Lightning vs. Oilers — Benchmark International Arena

The Lightning are one of only nine franchises in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, taking the 2020 and 2021 titles — the 2021 win came with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy starting all 23 playoff games and winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, the first goalie to do that in a repeat championship run since Ken Dryden in 1978-79. The Oilers bring their own pedigree in the other direction — five Stanley Cups in the 1980s during the Wayne Gretzky/Mark Messier dynasty years — and this is Edmonton’s only Tampa Bay stop of the season, the kind of one-shot visiting matchup that sells out faster than an ordinary weeknight game.

It’s a standard NHL game — physical but nothing inappropriate for kids, and Benchmark International Arena runs the usual between-whistles kid-friendly arena entertainment.

Good to know: Benchmark International Arena, 401 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602. Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30pm. Tickets through Ticketmaster. Outside Pasco County — a worth-the-drive pick.