Boston Bruins
“The best way that we misplaced it’s simply brutal, spending half the sport within the penalty field.”
TAMPA — Sunday’s Stadium Sequence showdown between the Bruins and Lightning had a little bit of every thing.
A flurry of objectives from Boston’s roster. A four-goal comeback by Tampa Bay. A number of Grade-A stops in extra time. Officiating controversy. And sure — a goalie combat.
Listed below are 11 takeaways from Boston’s 6-5 shootout loss to the Lightning underneath the lights at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Bruins drop a irritating end in Tampa
There’s a complete lot to course of in a recreation rife with a number of twists and turns for each golf equipment.
Past the pageantry of an out of doors, primetime contest and several other headline-grabbing sequences like a goalie scrap, the Bruins largely managed play for a majority of Sunday’s matchup towards a Lightning group that entered the night time on a 16-1-1 run.
Boston — already enjoying with out its top-two facilities in Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha — largely managed play for the primary half of Sunday’s recreation towards the highest group within the Japanese Convention.
Halfway by means of the second interval, the Bruins held a 5-1 lead over Tampa Bay — with an 11-2-1 file in January seemingly carrying over into the following month for Boston.
However the Bruins’ propensity for ill-timed penalties fully unraveled a powerful exhibiting from Boston, with the Bolts scoring three power-play tallies within the second interval to get again into the sport earlier than finally prevailing within the shootout.
Sure, Bruins followers can take umbrage with a number of the calls down the stretch — or maybe the shortage of penalties doled out towards Tampa. And yep, we’ll speak extra about David Pastrnak’s OT objective getting waved off.
Nonetheless, this can be a recreation the place a number of the flaws which have hampered the Bruins all 12 months as soon as once more got here again to chew Boston.
“Pay attention, all of us have good days. All of us have dangerous days. And once more, I’ve to take a look at another calls,” Marco Sturm mentioned postgame. “I do know a few of them weren’t in our favor. I can let you know that we do should do a greater job and so they in all probability should do a greater job too.
“So once more, general, I don’t blame them. It at all times comes again to us. And in the event you give a man like [Nikita] Kucherov 10 minutes on the facility play, you understand you probably did one thing mistaken. In order that’s on us.”
Not precisely shorts climate
When the NHL initially introduced an out of doors recreation in Tampa final 12 months, the league was trying to push the envelope on the way it’d have the ability to host primetime video games in less-than-ideal circumstances.
The common excessive on February 1 in Tampa is 71 levels, which might stand because the warmest puck-drop temperature for a recreation in NHL historical past.
As such, the NHL pulled out all of the stops with the intention to maintain the ice intact through the lead-up to Sunday’s recreation — building a state-of-the-art tent over the frozen sheet that remained in place till late Saturday night time.
In the end, the NHL didn’t want to worry all that a lot over the circumstances on Sunday.
Resulting from a large chilly entrance that concerned the entire Sunshine State, Sunday’s temperature at puck drop was 41.8 levels — and dipped into the 30s as the sport progressed.
Paradoxically, Sunday’s temps have been colder than the 2023 Winter Traditional held at Fenway Park — with the thermometers studying at 51 levels at puck drop in early January.
As entertaining as it might be to see the Bruins and Bolts battle it out in 60-degree climate, the Bruins had no qualms over the circumstances on Sunday in Tampa.
“I need it to be colder, so the ice is best,” McAvoy mentioned Saturday.
As anticipated, even the chilly circumstances in Tampa didn’t result in pristine ice circumstances.
“It’s actual mushy,” McAvoy added. “Clearly we get it after [Tampa] practiced on it. I don’t understand how many individuals skated on it earlier than, however yeah, it’s not nice.”
Regardless of the chilly temps, Sunday’s recreation leaned closely into nautical references alongside Florida’s often sunny-shoreline — with loads of pirate themes littered throughout the sport presentation.
Nation music star Tim McGraw additionally carried out just a few songs through the first intermission — donning a winter beanie as an alternative of his customary cowboy hat.
Repping the Patriots
After arriving dressed because the Peaky Blinders, the Red Sox, and a ski crew straight of the ‘90s in earlier outside video games, the Bruins paid tribute to the each the Patriots and Boston’s colonial historical past on Sunday.
