Early look · NHL 2026-27

Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning: game preview

BostonBruins2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 45-27-10 · 100 pts · 8that

Tampa BayLightning2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-26-6 · 106 pts · 5th

Puck drop10 Apr · 8:00 PM ET

VenueBenchmark International Arena

All-time meetings148 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Six points apart last season

Boston finished last season 8th in the league on 100 points. Tampa Bay finished 5th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went TBL 4-0-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 149

Across 148 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 85-48-15.

All-time record85-48-15Boston's record in the series

Meetings played148This is number 149

2025-26 seriesTBL 4-0-0

Last 55-0Tampa Bay

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

11 Apr 2026TBL 2 – BOS 1——TBL

4 Apr 2026BOS 1 – TBL 3——TBL

1 Feb 2026BOS 5 – TBL 6 SO——TBL

13 Oct 2025TBL 4 – BOS 3——TBL

15 Mar 2025TBL 6 – BOS 2——TBL

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBostonTampa Bay

13 Oct 20253-1-0 · 6 pts3rd1-2-0 · 2 pts27th

1 Feb 202630-20-3 · 63 pts10th33-14-4 · 70 pts2nd

4 Apr 202643-26-8 · 94 pts9th48-22-6 · 102 pts3rd

11 Apr 202643-27-10 · 96 pts10th49-25-6 · 104 pts5th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Oct 2025, Boston were 3rd in the league and Tampa Bay 27th. By 11 Apr 2026 it was 10th and 5th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Boston out-attempted Tampa Bay 245 to 229

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Boston Bruins

245 att · 110 on goal · 10 G · 9.1%

Crease20 att · 0 G

Slot79 att · 7 G

Wing106 att · 3 G

Point34 att · 0 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Tampa Bay Lightning

229 att · 116 on goal · 14 G · 12.1%

Crease24 att · 5 G

Slot82 att · 5 G

Wing85 att · 3 G

Point35 att · 1 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Tampa Bay have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

BostonTampa Bay

2.87xG for per game4.04

3.13xG against per game2.64

47.8%xG share60.5%

−2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.1

+1.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.9

This season: 4 games for Boston, 3 for Tampa Bay. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Boston

Small sample

Power play · 2026-270.0%

Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232

Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Tampa Bay

Small sample

Power play · 2026-270.0%

Power play · 2025-2620.7% · 17th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2682.6% · 3rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2748.2% · 81/168

Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

47Mark Kastelic41230.75

10JJ Peterka42020.50

44James Hagens42020.50

86Nikita Kucherov31341.33

59Jake Guentzel31231.00

38Brandon Hagel31231.00

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

27Hampus Lindholm41120.50

91Nikita Zadorov40220.50

6Mason Lohrei40220.50

74John Carlson30220.67

51Charle-Edouard D'Astous31010.33

27Ryan McDonagh30000.00

Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Boston

Expected starter after their game on 9 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Tampa Bay

Expected starter after their game on 8 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Apr

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4

Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7

No appearances against Tampa Bay in the last meetings.

Tampa Bay crease

TBL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Apr

Andrei Vasilevskiy.8983 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Boston in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

11 Apr 20263 · TBL 2–1 BOS

4 Apr 20264 · BOS 1–3 TBL

1 Feb 202611 · BOS 5–6 TBL

13 Oct 20257 · TBL 4–3 BOS

15 Mar 20258 · TBL 6–2 BOS

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Boston2.252.753.323.05

Tampa Bay2.672.333.542.82

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

Tampa Bay · injuries

Dominic JamesHandIRReturn8 Oct

Emil LillebergUndisclosedOutReturn13 Oct

Yanni GourdeHipIRReturn2 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

5 Oct · BOS

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

6 Oct · TBL

Placed C Jansen Harkins on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan, G Mads Sogaard Nielsenon, LD Maxim Groshev, LW Jakob Pelletier and C Nicholas Abruzzese on waivers.

Injury report

Boston · 2026 draft

See all: Boston · 2026 draft →

#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G

#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW

#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW

#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Tampa Bay · 2026 draft

See all: Tampa Bay · 2026 draft →

#52Oleg KulebiakinRound 2 · HalifaxRW

#90Tomas KralovicRound 3 · BratislavaD

#134Morgan AnderbergRound 5 · VaxjoC

#154Cooper SollerRound 5 · Sioux FallsC

Full draft

Saturday 10 April · the full slate

See all: Saturday 10 April · the full slate →

TBLThis game 10:00 PM ET

Updated after every final