The Lightning will head into the break on a high note.
The Lightning will head into the break on a high note.
Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point scored two goals each, defenseman Victor Hedman hit another offensive milestone, and the Lightning beat the Devils 6-3, giving them eight wins in their last nine games.
The Devils are a strong offensive team, but the Lightning defended well throughout the first two periods.
After a scoreless first period where the Lightning outshot New Jersey 9-6, Hedman fired an absolute rocket that Nick Paul caught in front of the net, giving Paul his 13th goal of the season.
Ondřej Palát, who is a fan favorite after spending his first 10 seasons with the Bolts, scored on a rebound from Nico Hischier's shot at 2:49 of the third. Stamkos immediately responded one minute later, making it 3-1.
Nikita Kucherov helped out with two assists, putting him back on top of the NHL leaderboard. The Lightning have started to turn their season around, playing more cohesively and filling the gaps they had at the start of the season defensively.
“We did some tweaks a few weeks back and I think the confidence for our group has grown,” said Hedman.
“Everyone is finding their roles. The guys coming up have done a phenomenal job. You can't say enough good things about those guys from just being in Syracuse, and then they come up and they’ve made a difference for us.”
The Lightning will get a much-needed break for All-Star weekend followed by the bye week. They'll return to the ice on February 7th to face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
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