers Arena17,19326–7–254
36December 20@ Calgary Flames5–4SODomingueScotiabank Saddledome19,28927–7–256
37December 22@ Edmonton Oilers6–3VasilevskiyRogers Place18,34728–7–258
38December 27Philadelphia Flyers6–5OTVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09229–7–260
39December 29Montreal Canadiens6–5VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09230–7–262
40December 31@ Anaheim Ducks2–1OTVasilevskiyHonda Center17,34031–7–264 :
January: 6–4–0, 12 points (Home: 3–1–0; Road: 3–3–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
41January 3@ Los Angeles Kings6–2VasilevskiyStaples Center17,55132–7–266
42January 5@ San Jose Sharks2–5VasilevskiySAP Center17,56232–8–266
43January 8Columbus Blue Jackets4–0VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09233–8–268
44January 10Carolina Hurricanes3–1VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09234–8–270
45January 12@ Buffalo Sabres5–3DomingueKeyBank Center19,07035–8–272
46January 13@ New York Islanders1–5VasilevskiyBarclays Center11,19335–9–272
47January 15@ Dallas Stars2–0VasilevskiyAmerican Airlines Center18,02136–9–274
48January 17Toronto Maple Leafs2–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09236–10–274
49January 19San Jose Sharks6–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09237–10–276
All-Star Break (January 24–January 27)
50January 30@ Pittsburgh Penguins2–4VasilevskiyPPG Paints Arena18,51437–11–276 :
February: 12–1–2, 26 points (Home: 6–0–2; Road: 6–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
51February 1@ New York Islanders1–0SOVasilevskiyNassau Coliseum13,97138–11–278
52February 2@ New York Rangers3–2DomingueMadison Square Garden17,46839–11–280
53February 5Vegas Golden Knights2–3SOVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09239–11–381
54February 7St. Louis Blues0–1OTVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09239–11–482
55February 9Pittsburgh Penguins5–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09240–11–484
56February 10@ Florida Panthers5–2DomingueBB&T Center13,56641–11–486
57February 12Calgary Flames6–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09242–11–488
58February 14Dallas Stars6–0VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09243–11–490
59February 16Montreal Canadiens3–0VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09244–11–492
60February 18@ Columbus Blue Jackets5–1VasilevskiyNationwide Arena16,41145–11–494
61February 19@ Philadelphia Flyers5–2DomingueWells Fargo Center18,93246–11–496
62February 21Buffalo Sabres2–1SOVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09247–11–498
63February 25Los Angeles Kings4–3SOVasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09248–11–4100
64February 27@ New York Rangers4–3OTVasilevskiyMadison Square Garden17,01249–11–4102
65February 28@ Boston Bruins1–4DomingueTD Garden17,56549–12–4102 :
March: 10–3–0, 20 points (Home: 6–2–0; Road: 4–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
66March 2Ottawa Senators5–1VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09250–12–4104
67March 5Winnipeg Jets5–2VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09251–12–4106
68March 7Minnesota Wild0–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09251–13–4106
69March 9Detroit Red Wings3–2DomingueAmalie Arena19,09252–13–4108
70March 11@ Toronto Maple Leafs6–2VasilevskiyScotiabank Arena19,49153–13–4110
71March 14@ Detroit Red Wings5–4VasilevskiyLittle Caesars Arena19,51554–13–4112
72March 16Washington Capitals6–3VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09255–13–4114
73March 18Arizona Coyotes4–1VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09256–13–4116
74March 20@ Washington Capitals5–4OTVasilevskiyCapital One Arena18,50657–13–4118
75March 21@ Carolina Hurricanes6–3DominguePNC Arena13,78558–13–4120
76March 23@ St. Louis Blues3–4VasilevskiyEnterprise Center18,12758–14–4120
77March 25Boston Bruins5–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09259–14–4122
78March 30Washington Capitals3–6VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,09259–15–4122 :
April: 3–1–0, 6 points (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 3–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
79April 1@ Ottawa Senators5–2VasilevskiyCanadian Tire Centre13,62860–15–4124
80April 2@ Montreal Canadiens2–4PasqualeBell Centre21,30260–16–4124
81April 4@ Toronto Maple Leafs3–1VasilevskiyScotiabank Arena19,40061–16–4126
82April 6@ Boston Bruins6–3PasqualeTD Garden17,56562–16–4128 :
Lightning score listed first;
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2019 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference First Round vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC2) – Columbus wins series 4–0
GameDateOpponentScoreOTDecisionLocationAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 10Columbus Blue Jackets3–4VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0920–1
2April 12Columbus Blue Jackets1–5VasilevskiyAmalie Arena19,0920–2
3April 14@ Columbus Blue Jackets1–3VasilevskiyNationwide Arena19,2240–3
4April 16@ Columbus Blue Jackets3–7VasilevskiyNationwide Arena19,3280–4 :
Lightning score listed first;
  Win
  Loss
  If necessary :

