Bruins vs Lightning stuns Stadium Series 2026 crowd with 6–5 shootout comeback

The outdoor showcase in Tampa turned into one of the wildest games of the season. In Stadium Series 2026 at Raymond James Stadium, the Tampa Bay Lightning erased a four-goal deficit and beat the Boston Bruins 6–5 in a shootout late Sunday night, flipping a game that looked over when Boston led 5–1 in the second period.

For anyone checking the Bruins score or Lightning score this morning: Tampa got the win after tying it in regulation and finishing it in the shootout.

Bruins vs Lightning: a 5–1 lead evaporates

Boston controlled the middle stretch and looked poised to skate away with the outdoor win. The Bruins built their cushion behind a multi-point night from Morgan Geekie and a surge of goals that pushed the lead to 5–1 midway through the second period.

Then the game snapped into a different gear. Tampa’s comeback began on special teams and never really stopped: power-play goals, a rising tempo, and a third-period equalizer turned a comfortable Bruins night into a scramble to survive.

By the end, the Lightning had completed the rally, and the shootout settled it: Jake Guentzel scored the lone shootout goal to seal 6–5.

Stadium Series 2026 turns Tampa into a hockey stage

The event itself was built for spectacle, and it delivered. The league’s outdoor rink sat inside an NFL stadium footprint, with a crowd of 64,617 watching in unusually chilly Florida conditions (temperatures in the 30s). The setting mattered: this wasn’t just a regular-season game, it was a marquee “stadium” production with big points at stake.

The game also reinforced why the Stadium Series format works: the backdrop is different, the crowd energy is different, and momentum swings feel amplified when the ice is framed by football grandstands and a sea of winter gear in a subtropical city.

Guentzel and Kucherov headline Tampa’s surge

Tampa’s rally ran through its top-end finishers and playmakers. Nikita Kucherov piled up a goal and three assists, repeatedly creating dangerous looks as the Bruins tried to protect their lead. Guentzel finished with two assists before delivering the deciding moment in the shootout.

The Lightning also got key contributions from throughout the lineup during the push, including a burst of power-play scoring that dragged the game back within reach before the third period even began.

From a coaching standpoint, it was a reminder of what makes this group hard to put away: even when the game state is ugly, they keep generating chances and leaning on special teams to force a new script.

A rare goalie fight becomes the night’s turning point

The comeback had plenty of hockey reasons, but the emotional pivot came from something far less common: a goalie fight.

With tensions rising after post-whistle contact, Jeremy Swayman and Andrei Vasilevskiy skated out and dropped the gloves near center ice in a brief but memorable scrap—an instant jolt for the building and a clear signal the game had turned into a full-contact grudge match. It was the first NHL fight for each goaltender, and it added a moment fans will replay long after the standings points fade.

If you’re wondering why the game suddenly felt like it was tilting, that kind of scene can do it: benches stand, crowds roar, and the team that feeds off the surge often plays faster for the next several shifts.

Bruins schedule and Lightning schedule: what’s next

With the outdoor night complete, both teams pivot back to the grind of the regular season. If you’re searching “hockey games today,” neither club is scheduled to play on Monday (Feb. 2), but the calendar ramps up quickly.

Boston’s immediate focus is stabilizing after a blown lead, while Tampa will try to bottle the confidence from a comeback that required near-perfect urgency for the final half of the game.

Sources consulted: National Hockey League; Reuters; ESPN; Sportsnet