Our Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Monday, October 5, 2026. The Philadelphia Flyers (0-1-2 this season; 43-27-12 in 2025-26) visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1-0 this season; 50-26-6 in 2025-26) at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: NHL Network (U.S. national) / The Spot / NBCSP (U.S. regional).
Storyline: Philadelphia is still looking for its first win. The Flyers lost 7-0 at home to Pittsburgh in their opener, then lost in overtime at New Jersey and at home to Carolina, earning a point in each of the last two. Tampa Bay won its home opener 3-1 against Washington on Saturday after a 5-1 loss at the Rangers on Oct. 1. The Lightning won all three meetings last season by a combined 15-3 (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Tampa Bay at -192 and Philadelphia at +160 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Philadelphia Flyers @ Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Philadelphia Flyers 0-1-2 | Tampa Bay Lightning 1-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Philadelphia Flyers 43-27-12 | Tampa Bay Lightning 50-26-6 |
| Head Coaches | PHI: Rick Tocchet (2nd season) | TBL: Jon Cooper (14th season) |
| Puck Line | PHI +1.5 (-155) | TBL -1.5 (+130) |
| Moneyline | Philadelphia Flyers: +160 | Tampa Bay Lightning: -192 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-122 / u+102) |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena (Tampa, Fla.) |
| Date / Time | Monday, October 5, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NHL Network (U.S. national) / The Spot / NBCSP (U.S. regional) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | PHI: TBD (Dan Vladar / Joseph Woll) | TBL: TBD (Andrei Vasilevskiy / Dennis Hildeby) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, ~6:20 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Philadelphia Flyers Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Philadelphia went 43-27-12 (98 points), finished third in the Metropolitan Division and beat Pittsburgh in six games in the first round before Carolina swept the Flyers in the second round. Their power play finished last in the NHL (Flyers.com). Travis Konecny led the team with 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists), Trevor Zegras had 67 points and Owen Tippett scored a team-high 28 goals.
Offseason moves: Philadelphia acquired goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from Toronto on June 16 for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round selection, and signed forward Noel Acciari to a two-year contract. Garnet Hathaway left for Florida, and Anaheim matched the Flyers’ offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson (NHL.com, Flyers.com).
Key players & coach: Konecny, Zegras (now a full-time center), Matvei Michkov, Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone, Sean Couturier, Christian Dvorak and Noah Cates lead the forwards. Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler and Benoit are on defense. Rick Tocchet is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Dan Vladar, last season’s team MVP, went 29-14-7 with a 2.42 GAA and .906 save percentage in 52 games and made 31 saves on 38 shots in the opener. Woll went 15-16-7 with a 3.34 GAA and .899 save percentage in 39 games for Toronto last season. He has started the last two games, making 41 saves on 44 shots at New Jersey and 37 saves on 40 shots against Carolina. Philadelphia had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Pittsburgh won 7-0 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sept. 30. At New Jersey on Oct. 1, Ristolainen and Sanheim scored before Jack Hughes won it at 3:23 of overtime, and the Devils outshot the Flyers 44-25. On Saturday, Sebastian Aho scored 10 seconds into the game, Tippett and Michkov scored for a 2-1 lead, Aho tied it on the power play in the third, and Shayne Gostisbehere won it on a power play at 2:51 of overtime. Carolina outshot Philadelphia 40-18 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Ristolainen (undisclosed) and forward Nikita Grebenkin (upper body) are day to day. Forward Denver Barkey (lower body) is on injured reserve, and defenseman Helge Grans (lower body) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Tampa Bay Lightning Preview: Hart, Vezina and Adams Winners Return
2025-26 recap: Tampa Bay went 50-26-6 (106 points), finished second in the Atlantic Division and lost to Montreal in seven games in the first round. Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy after scoring 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy and Jon Cooper won the Jack Adams Award for the first time (NHL.com). Jake Guentzel had 38 goals and 88 points, and Brandon Hagel scored 36 goals.
Offseason moves: Tampa Bay signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract to replace Darren Raddysh, who had 70 points last season and was traded to Toronto. The Lightning also signed forwards Ilya Mikheyev (four years) and Jeffrey Viel (five years) and acquired goalie Dennis Hildeby from Toronto for forward Nick Paul (TampaBayLightning.com, NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kucherov, Brayden Point, Guentzel, Hagel, Anthony Cirelli (the Selke Trophy runner-up), Mikheyev and Conor Geekie lead the forwards. Victor Hedman is back after a personal leave that lasted from March 20 through the end of last season, and Carlson, J.J. Moser, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous round out the defense. Cooper is in his 14th season as coach.
Goalies: Vasilevskiy went 39-15-4 with a 2.31 GAA, .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 58 games last season. He has started both games this season, making 20 saves on 24 shots at the Rangers and 20 saves on 21 shots against Washington. Hildeby, 24, went 5-7-4 with a 2.86 GAA and .914 save percentage in 20 games for Toronto last season and has not played yet this season. Tampa Bay had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: The Rangers beat Tampa Bay 5-1 at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 1, and Kucherov scored the Lightning’s goal. On Saturday, D’Astous and Geekie scored in the first period, both set up by Hagel and Guentzel, Justin Sourdif scored for Washington in the second, and Guentzel added an empty-net goal. Tampa Bay outshot the Capitals 30-21 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Forward Yanni Gourde (hip surgery) is out until at least December, forward Dominic James (broken hand) is on the injured non-roster list, and defenseman Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) is day to day (ESPN, NHL.com).
Key Matchup Notes: Flyers vs Lightning
- Schedule spot: Both teams played Saturday and had Sunday off. It is Philadelphia’s fourth game and second road game, and Tampa Bay’s second home game.
- Last season: Tampa Bay won all three meetings, 3-0 at home on Nov. 24, 2025, then 7-2 and 5-1 in Philadelphia on Jan. 10 and Jan. 12 (NHL.com).
- Shot totals: Philadelphia has been outshot 122-62 in three games, and Woll has stopped 78 of 84 shots in his two starts.
- Scoring: Both teams have four goals this season, Philadelphia in three games and Tampa Bay in two. Guentzel has three points (one goal, two assists) in two games.
- In goal: Vasilevskiy posted a .912 save percentage last season, and Vladar posted a .906. Woll has a .929 save percentage this season.
- Odds snapshot: Tampa Bay -192 / Philadelphia +160 on the moneyline, Lightning -1.5 (+130) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Date: Monday, October 5, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Fla.
TV: NHL Network has the game nationally in the U.S. The Spot carries it in the Lightning’s market and NBC Sports Philadelphia (NBCSP) carries it in the Flyers’ market (NHL.com, ESPN). No Canadian broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 5, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.