I am fully convinced that the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning simply do not know how to play bad head-to-heads.

No matter what’s going on in the world or with those teams, these have become must-watch contests. And it turns out not even a fake pirate ship and enough pirate wordplay to make your eyes roll out of your skull (where they’d be eaten by a parrot, I imagine) could dampen the fanfare and nearly-unmatchable intensity of these teams linking up again.

In other words, the 2026 Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium was a hit. Like you knew it’d be with these two going at it. The game simply had it all. You had 10 goals between the teams, you had fights (goalie fights, even), 18th century soldiers, and a shootout. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was dressed like Lou Bega for some reason.

It had everything but the second point the Bruins wanted in this one.

Here’s a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game…

3rd Star: Morgan Geekie

TAMPA, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 01: Morgan Geekie #39 of the Bruins is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Lightning during the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium on February 01, 2026. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Not even a trip outdoors to ‘freezing’ Florida temperatures — get this weather in Boston right now and you’re fighting the urge to reopen the pool — could cool down Morgan Geekie’s stick in this one.

Back to his scoring like he did in the first two months of the season, Geekie continued his surge despite the loss, with two goals and an assist in 18:43 of time on ice for the Black and Gold.

With Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha out, the Bruins also leaned on Geekie to take some more faceoffs than he typically has over the last two years, and he delivered with wins in three of his five draws.

2nd Star: Brandon Hagel

TAMPA, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Bruins tackles Brandon Hagel #38 of the Lightning during the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium on February 01, 2026. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

If you’re looking for a turning point in this game, it felt like it came when Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman decided to drop the gloves with Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. It gave some obvious life and extra jump to a Tampa team that looked downright D-E-A-D at that point. But how did that whole thing start? With Brandon Hagel jamming his stick between Swayman’s pads and Swayman losing his mind and diving at him.

It was just part of Hagel’s monstrous night, which began with the fastest goal scored in outdoor game history, at just 11 seconds.

Along with the goal, Hagel added helpers on the Tampa goals that kickstarted their comeback. And he really just stuffed the box score throughout his contest, with six shots on goal, two blocks, and three hits in 27:37 of time on ice by the night’s end.

1st Star: Nikita Kucherov

TAMPA, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Bruins makes a save against Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Lightning during the overtime shootout in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium on February 01, 2026. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

There’s only one player who’s been hotter than David Pastrnak since the calendar flipped to 2026, and that’s the Bolts’ Nikita Kucherov.

And after a white-hot January, Kucherov made sure to begin his February on a similar note, with a goal and four points in the comeback win for the Lightning. It’s actually tied for the second-most points in a single game in the NHL’s outdoor game history, trailing only Mika Zibanejad and his five points in last month’s Winter Classic in Miami.

What makes Kucherov such a terrifying player for the opposition is that he truly possesses that unique quality where you’re terrified every time he loads up for a one-time blast or shot. Rare skill in this league.