In their season opener, the Tampa Bay Lightning secured a commanding 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, highlighted by Nikita Kucherov's natural hat trick in the third period. Kucherov's performance included a power-play goal and two empty-net goals, bringing his career total to six hat tricks and moving him into third place on the franchise's all-time points list with a total of 30 four-point games. The Lightning, who had relocated to North Carolina to avoid Hurricane Milton's impact, displayed resilience despite concerns about the storm's aftermath in Tampa. Brayden Point contributed with a power-play goal to tie the game, while captain Victor Hedman assisted on three goals. The Hurricanes struggled, going 0-for-4 on their own power plays and receiving only one goal from Jordan Staal. The win sets the Lightning up for their home opener against the Vancouver Canucks on October 15.