By What an entertaining game this was. You run out of adjectives trying to describe what a great Stadium Series classic this was, as the Lightning scored a 6-5 shootout win over the Boston Bruins in the Stadium Series game outdoors at Raymond James Stadium
If the NHL was hoping to raise awareness of hockey in the State of Florida and around the country, this game was a smashing success.
64,600 fans, the largest crowd to see a hockey game in the state of Florida, showed up at Raymond James Stadium to witness this classic.
And this game had it all and will go down as the best outdoor hockey game in the history of outdoor hockey.
There was scoring, a lot of hard hitting and numerous scrums by these two division rivals.
Brandon Hagel scored the opening goal for the Lightning just 11 seconds into the game to give them an early 1-0 lead, the fastest goal scored in outdoor game history.
What followed was total domination by the Bruins as they took control of the game scoring five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead. Then the momentum switched after the two goalies fought at the 11:01 mark of the second period.
That is when Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy skated down to mid -ice to exchange punches with Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman.
That fight would spark the Lightning and ignite this team for the rest of the game as they would get three goals to close out the second period. Goals from Oliver Bjorkstrand, Darren Raddysh, and Nick Paul cut the Boston lead to 5-4 after the second period.
In the third period, Nikita Kucherov would cap off his five-point night with his 28th goal of the season to tie the game at 5-5 at the 11:50 mark of the third period.
The Lightning would control play in the overtime period, and despite having a 4 on 3 power play, could not get anything past Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman.
Jake Guentzal would score in round five of the shootout to give the Bolts a one-goal advantage, and Vasilevskiy was able to stop David Pastrnak on his shot attempt, as the Lightning skated off the ice with an impressive 6-5 OT win over the Boston Bruins.
This was the largest comeback in Lightning history, as they had never come back from a 4-0 goal deficit to win the game.
Besides showcasing the City of Tampa and all the pomp and circumstance, this was an important game for the Lightning to win, as they increased their lead in the division to four points over second-place Detroit.
Vasilevskiy talked about the fight post game that sparked the Lightning to the win. “It was one of the biggest moments for me personally because I never fought in the NHL. Thanks to him for that.”-talking about Jeremy Swayman and the energy it brought to the team.
Nikita Kucherov knew that Vasilevskiy would be the winner of that fight and fire up his teammates. “I knew he was gonna beat the wheels off Swayman right away. We call him Mike Tyson. He had to wake us up.”
Boston, the most penalized team in the NHL, took eight penalties, and the Lightning took advantage, scoring three goals on eight power play chances.
In the final analysis, this was more than just a regular-season game.
It showcased everything good about hockey. There was great individual persistence, tenacity, and momentum swings. And a goalie fight.
This was a statement win for the Lightning, a historical comeback, and a message to the hockey world that this Lightning team is equipped to make a deep playoff run.
This was a game for the ages, and a classic that will be talked about for years to come.
The Lightning will resume play Tuesday Night with another division matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
