A chilly night and a sellout crowd of 64,617 set the stage as the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted their first outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium. Nearly a decade in the making, outdoor hockey finally arrived in Tampa.
The Lightning started the night in throwback “Creamsicle” Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniforms for player arrivals, led by Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs, both wearing Lightning jerseys and carrying a boom box.
Everything about the weekend seemed serendipitous, including the weather, which checked in at 41.8 degrees at puck drop.
Brandon Hagel opened the scoring just 11 seconds in, but the Lightning quickly lost momentum, surrendering five straight goals as the game tilted heavily in Boston’s favor.
The game turned with 8:59 left in the second period. After Oliver Bjorkstrand’s power-play goal cut Boston’s lead to 5–2, goaltender Jeremy Swayman jumped on Hagel as he tried to poke the puck free, sparking a scrum in front of the net.
Andrei Vasilevskiy skated out of his crease and was met by Jeremy Swayman at center ice. Both goaltenders dropped their gloves and blockers before Vasilevskiy connected with several left-handed punches. The fight gave the Lightning the push they needed and caused the Bruins to lose their grip on the game.
"I just saw Sway was swinging the blocker a little bit on Hags,” said Vasilevskiy. “It was just a reflex to run to the red line and challenge him, and he accepted. So big thanks to him. I thought he was great throughout the game in net and in the fight as well. So just again, big thanks to him for giving me my first one in the NHL."
© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesTwo 5-on-3 goals in a 26-second span pulled the Lightning back into the game. Defenseman Darren Raddysh scored his 16th goal of the season, and Nick Paul followed, converting a feed from Jake Guentzel with 3:47 remaining to make it 5-4. Nikita Kucherov tied the game with a slap shot from the right circle with 8:10 left in regulation.
“I just know how it works. Even personally for me, when our guys are fighting in the game, I always feel a little pumped,” said Vasilevskiy. “So I’m pretty sure they were pumped to see me like dropping gloves, too. I appreciate that the ref gave us some time with Jeremy to have some fun. One of the coolest moments in my career.”
The Lightning had two power-play chances in overtime but couldn’t convert, sending the historic outdoor game to a shootout. The crowd of over 64,000 rose to their feet, chanting ‘Va-sy, Va-sy,’ before Jake Guentzel broke the tie with the game-winning shot in the third round.
“Just happy for our fans,” said Vasilevskiy. “When you’re down 5-1, you feel the frustration. They came here to see the show and halfway through the game, it’s like 5-1. But I feel like we gave them a great show tonight.”
The Lightning’s 6–5 victory marked the largest comeback in franchise history and the biggest comeback ever in an NHL outdoor game. Tampa Bay improved to 17–1–1 over their last 19 games and now sit four points ahead of Detroit in the Atlantic Division.
"I don't know what you guys thought, but I mean, games like that don't come over very often," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the win. "I mean, how often do you look at a score sheet, and you see one team with five straight goals scored, and then another team with five straight goals scored? The game had everything. It had the weather, it had the state, which doesn't usually get weather like this. It was a phenomenal atmosphere."