## Player stats

Final

### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Nikita Kucherov | 82 | 41 | 87 | 128 | 24 | 62 |
| Steven Stamkos | 82 | 45 | 53 | 98 | 4 | 37 |
| Brayden Point | 79 | 41 | 51 | 92 | 27 | 28 |
| Victor Hedman | 70 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 24 | 44 |
| Yanni Gourde | 80 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 8 | 66 |
| Tyler Johnson | 80 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 15 | 28 |
| J. T. Miller | 75 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 8 | 30 |
| Ryan McDonagh | 82 | 9 | 37 | 46 | 38 | 37 |
| Alex Killorn | 82 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 22 | 45 |
| Anthony Cirelli | 82 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 24 | 34 |
| Ondrej Palat | 64 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 4 | 20 |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 75 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 12 | 28 |
| Mathieu Joseph | 70 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 5 | 26 |
| Braydon Coburn | 74 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 34 |
| Adam Erne | 65 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 10 | 40 |
| Cedric Paquette | 80 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 80 |
| Ryan Callahan | 52 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 14 |
| Anton Stralman | 47 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 8 |
| Erik Cernak | 58 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 25 | 58 |
| Dan Girardi | 62 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 12 |
| Jan Rutta$^†$ | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Danick Martel | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Slater Koekkoek$^‡$ | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Cameron Gaunce | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Cory Conacher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Erik Cernak | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
| Steven Stamkos | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −8 | 2 |
| Anthony Cirelli | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −4 | 0 |
| J. T. Miller | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan Rutta | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 19 |
| Alex Killorn | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Ondrej Palat | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 2 |
| Yanni Gourde | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| Cedric Paquette | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Brayden Point | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −5 | 5 |
| Tyler Johnson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| Braydon Coburn | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Dan Girardi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
| Ryan McDonagh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −6 | 2 |
| Mathieu Joseph | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Adam Erne | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryan Callahan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Victor Hedman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 10 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | 53 | 53 | 3204 | 39 | 10 | 4 | 128 | 2.40 | 1713 | .925 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Louis Domingue | 26 | 26 | 1561 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 75 | 2.88 | 812 | .908 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Edward Pasquale | 3 | 3 | 182 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3.96 | 102 | .909 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | 4 | 4 | 236 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 3.83 | 104 | .856 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Tampa Bay. Stats reflect time with Tampa Bay only. $^‡$Traded from Tampa Bay mid-season. Bold/italics denotes franchise record

## Suspensions/fines

| Player | Explanation | Length | Salary | Date issued |
| Mikhail Sergachev | Fined for cross-checking Johan Larsson during the game against the Buffalo Sabres on January 12, 2019, at KeyBank Center. | — | $2,403.67 | January 13, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Fined for a dangerous trip on Scott Mayfield during the game against the New York Islanders on February 2, 2019, at Nassau Coliseum. | — | $5,000 | February 3, 2019 |
| Yanni Gourde | Suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head of Carolina Hurricanes' forward Jordan Staal on March 21, 2019, at PNC Arena. | 2 games | $10,752.68 | March 22, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Suspended for one game for boarding Columbus Blue Jackets' defenseman Markus Nutivaara on April 12, 2019, at Nationwide Arena. | 1 game | — | April 13, 2019 |

