The reviews are in on Tampa's Stadium Series ice, and not all are raves

TAMPA, Fla. — When the Lightning took to the ice under the tent for their practice ahead of Sunday’s Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium, it didn’t feel like they were about to play in front of 65,000 fans.

“It felt like you were in a rural town in the north somewhere playing at a youth hockey rink,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “That’s honestly how it felt. And it was actually super cool, that low ceiling. … We were sitting around talking to the team, and I’m like, I can’t believe this roof is going to come off and we’re going to be in the open air with all these people there.

“Until you’re in it, you don’t really appreciate the work that everybody puts in to pull this off. I can’t believe they pull it off like this.”

The climate-controlled tent used to help build and protect the ice sheet from the elements is anything but a normal hockey rink. The 10-hour dismantling process is scheduled to begin at midnight, and by late morning Sunday the ice will be exposed to the elements, although insulated tarps will seal in the cold on the sheet.

Was everything perfect Saturday? Not quite.

Cooper called attention to a small hole in the ice between the blue lines while the Lightning were warming up, but the league’s ice crew immediately patched it up.

At least one Lightning player thought the quality should be better.

Right wing Nikita Kucherov, who is meticulous about details, called the ice “terrible.”

“Hopefully nobody gets hurt and everybody stays healthy,” Kucherov said. “It’s fun, but the ice, man, come on. You can’t do Formula 1 in the f---ing dirt, you know?”

Defenseman J.J. Moser wasn’t as critical, saying the ice was a “little slow.”

“It was a little chippy,” he said. “It had a couple of holes. But I guess you can’t really expect too much from that. It’s just about adjusting.

“It’s certainly going to be a read tomorrow when you warm up to see how the ice is. And then you probably want to start a little simpler into the game, probably not do crazy behind-your-back drop passes if you don’t know where it’s gonna go or if it’s gonna stop. So probably just start simple and then see from there how it goes and how comfortable you feel.”

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who will play in his sixth outdoor game, the most of any player in the game, said he thought the ice was great.

“There were a couple holes, obviously to be expected, but I thought it was great,” McDonagh said. “The boards seemed pretty normal, and the glass, too. These guys, the league, have done this so many times, so they know what they’re doing, and I think the tent really helped them dial it in.”

Saturday was the first time that skates touched the ice, and the league will continue to work to improve the quality of the sheet, even after the tent comes off. NHL vice president of facilities and operations Derek King said earlier in the week that the league meets with the teams after the practices to take in feedback and adjust. The weather for Sunday is expected to be ideal, but King said it also might be so unpredictably cold that they’ll need to warm the sheet.

“We’ll pay close attention to our temperatures, make sure everything’s good for the teams,” King said Thursday. “If anything does come up, we’ll talk to them after (practice).”

This organization has waited a long time for the dream of an outdoor game in Tampa to become a reality, and Cooper made sure all of his players were able to experience the day-before buzz of the Stadium Series. Injured players Brayden Point, Emil Lilleberg and Charle-Edouard D’Astous participated in practice but aren’t expected to play. Even emergency backup goalie Kyle Konin was on the ice.

“It was like hockey-school practice,” Cooper said. “We had 10 defensemen out there. The part that that’s tough is that only 20 people get to play, and we have a bunch of guys that have been a big part of this organization and won’t get to suit up. ...

“It’s such a unique event that you want to just make sure everybody’s a part of it, and they feel a part of it.”

Victor Hedman expected to return

From the time Lightning captain Victor Hedman decided to have surgery to repair an injured right elbow, Feb. 1 was always the target date for his return. He wanted to get back for the Stadium Series game and also ensure he was ready to play for his native Sweden during his first Winter Olympics in a few weeks.

But leading up to Sunday, Hedman didn’t want to get ahead of himself. Even after Saturday’s practice, when he received congratulatory stick taps in the middle of a stretch circle, he didn’t guarantee a return.

When asked about Hedman’s status, Cooper said “barring him coming in (Sunday) and saying no, which I think is extremely doubtful, he’ll most likely be in (Sunday). The country of Sweden can take a huge breath.”

It would be Hedman’s first game since Dec. 9. He’s missed 34 of the Lightning’s last 37 games.

Focus on valuable 2 points

Outside of all the spectacle, what’s mainly important for the Lightning is getting two points. Tampa Bay went into Saturday leading the Atlantic Division with 72 points and a .692 point percentage while riding a 16-1-1 stretch.

But Boston sits in the second wild-card playoff spot. The Bruins are 12-2-1 in their last 15 games, and Sunday’s game is the first of three before the Olympic break (all against division teams). The Lightning host Buffalo on Tuesday and Florida on Thursday.

“Our division just doesn’t stop winning, so there’s not much breathing room, and we got to three divisional games before the break,” left wing Brandon Hagel said. “So we’re gonna treat this game like any other. Obviously, the excitement, friends and family in the building, but at the same time, it’s our home-ice advantage. We want to come in here and do it for our fans as well.”