Defenseman Victor Hedman reached his 700th career point with the first of three assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning won their seventh consecutive home game, defeating the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Saturday night.
Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point scored twice, contributing to Tampa Bay’s victory. Both teams played their final game before the All-Star break. The Lightning have won eight of their last nine games, while the Devils have only two wins in their last seven.
Nick Paul and Steven Stamkos each recorded a goal and an assist, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves for his seventh win in his last eight starts.
“We’re fighting for every game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It always feels like we’re playing teams close to us in the standings. Getting these points is crucial for us.”
Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, and Tyler Toffoli reached his 500th career point with a goal. Vitek Vanecek finished with 36 saves.
Hedman reached his milestone on Tampa Bay’s opening goal, assisting Paul’s tip-in shot at 1:09 of the second period. Hedman is the 29th defenseman to reach this mark and the fourth active defenseman to achieve 700 points, joining Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang.
“It’s special to do it all with one team and organization,” Hedman said.
Hagel extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 2-0 on a rebound from Hedman’s point shot with 9:20 left in the second period. Hedman’s two assists in the second period also marked his 64th career multi-point period, third most among active defensemen.
The Lightning outshot New Jersey 19-4 in the second period.
“It wasn’t good enough; they won more battles,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “The battles on the wall, the net front battles, we just weren’t good enough.”
The Devils reduced the deficit to 2-1 at 2:49 on a rebound goal from Palat, who spent 10 seasons with Tampa Bay and won two Stanley Cups.
Stamkos quickly responded a minute later to restore the two-goal lead, followed by Bratt scoring off the rush at 7:19. Point made it 4-2 with 6:08 left. Toffoli then made it 4-3 with 2:38 remaining before Tampa Bay scored two empty-net goals.
“I hope everyone uses the break to rest and reflect on the team we want to be,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If we aim to be a playoff team, we must figure things out. Everyone must look in the mirror, including me, and return ready to improve.”
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host Colorado on Tuesday, Feb. 6
- Lightning: Visit New York Rangers on Wednesday, Feb. 7
