TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Tampa Bay Lightning return to the ice on Sunday for a far from the ordinary matchup against the Boston Bruins.
Tampa Bay has won 16 of their last 18 games and leads the Atlantic division with 72 points. Boston has won ten out of their last 12 matchups, and is currently tied for fourth place with the Buffalo Sabres.
For the team known as the Bolts, it’s a home contest against Boston, but for this outing home is not Benchmark International Arena – it’s Raymond James Stadium.
Normally this is the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USF Bulls football team. However, crews have been hard at work for the past few weeks transforming the gridiron into an ice hockey rink.
Thousands of fans are in attendance for both teams, and at the pregame party Tampa Bay fans were given a treat. A pair of Bucs superstars, quarterback Baker Mayfield and left tackle Tristan Wirfs, leading the pack as Lightning players came dressed in Bucs gear.
Meanwhile, the Bruins players did a throwback to 1776. They came out dressed as Patriots.
In a recent postgame press conference, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper spoke on how well the team has fared as of late, and how it has been necessary to keep up with the rest of the Atlantic Division.
“We need to do this just to compete in this division,” Cooper said.
“And I don’t think I’ve ever seen our division this tight. Actually, any division in this league as tight as the Atlantic has been with so many teams competing for a playoff spot,”
For perspective, Tampa Bay sits atop the division with 72 points. The Detroit Red Wings are only two points behind in second place. Montreal is in third place with 69 points, and the Sabres and Bruins are tied in fourth with 67.
Tampa Bay also is tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Lightning played in the Stadium Series one previous time in 2022. That season they defeated the Nashville Predators at Nissan Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Titans.
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