Need to Know: Bruins at Lightning

TAMPA –– The Boston Bruins are taking it outdoors on Sunday.

The B’s will face the Tampa Bay Lightning under the lights of Raymond James Stadium in front of a crowd of 65,000. Puck drop is expected to be just after 7:00 p.m. for the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. It marks the sixth outdoor game the Bruins have participated in.

“They have a really good mix, starting with the goalie. Probably one of the best goalies in the league. High, high-end skilled players with some really good role players and some young kids who can actually skate,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “We’re going to have our hands full tonight, just got to play our game and be very careful about our puck management.”

Beyond the fun of the event, an important two points are up for grabs between the Atlantic Division opponents. The Lightning sit atop the division; the Bruins trail them by five points heading into the special-edition contest.

Boston will be without Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha, who are both sidelined with injury.

“We believe that if we play our game the way we have been, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance. It doesn’t matter who is going to be in and out of the lineup,” Sturm said. “We do miss the [Elias] Lindholm and the [Pavel] Zacha, don’t get me wrong, but I am very confident, and I trust my young kids to do their job today."

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, making 33 saves in the win. Swayman has a 2.87 goals against average and a .904 save percentage through 37 games.
• Matt Poitras is skating in his second game with the Bruins this season after getting recalled from Providence on Thursday in the absence of E. Lindholm and Zacha. The 21-year-old forward is projected to center the third line between Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic. Poitras had 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in the AHL before joining the B’s.
• David Pastrnak was named the NHL’s second star of the month for January. The 29-year-old forward leads all players in Sunday’s game in career outdoor goals (4) and points (5); he also has one of only three outdoor hat tricks in NHL history. Pastrnak is expected to skate on the first line with Marat Khusnutdinov and Morgan Geekie.

Opposing View

• The Lightning most recently beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Thursday at Benchmark International Arena. Dominic James, Darren Raddysh, Yanni Gourde and Nikita Kucherov scored in the win, and netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves. Tampa Bay has won four of its last five games ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
• Kucherov leads the Lightning in both goals (27) and points (82) through 48 games this season. The 32-year-old forward has been skating on the first line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. Kucherov is also on the first power-play unit; he has six goals on the man advantage.
• Victor Hedman is expected to return to Tampa Bay’s lineup on Sunday. The captain has not played since Dec. 9 due to an injury to his elbow. Hedman – the 35-year-old defenseman – had 12 assists in 18 games before getting hurt. Hedman was a full participant in the Lightning’s practice at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday.