Here’s where you can watch Lightning-Maple Leafs playoff series on TV

Frank Pastor, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read

It’s a question Tampa Bay sports fans have every spring: Where can I watch the Lightning playoff games?

Quickly followed by, and what about the Rays?

Here’s what we can tell you about this postseason:

Bally Sports Sun will broadcast at least the first four games of the first-round series between the Lightning and Maple Leafs, which gets underway Tuesday night in Toronto. Unless there is an ABC exclusive later in the series (possibly for Game 6), Bally Sports Sun will carry the remaining games, as well.

Play-by-play man Dave Randorf and analyst Brian Engblom will call the action, and Gabby Shirley will report from rinkside. Each game will be preceded by a half-hour pregame show hosted by Paul Kennedy and followed by postgame coverage featuring highlights, interviews and analysis from Dave Andreychuk, Bobby “The Chief” Taylor and Adam Hall.

The Rays’ games April 18 at Cincinnati and April 24 against Houston will be televised on Bally Sports Florida. The Rays do not play on April 20, and the April 22 game is on Fox, so there are no conflicts with the Lightning on those nights.

If the Lightning-Maple Leafs series goes beyond four games, Rays games will move to Bally Sports Florida on the nights both teams play.

Game coverage also can be streamed on the Bally Sports app and Bally Sports+.

The Lightning games are not subject to a local blackout, so viewers in Tampa Bay will have the choice of watching the local (Bally) or national (ESPN or TBS, depending on the game) broadcast.

All subsequent rounds will be national telecasts. Bally will host postgame shows but will not carry the games themselves.

Here is the first-round television schedule:

Lightning vs. Maple Leafs

Game 1: Tuesday, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, 7:30 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Sun

Game 2: Thursday, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, 7 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Sun

Game 3: April 22, Amalie Arena, Tampa, 7 p.m.., TBS, Bally Sports Sun

Game 4: April 24, Amalie Arena, Tampa, 7:30 p.m., TBS, Bally Sports Sun

Game 5: April 27, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, TBD *

Game 6: April 29, Amalie Arena, Tampa, TBD *

Game 7: May 1, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, TBD *

* - If necessary

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