Forward of Sunday’s Stadium Sequence recreation towards the Lightning at Raymond James Stadium, the Bruins arrived at the outdoor matchup dressed as colonial-era patriots — donning tricorne hats, shoe buckles, wigs, and rather more.
“I feel it was lots of guys,” Nikita Zadorov mentioned of the inspiration behind the outfit. “The concept behind it was sort of deliver one thing Bostonian. I feel, with the ties to Boston, and clearly Boston is named a extremely historic metropolis in the USA.
“And so we determined to decorate up because the Patriots from the seventeenth, sixteenth century. Clearly, give respect to the founding fathers of America. And likewise it’s good ties to our soccer group, you understand what I imply? We’re on the soccer stadium, so I believed it performed out fairly effectively.”
Whereas the Patriots landed in California on Sunday night as they ready for Tremendous Bowl LX, the Bruins took care of enterprise later that night time in Tampa.
A sluggish begin
It was trying prefer it was going to be a protracted night time for the Bruins, based mostly on the primary 11 seconds of regulation.
Earlier than the smoke from a barrage of fireworks had even cleared out of Raymond James Stadium, the Lightning took a lead — with Brandon Hagel beating Jeremy Swayman with the primary shot of the sport with 19:49 left within the first.
It was an unsightly sequence throughout, with three skaters unable to separate Hagel from the puck earlier than the winger snapped a wrister previous Swayman to place the highway group in a deficit. It was the quickest objective scored by a participant in an out of doors NHL recreation.
Contemplating that the Bolts had already gained 16 of their final 18 video games getting into Sunday’s matchup — and Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy sporting a .921 save proportion on the 12 months — even a slim one-goal deficit was trying fairly steep.
Bruins surge again with trio of objectives
After taking that first jab from Hagel and the Bolts, the Bruins put the Lightning on the ropes for the remainder of the primary interval — scoring three unanswered objectives and outshooting Tampa, 20-7, for the ultimate 19:49 of play earlier than the primary intermission.
Alex Steeves picked a great time to snap a 15-game goalless drought at 11:24, taking a feed from Mikey Eyssimont and snapping dwelling a one-timer from the slot to knot the sport up at 1-1. It was Steeves’ first objective since Dec. 23, 2025.
Morgan Geekie gave Boston the lead slightly over 4 minutes later, tipping dwelling a degree shot from Charlie McAvoy that slipped previous Vasilevskiy to make it a 2-1 lead.
Boston struck on the facility play at 18:03, with an identical McAvoy shot redirected this time by Viktor Arvidsson to offer Boston a two-goal cushion going into the break.
Poitras, Geekie pad Boston’s lead
Issues didn’t get any higher for Tampa initially of the second interval.
Matt Poitras — enjoying in simply his second objective with Boston after getting referred to as up from Windfall final week — gave Boston a three-goal lead simply 2:22 into the center body.
A robust play on the puck by Mark Kastelic allowed the Bruins ahead to evade each Victor Hedman and Max Crozier and skate into Tampa’s zone. After shielding the puck close to the half-wall, Kastelic hit Poitras in stride as he made it down the slot and beat Vasilevsky with a pointy backhand shot to make it a 4-1 contest.
Poitras (21 years, 328 days) turned the youngest Bruins participant to attain in an out of doors recreation, beating the earlier file set by David Pastrnak (22 years, 221 days) through the 2019 Winter Traditional at Notre Dame Stadium.
Pastrnak helped additional spark Geekie’s heater within the second — setting his linemate up with a slick cross-slot feed to offer Boston a four-goal cushion. Geekie’s thirty second objective of the season marked his seventh objective and tenth level in his final seven video games.
It was trying just like the Bruins have been cruising in direction of a blowout victory … till issues turned fully unglued.
Swayman, Vasevskiy drop the gloves
Issues went off the rails halfway by means of the second interval after Brandon Hagel tried to poke a free puck previous Swayman’s pads within the crease.
Each McAvoy and Swayman shoved Hagel to the ice within the ensuing fracas, drawing the ire of Vasilevskiy down the opposite finish of the frozen sheet.
As over 64,000 followers roared in approval, Swayman and Vasilevskiy each skated in direction of one another and shed their gloves, blockers, and masks before trading a few punches.