## Awards and honours
### Awards

Regular season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Brayden Point | NHL Third Star of the Week | November 5, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL Third Star of the Week | November 26, 2018 |
| Louis Domingue | NHL Second Star of the Week | December 10, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL Third Star of the Week | December 24, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL First Star of December | January 2, 2019 |
| Steven Stamkos | NHL All-Star Game selection | January 2, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL All-Star Game selection | January 2, 2019 |
| Jon Cooper | NHL All-Star Game selection | January 5, 2019 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | NHL All-Star Game selection | January 8, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL First Star of the Week | February 18, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | NHL First Star of February | March 1, 2019 |
| Steven Stamkos | NHL Second Star of the Week | March 25, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Art Ross Trophy | April 7, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Ted Lindsay Award | June 19, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Hart Memorial Trophy | June 19, 2019 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Vezina Trophy | June 19, 2019 |
| Nikita Kucherov | First team All-Star | June 19, 2019 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | First team All-Star | June 19, 2019 |
| Victor Hedman | Second team All-Star | June 19, 2019 |
| Anthony Cirelli | NHL All-Rookie Team | June 19, 2019 |

### Milestones

Regular season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Mathieu Joseph | 1st career NHL game | October 7, 2018 |
| Mathieu Joseph | 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | October 16, 2018 |
| J. T. Miller | 200th career NHL point | October 30, 2018 |
| Tyler Johnson | 400th career NHL game | November 1, 2018 |
| Louis Domingue | 100th career NHL game | November 4, 2018 |
| Mathieu Joseph | 1st career NHL goal | November 4, 2018 |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 100th career NHL game | November 10, 2018 |
| Erik Cernak | 1st career NHL game | November 13, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 200th career NHL assist | November 15, 2018 |
| Brayden Point | 1st career NHL hat trick | November 15, 2018 |
| Erik Cernak | 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | November 19, 2018 |
| Ryan McDonagh | 200th career NHL assist | November 19, 2018 |
| Dan Girardi | 200th career NHL assist | November 25, 2018 |
| Edward Pasquale | 1st career NHL game 1st Career NHL win | December 4, 2018 |
| Steven Stamkos | 700th career NHL point | December 10, 2018 |
| Dan Girardi | 900th career NHL game | December 18, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 400th career NHL game | December 18, 2018 |
| Danick Martel | 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | December 18, 2018 |
| Steven Stamkos | 700th career NHL game | December 20, 2018 |
| Yanni Gourde | 100th career NHL point | December 29, 2018 |
| Victor Hedman | 300th career NHL assist | December 29, 2018 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | 100th career NHL win | December 31, 2018 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 400th career NHL point | January 3, 2019 |
| J. T. Miller | 400th career NHL game | January 13, 2019 |
| Brayden Point | 200th career NHL game | January 30, 2019 |
| Erik Cernak | 1st career NHL goal | February 3, 2019 |
| Ondrej Palat | 400th career NHL game | February 5, 2019 |
| Braydon Coburn | 900th career NHL game | February 9, 2019 |
| Victor Hedman | 400th career NHL point | February 9, 2019 |
| Alex Killorn | 100th career NHL goal | February 19, 2019 |
| Tyler Johnson | 300th career NHL point | February 27, 2019 |
| Brayden Point | 100th career NHL assist | February 27, 2019 |
| Alex Killorn | 500th career NHL game | February 28, 2019 |
| Adam Erne | 100th career NHL game | March 1, 2019 |
| Ryan McDonagh | 600th career NHL game | March 11, 2019 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | 200th career NHL game | March 14, 2019 |
| Alex Killorn | 1st career NHL hat trick | March 16, 2019 |
| Ryan Callahan | 200th career NHL assist | March 25, 2019 |
| Anthony Cirelli | 100th career NHL game | April 6, 2019 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Erik Cernak | 1st career playoff game 1st career playoff point 1st career playoff assist | April 10, 2019 |
| Adam Erne | 1st career playoff game | April 10, 2019 |
| Mathieu Joseph | 1st career playoff game | April 10, 2019 |
| Jan Rutta | 1st career playoff game 1st career playoff point 1st career playoff assist | April 10, 2019 |

