Lightning center Alex Killorn was chilling in his Davis Islands home a few weeks ago with buddy and teammate Andrej Sustr and his girlfriend, Tiffany, when the idea was hatched.

They were going over possible costumes for the team’s annual Halloween party, and, unsurprisingly, they started to think big.

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Sustr had planned on going as a photographer — his passion — putting on a vest and a camera around his neck. But Sustr and Killorn have a history of elaborate dual costumes, like their Andre Agassi-Bjorn Borg a few years back. Killorn and Sustr had become friends with Bucs players, including backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert and tight end Rob Gronkowski, so they decided to go for it.

They went as Tom Brady and Gabbert, with the Bucs hooking them up with a complete, authentic set of gear, from the shoulder pads to cleats and even the play-call sheet for Killorn’s wrist.

“We made our own kind of gameplan for the night,” Killorn said with a smile.

Meet Killorn and Sustr, the Lightning’s odd couple. Their Mutt and Jeff.

“They’re a match made in heaven,” said Matt Keator, the agent for both players.

The teammates bonded from the beginning a decade ago when both broke into the NHL in 2012-13 following their college careers. They were young, single and trying to find their way in pro hockey. They were an unlikely match, with Sustr as a 6-foot-7 undrafted free agent defenseman from the Czech Republic, who played in college at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Killorn was a forward prospect out of Harvard.

But they quickly connected, and have been inseparable ever since. They’ve traveled the world together, from the Caribbean to the French Riviera. They’ve dressed up as pirates for Gasparilla, enjoyed dinners at Bern’s Steakhouse and attended football games. And lately, they’ve become roommates, with Killorn inviting Sustr to live with him while he’s on the Lightning roster bubble.

For Sustr, who spent the last two years playing in China, the gesture meant more than anyone can know.

“It helps so much,” Sustr said. “Sometimes, when you spend a lot of time at the hotels, it gets kind of lonely. Not having a car, it’s always a grind that people don’t really see when guys spend so much time at the hotel. But with Alex giving me the opportunity to stay at his place and providing a sense of belonging and home, it’s something I’m really grateful for. He doesn’t have to do that.

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“But for him doing that means a lot to me, and helped me accomplish what I wanted, to play some games here. I’m definitely grateful.”

When the Lightning signed Sustr out of Nebraska-Omaha, the late Tom Kurvers was the one that recruited him.

The fact that Killorn had already been part of the organization — and loved it — helped Keator steer the lanky defenseman to Tampa. When Sustr agreed to come, Keator gave Killorn a call.

“I may have a big Czech kid coming your way,” Keator said. “You need to hang out.”

“He told me to look after him,” Killorn said.

For both of them, it helped to have someone going through the same process. They trained together in the summer in Montreal with strength and conditioning coach Mark Lambert. They got to learn a new city, and a new league, together. Sustr’s family lived in the Czech Republic, where they run a glass company, and only came down for Christmas.

Sustr and Killorn were among the few single guys on the team early on, with Keator saying the two of them and former Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison were called “The Triplets.”

“When you’re a player like me and you don’t have a family over here, you rely on your peers, whether it’s the guys on the team or the staff,” Sustr said. “You rely on those guys that much more than others. Even Alex’s family has been there for me through the years. When they’d come down for Thanksgiving, they’d include me in that. Those are the things that happen that people don’t really see, but are very valuable.”

When Sustr left to play in China in the KHL the past two years, he regularly kept in touch with Killorn, whether that was talking about life, sending photos, etc. So when Sustr re-signed with Tampa over the summer, he knew he’d have a place to stay.

“We just kind of grew up together,” Killorn said. “We were younger then, and I’m just happy for him. I never thought I’d be playing with him again when he first went to play in China. It’s funny how things wind up. I’m really happy for him.”

Keator laughs when he opens up his iPhone sometimes and sees a text from Killorn or Sustr.

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The veteran agent doesn’t know what will be coming. There have been photos from the Montreal Grand Prix, the Caribbean, French Riviera, somewhere downtown…

“Those guys are twins,” Keator said. “But they’re not identical.”

They do share a similar sense of humor, though. Take Sustr’s goal song.

When Sustr scored a goal for the Lightning about five years ago, he joked that he should have a song. PR man Brian Breseman asked him what he thought it should be.

“Oops! … I Did It Again,” by Britney Spears, Sustr said.

They laughed. But, hey, it worked. The Amalie Arena crowd exploded when they first heard it. And when Sustr scored again a few weeks ago, it certainly seemed like Spears’ hit was played louder than we’ve ever heard Steven Stamkos’ “Hammertime” or former forward Tyler Johnson’s “Johnny Be Goode.”

Sustr said he didn’t think the song would stick around, which made him “shocked” when he heard it again.

“That was awesome,” Sustr said. “I couldn’t really describe it. It’s like I kind of came full circle. The last goal I scored was when I was in Tampa. When I was in the KHL, my teammates were making fun of me that I only score goals in the NHL. I proved that again. Those are the moments that you just cherish the most, to see the guys fired up and how happy they were to me.”

Few Lightning players were more pumped than Killorn.

“I was really excited for him, honestly,” Killorn said. “Just knowing what he’s been through, we stayed pretty close.”

The two are never really far away, especially now that they’re roommates. Killorn said Sustr has the entire top floor of his home to himself.  “I don’t need much, I’m pretty simple,” Sustr said. “I need a bed and a bathroom, that’s about it.” Sustr doesn’t pay rent, just occasionally picks up dinner or takes care of Killorn’s puppy, Millie.

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“He’s a pretty good roommate,” Killorn said. “I wanted to make fun of him and stuff, I wanted to give him a hard time, but he’s very good, very quiet. Whatever you need, if you need him to take care of dinner, he’s pretty good.”

Sustr got sent down to AHL Syracuse on Wednesday, and is actually there this time, unlike his reassignment over the weekend. There’s not as much room on the Tampa Bay blue line with Zach Bogosian nearing a return from a lower-body injury, though the fact Erik Cernak is out for a while with an upper-body injury could keep Sustr on call. But when and if Sustr leaves and returns, he’ll always have a room at Killorn’s.

“It feels super homey,” Sustr said. “The season can get pretty rocky at times. Being on the bubble, you can try to make a home as much as possible. And Alex and Tiffany do that for me.”

(Top photo of Sustr and Killorn courtesy of Sustr)