Editing Tampa Bay Lightning (section)

====Contention for the Stanley Cup and one playoff absence (2014–2018)====
On June 25, 2014, the Lightning agreed to terms with [[Ryan Callahan]], signing him to a six-year, $34.8 million contract extension.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/11132358/ryan-callahan-sign-six-year-contract-tampa-bay-lightning|title=Ryan Callahan signs 6-year deal|last=LeBrun|first=Pierre |date=June 25, 2014|publisher=ESPN|access-date=June 25, 2014}}</ref> The same day, the Lightning used its remaining compliance buyout on forward [[Ryan Malone]] after his on-ice performance had declined from injuries seasons prior in addition to his off-ice troubles that included a DUI arrest before the end of the season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24597113/lightning-use-second-compliance-buyout-on-ryan-malone|title=Lightning use second compliance buyout on Ryan Malone|last=Stubits|first=Brian|date=June 25, 2014|publisher=ESPN|access-date=June 25, 2014}}</ref>

Finishing the [[2014–15 NHL season|2014–15 season]] with 108 points, the Lightning placed second in the Atlantic Division and qualified for the playoffs for the second-straight season, scoring the most goals out of any team in the NHL. Tampa Bay eliminated the [[Detroit Red Wings]] in seven games in the first round of the playoffs before facing the [[Montreal Canadiens]] in the second round. The Lightning won the first three games of the series and had a chance to sweep the Canadiens; however, Montreal responded with wins in games 4 and 5 to extend the series to a sixth game. Tampa Bay won the sixth game of the series to eliminate the Canadiens and advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2011, facing the [[Presidents' Trophy]]-winning [[New York Rangers]]. In the conference finals, the Lightning and the Rangers split the first two games of the series in New York, with the Lightning winning game 2 of the series thanks to a [[Tyler Johnson (ice hockey)|Tyler Johnson]] hat-trick. The series then shifted to Tampa, where the Lightning had a come-from-behind overtime victory in game 3, but lost game 4 to even the series at two games apiece. During game 5 in New York, goaltender [[Ben Bishop]] recorded his second shutout of the playoffs in a 2–0 victory, but the Rangers responded in game 6 by scoring seven goals to tie the series at three games apiece. In game 7, Bishop recorded his third shutout of the playoffs in another 2–0 victory against the Rangers to lead the Lightning to their first appearance in the [[2015 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] since 2004. The Lightning not only became the first team to defeat the Rangers in a game 7 at [[Madison Square Garden]], but they also became the first team to successfully defeat three [[Original Six]] teams in the first three rounds of the playoffs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nhl-stanley-lightning-idUSKBN0OF0WW20150530|date=May 30, 2015|title=Lightning beat up on Original Six to reach Cup finals|work=Reuters|access-date=May 31, 2015}}</ref> The Lightning would face the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] in the Stanley Cup Finals, making it the first time a finalist faced four Original Six teams in the playoffs since the four-round format was introduced in [[1980 Stanley Cup playoffs|1980]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25200921/the-tampa-bay-lightning-and-their-playoff-journey-through-the-original-six|title=The Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff journey through the Original Six|first=Adam|last=Gretz |work=CBS Sports|date=May 31, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2015}}</ref> After losing game 1 at home, the Lightning built a two games to one series lead, though the Blackhawks would win the following three games to win the Stanley Cup in six games at the [[United Center]] in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/2015-chicago-blackhawks-vs-tampa-bay-lightning-stanley-cup-final.html|date=May 30, 2015|title=Lightning strikes again|agency=Hockey reference|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref> This made Tampa Bay the first team to beat three of the Original Six teams in the playoffs since the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] completed the feat in 1992. However, they became the first team to lose the Stanley Cup Finals despite beating three Original Six teams in the previous three rounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/tampa-bay-falls-short-loses-cup-game-shutout-31790484|title=Tampa Bay Falls Just Short, Loses the Cup in Game 6 Shutout|date=June 16, 2015|author=Beacham, Greg|agency=Associated Press|publisher=ABC News|access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Tampa Bay Lightning Game 6 Watch Party (18219067034) (cropped).jpg|thumb|A viewing party outside [[Amalie Arena]] for game 6 of the [[2015 Stanley Cup Finals]]]]
The Lightning had a slow start to the [[2015–16 NHL season|2015–16 season]]. The season was filled with controversy for the team, starting off with the contractual questions regarding captain [[Steven Stamkos]] and with the former third overall pick [[Jonathan Drouin]] publicly requesting a trade and being suspended from the organization. The Lightning picked up their play at the beginning of 2016 and set the franchise record to nine consecutive wins on March 5, 2016, when [[Alex Killorn]] scored with 42.5 seconds remaining in overtime to propel the Lightning to a 4–3 victory over the [[Carolina Hurricanes]] at Amalie Arena. On March 26, 2016, the Lightning announced cornerstone defenseman [[Anton Strålman|Anton Stralman]] had suffered a fractured leg in their game against the [[New York Islanders]] at home. Stamkos was out of the lineup for the team's game on April 2 against the [[New Jersey Devils]] in Tampa; general manager [[Steve Yzerman]] announced after the game that the captain would miss one-to-three months due to a blood clot in his arm. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the team had no other option but to bring Drouin back to the team. The Lightning ended up finishing second in the Atlantic Division and would once again face the third-seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the [[2016 Stanley Cup playoffs|playoffs]]. The Lightning played the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2016 playoffs for the second consecutive year and defeated them in five games after winning game five 1–0 at Amalie Arena. Next up, the [[New York Islanders]] (who had recently defeated the Panthers to win their first playoff series since the 1992–93 season) would face the Lightning. In game 1, the Islanders defeated the Bolts 5–3. The Lightning would eventually answer back by winning four consecutive games in the series to defeat the Isles in five games to move on to the conference finals for the second consecutive year, in large part due to back-to-back road overtime victories with goals scored by [[Brian Boyle]] and [[Jason Garrison]]. The Lightning were set to play against the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] in the conference finals. In game 1 at [[Consol Energy Center]], star goaltender Ben Bishop would be added to the list of devastating injuries for the team as he left on a stretcher and did not return for the remainder of the series. Stralman would eventually return in game 2. A back-and-forth series would eventually lead to a game 7 showdown in [[Pittsburgh]]. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos surprisingly took warmups and was in the Lightning lineup after a long absence from blood clot surgery. However, it was not enough as the Lightning would fall in the game 2–1 against the Penguins for a 4–3 series defeat, who went on to defeat the [[San Jose Sharks]] and win the Stanley Cup while the Lightning came one win short from a second consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