## Transactions

The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2018–19 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| October 18, 2018 (2018-10-18) | To Anaheim DucksFuture considerations | To Tampa Bay LightningMitch Hults |
| January 11, 2019 (2019-01-11) | To Chicago BlackhawksSlater Koekkoek 5th-round pick in 2019 | To Tampa Bay LightningJan Rutta 7th-round pick in 2019 |
| June 14, 2019 (2019-06-14) | To Nashville PredatorsConnor Ingram | To Tampa Bay Lightning7th-round pick in 2021 |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Erik Condra | to Dallas Stars | 1-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Alex Gallant | to Vegas Golden Knights | 1-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Cameron Gaunce | from Columbus Blue Jackets | 1-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Chris Kunitz | to Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Kevin Lynch | from Syracuse Crunch (AHL) | 1-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Matthew Peca | to Montreal Canadiens | 2-year |
| July 5, 2018 (2018-07-05) | Andrej Sustr | to Anaheim Ducks | 1-year |
| July 19, 2018 (2018-07-19) | Mat Bodie | to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL) | 1-year |
| March 1, 2019 (2019-03-01) | Jimmy Huntington | from Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) | 3-year |
| June 14, 2019 (2019-06-14) | Edward Pasquale | to Barys Astana (KHL) | 1-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| September 22, 2018 (2018-09-22) | Danick Martel | from Philadelphia Flyers | |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| June 22, 2018 (2018-06-22) | Louis Domingue | 2-year |
| June 26, 2018 (2018-06-26) | Ross Colton | 2-year |
| June 26, 2018 (2018-06-26) | J. T. Miller | 5-year |
| July 1, 2018 (2018-07-01) | Ryan McDonagh | 7-year |
| July 2, 2018 (2018-07-02) | Slater Koekkoek | 1-year |
| July 5, 2018 (2018-07-05) | Cedric Paquette | 1-year |
| July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10) | Nikita Kucherov | 8-year |
| July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11) | Adam Erne | 1-year |
| October 17, 2018 (2018-10-17) | Cory Conacher | 1-year |
| November 2, 2018 (2018-11-02) | Yanni Gourde | 6-year |
| December 19, 2018 (2018-12-19) | Gabriel Fortier | 3-year |
| March 22, 2019 (2019-03-22) | Ryan Lohin | 2-year |
| May 3, 2019 (2019-05-03) | Jan Rutta | 1-year |
| June 14, 2019 (2019-06-14) | Cameron Gaunce | 1-year |
| June 18, 2019 (2019-06-18) | Braydon Coburn | 2-year |
| June 19, 2019 (2019-06-19) | Daniel Walcott | 1-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the Tampa Bay Lightning's selections at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 22 and 23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 2 | 59 | Gabriel Fortier | LW | Canada | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 90 | Dmitry Semykin | D | Russia | Kapitan Stupino (MHL) |
| 4 | 121 | Alexander Green | D | United States | Cornell University (ECAC) |
| 5 | 152 | Magnus Chrona | G | Sweden | Nacka HK (J18 Elit) |
| 6 | 183 | Cole Koepke | LW | United States | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) |
| 7 | 206$^1$ | Radim Salda | D | Czech Republic | Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 214 | Ty Taylor | G | Canada | Vernon Vipers (BCHL) |
Notes:
* The Los Angeles Kings' seventh-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as the result of a trade on May 31, 2017, that sent Bokondji Imama to Los Angeles in exchange for this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).