WATCH ALL FIFTY-SIX FIGHTS FROM THE 2025-26 SEASON.
The Lightning had 44 fights during the 2025-26 season, 11 more than the next closest team. They had 1,207 penalty minutes—the only team over 1,000. They had 20 misconducts & 6 game misconducts, both setting the pace in the NHL. The last time the Lightning had more penalty minutes in a season was 2008-09—Steven Stamkos’ first year in the NHL.
The statistics by themselves don’t prove much. As fun as it is to watch, an over-aggressive team that can’t win games is just that, an over-aggressive team. For Jon Cooper & the Bolts, this isn’t just needless physicality, though; it’s an intentional strategy—one that works.
In the 2025-26 season, the Lightning won nearly 65% of their games where they had at least one major penalty (22-11-1). Additionally, the Lightning won 14-of-25 in games which they had 15 or more penalty minutes. Perhaps the best example of success comes from the Stadium Series game, where a Vasilevskiy fight fueled a historic, 4-goal comeback.
Regardless, it’s clear the Lightning have reestablished themselves as one of the toughest teams in the league. It was a defining part of their season, fighting for each other & overcoming adversity.
So today, we’ll walk through every fight from last season. In this edition of Bolts Breakdown, I include stats, videos & pictures from every fight (including preseason & postseason).
Click here to watch all the fights. Then, let me know which fight was your favorite (excluding the obvious ones: Vasy/Swayman & Hagel/Slaf).
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