It wasn’t a classic heavyweight bout, with each netminders clumsily buying and selling just a few hooks and avoiding any knockout blows earlier than Swayman finally fell to the ice. However in what turned out to be a wild night time at Raymond James Stadium, a goalie combat was a becoming scene given all of the chaos that performed out.
Parade of penalties permit Bolts to claw again
By the point Swayman and Vasilevskiy made their means again to their nets after a scrap, the Bruins have been seemingly in full command of the sport.
Sure, Oliver Bjorkstrand did discover the again of the web lower than a minute earlier than their goalie bout, however Boston nonetheless held a convincing 5-2 lead on the time.
Nonetheless, that Tampa power-play objective — scored after McAvoy was whistled for roughing towards Zemgus Girgensons — began a nuclear chain response of ill-timed penalties for Boston, giving Tampa the spark it wanted to get again into the sport.
Even taking out the goalie-fight infractions, the Bruins have been nonetheless whistled for 5 extra penalties after McAvoy’s preliminary roughing within the second — together with one other roughing name towards McAvoy, a Kastelic roughing, delay of recreation for Swayman, interference on Tanner Jeannot, and a whistle towards Sean Kuraly for closing his hand on a puck.
That string of penalties gave Tampa the chance it wanted to make it a one-goal recreation — with Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul each scoring on 5-on-3 bids to make it a 5-4 contest going into the third interval.
A 3rd-period equalizer and frantic extra time
The Bruins’ efforts to carry on for a hard-fought 5-4 win finally fizzled out within the third interval.
As Boston tried to show the already lackluster ice into extra of a slog for the high-skilled Lightning roster, Tampa lastly broke by means of the game-tying tally off the stick of Kucherov — who uncorked a one-time blast previous Swayman to knot the sport up at 5-5 with 8:10 to go.
After letting Tampa sneak again into the sport with a bevy of penalties, the Bruins’ slim margin for error was lastly erased with a playmaking pressure like Kucherov main the cost. The Bolts winger completed with 4 factors within the win.
Kucherov almost ended the sport as soon as it carried into extra time, skating in alone towards Swayman on a breakaway. However with simply over 30 seconds left within the further body, Swayman obtained sufficient on Kucherov’s wrister to maintain the sport going.
The Lightning outshot Boston, 9-0, in extra time — which additionally featured two extra penalties whistled towards Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm. Swayman turned apart all 9 pictures in a recreation that might have been led to regulation given Tampa’s play down the stretch.
Pastrnak’s OT winner taken off the board
The wackiest play of the night time got here simply 22 seconds into extra time — with Pastrnak showing to shut out the sport with a Bruins victory after he beat Vasilevskiy on a 2-on-1 alternative.
However earlier than Pastrnak may rejoice along with his teammates, he was ushered to the penalty field for a slash — negating the objective and giving Tampa an opportunity to shut the sport out with an additional skater.
Regardless of slashing Tampa skater J.J. Moser, the Bruins didn’t hear a whistle through the ensuing rush down the ice. With one ref having his arm up and the Bruins in possession of the puck, Swayman even skated his solution to Boston’s bench for an additional attacker.
As an alternative, no cube for the Bruins in what was a irritating night time in Tampa.
“I’ve no clue what occurred,” Pastrnak mentioned postgame. “It’s a freakin’ turnover, we’ve obtained a 2-on-1, the referee has his arm up, he’s letting me go, Sway’s going to the bench, we completed the play, rating a objective and unexpectedly I’m within the penalty field. It’s a joke. I don’t perceive.
“I’ve by no means seen one thing like that. To me it was a joke. I don’t care if that’s a foul reply, however that’s how I really feel. It’s bizarre. Rating a objective and find yourself within the penalty field. No matter. We gave them two factors and that’s what issues. Powerful on us.”
A loss within the shootout
Pastrnak’s failed OT tally was the final probability Boston needed to try to beat Vasilevskiy, as Jake Guentzel scored the lone objective of the shootout spherical to seal the 6-5 comeback win for Tampa.
Pastrnak had a shot at extending the shootout into the fourth spherical, however his try rang off the submit to shut out an unsightly consequence for Boston.
“That hurts. It hurts rather a lot,” McAvoy mentioned postgame. “The best way that we misplaced it’s simply brutal, spending half the sport within the penalty field.”
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