Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Discusses Stadium Series Goalie Fight

Hagel's quick goal felt like a statement but it wasn’t. The Bruins responded with force, scoring five unanswered goals and flipping the game completely on its head. Tampa head coach Jon Cooper stole camera time with a slick, mafia-inspired outfit, while Bruins head coach Marco Sturm made history of his own as the first person to both play in and coach an NHL outdoor game.

Boston was rolling. Tampa was reeling. And then, everything changed.

Oliver Bjorkstrand cut the deficit to 5–2 with a power-play goal during a chaotic crease scramble midway through the second period. It helped, but it didn’t feel like enough. Moments later, something far more important happened.

The Goalie Fight That Changed Everything

During a scrum in front of the Bruins’ net, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jeremy Swayman skated to center ice and dropped the gloves. What followed was a spirited, one-sided tilt that saw the Lightning’s star goalie take control (video below).

The reaction from the bench was electric and gave a seemingly defeated Tampa team new life.

Darren Raddysh scored minutes later off a pass from Kucherov with a one-timer from between the circles at 15:50 to make it 5–3. Then, 23 seconds later, Nick Paul scored a tap-in off a perfect feed from Jake Guentzel to cut the lead to one.

With just over eight minutes remaining, Kucherov tied it with a one-timer from the right circle for his fourth point of the night (video below). The stadium erupted, the bench celebrated, and the game had flipped.

The 2026 Stadium Series eventually went to overtime, where David Pastrnak appeared to end it just 18 seconds into the extra frame, but his goal was disallowed due to a slashing penalty.

The shootout followed, and Jake Guentzel scored the lone goal to seal a 6–5 Lightning win. It marked the first time in NHL outdoor game history and in Tampa Bay Lightning franchise history that a team came back from a four-goal deficit to win.

Kucherov’s Rare Words Say It All

After the game, Kucherov did something he rarely does: an interview. When asked about watching his close friend Andrei Vasilevskiy fight, Kucherov gave a great response.

"I knew he was gonna beat the wheels off Swayman right away. he was throwing the lefties and rights—I was like, 'My God.' i didnt want to be the other guy. I mean, I was just so happy. I was so fired up, and I think the bench felt it, and everybody felt it in the building. and ever since that fight, I think the game was turned, you know? Vasy had to do it i guess, he had to wake us up so he did."

When a reporter followed up with, “Now we gotta call him Tyson, you said?” Kucherov cracked a rare grin and jokingly said.

"The White Tyson."

It was funny, raw, and perfectly on brand. More than that, it revealed how deeply this Lightning core feeds off emotion and shared belief. That fight wasn’t about toughness; it was a message about how resilient this team truly is.

Games like this don’t happen often. When they do, they become reference points. This one had everything hockey fans love: stars shining, chaos unfolding, and a moment that changed the energy of an entire building.

For Tampa Bay, it was a reminder of who they are at their best — relentless, emotional, and impossible to put away. For the league, it was proof that outdoor games still have the power to surprise, shock, and elevate the sport.

And for everyone watching, it was one of those rare nights where hockey didn’t just meet expectations — it shattered them.