Nov 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) shoots as Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk (4) defends throughout the first interval at Amalie Area. Obligatory Credit score: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Photographs The Tampa Bay Lightning all of a sudden discovered their mojo Monday night time towards the Colorado Avalanche and can look to maintain the offense thriving after they host the Washington Capitals Wednesday night time.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper had been brazenly vital of his group’s overpassing and highlight-reel setups over two winless video games (0-1-1), however he certainly had no drawback Monday when the puck discovered its means onto the stick of Brandon Hagel.
Identified extra for his velocity and scoring, Hagel set a franchise report with 4 assists within the first interval — tying an NHL report for that complete in a gap body –in his membership’s 8-2 rout of the Avalanche.
Then he added a fifth helper on the second’s lone objective, a snipe by Brayden Level for his team-leading seventh on the ability play.
The 5 assists for a sport matched the franchise mark held by Mark Recchi, Martin St. Louis and teammate Darren Raddysh.
And one of the best praise of all of them?
“I believe (Nikita Kucherov) requested if I used to be Bobby Orr after the primary interval, and I am removed from it. However I am going to take that,” Hagel mentioned after the Atlantic Division group matched its excessive mark for objectives scored this 12 months.
In all, it was a blinding show by Tampa Bay, which moved to 4-1-1 in its previous six video games however had just lately stumbled.
Nick Perbix, Jake Guentzel and Kucherov all scored within the sport’s first 10:03, chasing beginning goaltender Justus Annunen because the Colorado crease grew to become a netminding turnstile. Alexandar Georgiev allowed three extra earlier than the teaching workers determined it wanted to relaxation him. Then Annunen returned and yielded third-period objectives to Guentzel and Michael Eyssimont.
The Lightning had been with out Nick Paul for the third straight sport. Cooper mentioned at morning skate the membership could be with out the productive ahead for the remainder of the week.
Down in South Florida, the Washington Capitals confirmed they may truly win with out one of many sport’s premier scorers, Alex Ovechkin (damaged leg).
Goaltender Logan Thompson was stellar in web with 20 saves to enhance to 9-1-1, whereas Lars Eller scored twice and Jakob Chychrun posted a objective and two assists as Washington handed the Florida Panthers their sixth defeat in seven video games, 4-1 in Dawn.
Washington dictated play a lot of the night time, because it hemmed the defending Stanley Cup champions into their very own finish by being one step forward and relentless on the puck, consistently maintaining strain on Florida goalie Spencer Knight.
That ultimately paid off with the power-play objective from Chychrun, a local of Boca Raton, simply half-hour north of the Panthers’ enviornment, for the game-winner in a 3rd interval that impressed Washington coach Spencer Carbery.
“I assumed the third interval was our greatest interval by far, beginning with the ability play to get us the lead there,” Carbery mentioned. “We utterly locked it down and carried nearly all of the play within the third.
“I used to be actually happy with that third interval. That is obtained to be what it seems like.”
The victory was the primary in three tries with Ovechkin absent from the lineup for Washington. Wednesday marks the Caps’ second of six away contests over an eight-game span.
–Area Stage Media