The Boston Bruins are set to take their game outdoors on Sunday as they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL”s Buccaneers. This matchup is the NHL”s second outdoor game in Florida this season, following the Winter Classic held at the Marlins” stadium in Miami. Historically, the Bruins have performed well in outdoor games, boasting a record of 4-1.
Throughout their history, the Bruins have participated in four Winter Classics and one NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe in Nevada. They achieved victories in two of those Winter Classics at Fenway Park (2010, 2023) and another at Notre Dame Stadium in 2019, while they faced defeat in the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium. Bruins forward Casey Mittelstadt expressed excitement about outdoor hockey, stating, “You can”t beat it. That”s pretty much what I do for All-Star break every year.”
The Lightning have a perfect record of 1-0 in outdoor games, with their only prior appearance occurring in 2022 during the NHL Stadium Series against the Nashville Predators. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm is on the verge of making history by becoming the first individual to participate in an NHL outdoor game both as a player and a coach. Sturm was the one who scored the game-winning goal during the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
Here are the details for Sunday”s game:
- When: Sunday, 6:30 PM
- Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
- TV, radio: ESPN, WBZ-FM 98.5
- Line: Tampa Bay -225
- Over/under: 6.0
Bruins Season Record: 32-20-3. Against the Spread: 35-20. Over/Under: 31-23, 1 Push. Last 10 Games: 8-1-1. Against the Spread: 6-4. Over/Under: 6-3, 1 Push.
Lightning Season Record: 34-14-4. Against the Spread: 27-25. Over/Under: 23-27, 2 Pushes. Last 10 Games: 8-1-1. Against the Spread: 6-4. Over/Under: 2-7, 1 Push.
When examining team statistics, the Bruins have scored 184 goals while allowing 170. In contrast, the Lightning have scored 180 goals and allowed only 129. The Bruins possess a power play percentage of 26.8%, while the Lightning stand at 21.3%. In terms of penalty minutes, the Bruins have accumulated 727, whereas the Lightning have 690. The Bruins” penalty kill rate is 77.6%, compared to the Lightning”s 84.6%. On faceoffs, the Bruins have a success rate of 52.0%, while the Lightning are at 46.7%.
As for notable statistics, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy ranks second in the NHL with 24 wins in 34 games, just one win behind Karel Vejmelka.
Weather forecasts indicate that Tampa will experience chilly conditions by Florida standards, with temperatures expected to hover around 45 degrees at game time. Currently, the Lightning lead the Atlantic Division by two points over Detroit with three games in hand. Nikita Kucherov is third in NHL scoring, boasting 82 points in 48 games. Brandon Hagel has tallied 25 goals and 49 points in 47 games, while Jake Guentzel also averages over a point per game, with 55 points in all 52 games played for the Lightning.
Following a 4-1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, the Lightning improved their record to 16-0-2 over the last 18 games. The Bruins, on the other hand, currently hold the No. 2 wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Canadiens. Both Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha, the Bruins” top two centers, are absent from the trip to Florida due to upper-body injuries. Matt Poitras has been called up to make his NHL debut this season after the Bruins” win over the Flyers. Fraser Minten, who will step in as Boston”s top-line center for this game, has recorded 16 points and a plus-15 rating over his last 15 games. Leading the Bruins in goals is Morgan Geekie with 30, while David Pastrnak follows with 22.
Information from Field Level Media contributed to this report. For further inquiries, Matt Pepin can be contacted at [email protected].
