2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning season
The 2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the franchise's 21st season in the National Hockey League. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout.
Regular season
The Lightning began the season with one of the best starts in franchise history, earning a 6–1–0 record. However, since that seventh game, the team went 7–16–1, falling to 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. This prompted general manager Steve Yzerman to fire head coach Guy Boucher on March 24, 2013. Boucher was in his third year as the team's head coach.One day later, the Lightning named Jon Cooper as the team's new head coach. Cooper was first hired by the organization in 2010 to coach the Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, and after the Lightning changed affiliates, the Syracuse Crunch. While coaching the Admirals in the 2011–12 season, the team won 28 consecutive games and would go on to win the Calder Cup, sweeping the championship series. At the time of Cooper's naming as Lightning head coach, ten players on the team's roster had played for Cooper in Syracuse at some point during the season.
With goaltending having been an issue for the team all season, on April 3, the day of the trade deadline, the Lightning acquired Ben Bishop from the Ottawa Senators. In return, the Lightning dealt rookie left wing Cory Conacher, who at the time was second in the League in points among first-year players with 24, and led all rookies in assists with 15. The Lightning also gave up a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The Lightning tied the Montreal Canadiens for the fewest shorthanded goals scored with zero.
Standings
Divisional standings
Conference standings
Schedule and results
Preseason
As a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, the entire pre-season was canceled.Regular season
Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, the Lightning's original 82-game schedule was reduced to a 48-game schedule in which they would face only teams from the Eastern Conference.Playoffs
The Lightning were unable to qualify for the playoffs for the second year in a row.Player stats
Final stats;Skaters
;Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Tampa Bay. Stats reflect time with Tampa Bay only.
‡Traded to Tampa Bay mid-season.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Awards and records
Awards
Milestones
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Cory Conacher | 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point | January 19, 2013 |
| Teddy Purcell | 100th career NHL assist | January 19, 2013 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | 1,000th career NHL game | January 21, 2013 |
| Alexander Killorn | 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | February 10, 2013 |
| Richard Panik | 1st career NHL game | February 12, 2013 |
| B. J. Crombeen | 300th career NHL game | February 14, 2013 |
| Alexander Killorn | 1st career NHL goal | February 16, 2013 |
| Brian Lee | 200th career NHL game | February 19, 2013 |
| Richard Panik | 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point | February 23, 2013 |
| Ondrej Palat | 1st career NHL game 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | March 4, 2013 |
| Tom Pyatt | 200th career NHL game | March 9, 2013 |
| Radko Gudas | 1st career NHL game | March 12, 2013 |
| Keith Aulie | 100th career NHL game | March 14, 2013 |
| Tyler Johnson | 1st career NHL game | March 14, 2013 |
| Teddy Purcell | 300th career NHL game | March 16, 2013 |
| Tyler Johnson | 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL assist 1st career NHL point | March 16, 2013 |
| Ondrej Palat | 1st career NHL goal | March 16, 2013 |
| Matt Carle | 500th career NHL game | March 18, 2013 |
| Steven Stamkos | 200th career NHL goal | March 18, 2013 |
| Radko Gudas | 1st career NHL goal 1st career NHL point | March 20, 2013 |
| Richard Panik | 1st career NHL assist | March 23, 2013 |
| Andrej Sustr | 1st career NHL game | March 29, 2013 |
| Nate Thompson | 300th career NHL game | April 6, 2013 |
| Mark Barberio | 1st career NHL game | April 9, 2013 |
| Pierre-Cedric Labrie | 1st career NHL goal | April 9, 2013 |
| Martin St. Louis | 900th career NHL point | April 9, 2013 |
| Sami Salo | 800th career NHL game | April 13, 2013 |
Transactions
The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2012–13 season.Trades
Free agents signed
Free agents lost
Claimed via waivers
Lost via waivers
Lost via retirement
Player signings
Draft picks
Tampa Bay Lightning's picks at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 22 & 23, 2012.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 10 | Slater Koekkoek | D | Peterborough Petes | |
| 1 | 19 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | G | Tolpar Ufa | |
| 2 | 40 | Dylan Blujus | D | Brampton Battalion | |
| 2 | 53 | Brian Hart | RW | Phillips Exeter Academy | |
| 3 | 71 | Tanner Richard | C | Guelph Storm | |
| 4 | 101 | Cedric Paquette | C | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | |
| 6 | 161 | Jake Dotchin | D | Owen Sound Attack | |
| 7 | 202 | Nikita Gusev | LW | CSKA Moscow Jr. |
;Draft Notes
- The Detroit Red Wings' first-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as a result of a February 21, 2012, trade that sent Kyle Quincey to the Red Wings in exchange for Sebastien Piche and this pick.
- The Philadelphia Flyers' second-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as a result of a February 18, 2012, trade that sent Pavel Kubina to the Flyers in exchange for Jon Kalinski, 2013 fourth-round pick and this pick.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning's fifth-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a June 23, 2012, trade that sent Benoit Pouliot to the Lightning in exchange for Michel Ouellet and this pick.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning's seventh-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a February 16, 2012, trade that sent a 2012 second-round pick to the Lightning in exchange for Dominic Moore and this pick.
- The Nashville Predators' seventh-round pick went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as a result of a June 15, 2012, trade that sent Sebastien Caron, two 2012 second-round picks and a 2013 third-round pick to the Predators in exchange for Anders Lindback, Kyle Wilson and this pick.