The Tampa Bay Lightning staged the largest comeback in NHL outdoor game history, overcoming a 5-1 deficit to beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout at the 2026 NHL Stadium Series in Tampa. Nikita Kucherov recorded a goal and three assists, while Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jeremy Swayman engaged in a rare goalie fight during the second period. The victory extends Tampa Bay's strong run as they head into the Olympic break atop the Eastern Conference.
On February 1, 2026, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series before a crowd of 64,617 on a chilly 41.8 degrees Fahrenheit night. Brandon Hagel scored the fastest goal in outdoor NHL history, just 11 seconds into the game, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead with a snap shot from the high slot.
The Bruins responded with five straight goals to lead 5-1 by the second period. Alex Steeves tied it at 1-1 at 11:24 of the first, followed by Morgan Geekie's tip-in at 15:36 and Viktor Arvidsson's power-play deflection at 18:03 for a 3-1 edge. Matthew Poitras made it 4-1 at 2:22 of the second, and Geekie scored again at 8:18 for 5-1.
Tension escalated at 11:01 of the second when Swayman punched Hagel after a puck poke during a Tampa power play, leading to a fight at center ice with Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy landed more punches and later tapped Swayman's head with a smile. "It was one of the biggest moments for me personally, because I never fought in the NHL," Vasilevskiy said. Swayman called it his first career fight, joking, "Probably retired after that."
The Lightning mounted their comeback with four unanswered goals. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored on the power play at 10:28, Darren Raddysh one-timed at 15:50, and Nick Paul tapped in at 16:13 to make it 5-4. Kucherov tied it 5-5 at 11:50 of the third with a one-timer. Jake Guentzel scored the only shootout goal for the 6-5 win, his second assist of the game.
Kucherov finished with four points, matching a record for outdoor games. Vasilevskiy made 29 saves, while Swayman stopped 41. The Bruins took 11 penalties, allowing three power-play goals. "We lost our composure," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. Lightning coach Jon Cooper, dressed in a Cuban-themed white suit, called it a game with "everything."
Tampa Bay (35-14-4) won their third straight and sit tied atop the East with 74 points. Anthony Cirelli left with an injury, and Victor Hedman returned after missing 22 games. The win precedes two final games before the Olympic break, with players like Guentzel (USA) and Hagel (Canada) set to compete in Milan starting February 11.
