Lightning's Stadium Series game vs. Bruins receives record viewership

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Feb 3, 2026

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning’s Stadium Series win over the Boston Bruins Sunday at Raymond James Stadium was the most-viewed regular season NHL game ever on cable television and the most-viewed regular season NHL game overall in seven years.

The national ESPN broadcast averaged 2.1 million viewers, reaching a peak of 2.4 million, making it the most-viewed NHL regular season game since the 2019 Winter Classic between the Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

The game also marked a 30% increase over last year’s Stadium Series game between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets as Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

It also was ESPN’s most-viewed NHL regular season game on record. ESPN became one of the league’s TV rightsholders again in 2021. The network had three previous stints broadcasting NHL games: 1979-82, 1985-88 and 1992-2004.

The game drew pregame buzz because it was the league’s first attempt at outdoor hockey in a truly open-air stadium in Florida. The Panthers played this year’s Winter Classic under a retractable roof at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.

The NHL built a climate-controlled tent to protect the ice from the Tampa weather, but a cold front sweeping through the Gulf Coast took care of heat and humidity concerns, resulting in a 41.8-degree temperature at puck drop.

The Lightning then orchestrated a dramatic comeback from four goals down, fueled by Andrei Vasilevskiy challenging the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman in a rare goaltender fight, for a 6-5 shootout win that marked the biggest comeback in franchise history and in the league’s 45 outdoor games.

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