[[File:Nikita Kucherov 140103.png|thumb|upright|[[Nikita Kucherov]] emerged as the Lightning's leading point-scorer during the [[2015–16 NHL season|2015–16 season]].]]
With the Lightning under the spotlight in the 2016 off-season, Drouin rescinded his trade request. Steve Yzerman would then announce on June 29 the team re-signed Stamkos to an eight-year, cap-friendly deal. He would then sign star defenseman [[Victor Hedman]] to an eight-year contract on July 1, along with a seven-year deal for Alex Killorn and three-year deals to star winger [[Nikita Kucherov]] and goaltender [[Andrei Vasilevskiy]].

The Lightning narrowly missed the playoffs in the 2016–17 season. Finishing with 94 points, they were beaten to the second wildcard by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 95 points. The 2016–17 season for the Lightning was a host of injuries, mainly their captain, Steven Stamkos. Stamkos went down in the 17th game, against the Detroit Red Wings on November 15, 2016. It was revealed he suffered from a torn left meniscus, which put him out for the rest of the season. Ryan Callahan would also play in only 18 games due to multiple surgeries to his back and hip.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/former-rangers-captain-ryan-callahan-diagnosed-with-degenerative-back-disease/ |title=Former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan diagnosed with degenerative back disease |work=CBS Sports |last=Benjamin |first=Cody |date=June 20, 2019 |access-date=June 20, 2024}}</ref> Towards the end of the season, they traded goaltender Ben Bishop to the [[Los Angeles Kings]], center [[Brian Boyle]] to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and forward [[Valtteri Filppula]] to the [[Philadelphia Flyers]]. However, there were positive signs as winger Nikita Kucherov emerged with 40 goals for the first time in his career and the Lightning also showcased their young talent with rookie [[Brayden Point]] and promising AHL call-ups [[Yanni Gourde]] and [[Jake Dotchin]]. The Lightning bounced back with this talent in the last third of the season, but it was not enough as they missed the 2017 playoffs by one point.

In the 2017 off-season, the Lightning made a deal with the Montreal Canadiens to send Jonathan Drouin to their franchise in exchange for defensive prospect [[Mikhail Sergachev]] and a second-round pick in the [[2018 NHL entry draft]]. They also signed defenseman [[Daniel Girardi]] for two years and winger [[Chris Kunitz]] to a one-year deal.

[[File:Victor Hedman - Tampa Bay Lightning.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Victor Hedman]] won the [[James Norris Memorial Trophy]] in [[2017–18 NHL season|2017–18]].]]
In the [[2017–18 NHL season|2017–18 season]], Steven Stamkos returned from injury, scoring 20 points in the first 10 games and assisting on nine of Nikita Kucherov's 11 goals.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/stamkos-transformation-into-kucherov-s-set-up-man-has-lightning-looking-scarier-than-ever|title=Stamkos' transformation into Kucherov's set-up man has Lightning looking scarier than ever {{!}} The Hockey News|last=Campbell|first=Ken|work=The Hockey News|access-date=November 21, 2017}}</ref> The Lightning finished the 2017–18 season with a record of 54–23–5, finishing with 113 points. The Lightning won their first [[Atlantic Division (NHL)|Atlantic Division]] title and first division title since the 2003–04 season, as well as securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the [[2018 Stanley Cup playoffs]]. Andrei Vasilevskiy was nominated for the [[Vezina Trophy]] for the first time. Nikita Kucherov scored 100 points during the regular season, finishing third overall in the league. Steve Yzerman was once again nominated for the [[NHL General Manager of the Year Award]]. During the 2018 playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the New Jersey Devils in the first round and the Boston Bruins in the second round, both in five games. However, they were defeated in the conference finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, in seven games, one win short from clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals once more.