The Tampa Bay Lightning found their rhythm on Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche and are aiming to keep their offense going when they face the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper had criticized his team’s tendency to overpass and try to make flashy plays during two winless games (0-1-1), but he had no complaints on Monday when Brandon Hagel was on fire. Hagel, known for his speed and scoring, set a franchise record with four assists in the first period, tying an NHL record for the most assists in the opening frame, during the Lightning’s 8-2 win over the Avalanche.
Hagel didn’t stop there, adding a fifth assist on Brayden Point’s power-play goal in the second period, giving Point his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Hagel’s five assists tied the franchise record held by Mark Recchi, Martin St. Louis, and his teammate Darren Raddysh.
The most amusing praise came from Nikita Kucherov, who jokingly asked Hagel if he was Bobby Orr after the first period. Hagel laughed it off but was happy to take the compliment.
The Lightning had a dominant performance, moving to 4-1-1 in their last six games. In the first 10 minutes of the game, Nick Perbix, Jake Guentzel, and Kucherov all scored, causing the Avalanche’s starting goalie Justus Annunen to be pulled from the game. Backup Alexandar Georgiev allowed three more goals before being replaced. Annunen returned but allowed more goals in the third period from Guentzel and Michael Eyssimont.
Tampa Bay played without Nick Paul for the third consecutive game. Cooper confirmed that Paul will be out for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, in South Florida, the Washington Capitals showed they could still win without their star player, Alex Ovechkin, who is out with a broken leg. Goaltender Logan Thompson was excellent, making 20 saves to improve his record to 9-1-1, while Lars Eller scored twice and Jakob Chychrun had a goal and two assists to lead Washington to a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, handing Florida its sixth loss in seven games.
Washington controlled the game, keeping Florida’s defense on its heels by pressuring goalie Spencer Knight and staying relentless with the puck. Chychrun scored the game-winning goal on the power play in the third period, and Washington coach Spencer Carbery was impressed with the way his team played in the final frame.
“I thought the third period was our best period by far, starting with the power play to get us the lead there,” Carbery said. “We completely locked it down and carried the majority of the play in the third. I was really proud of that third period. That’s got to be what it looks like.”
The victory was Washington’s first win in three games without Ovechkin. Wednesday’s game will be the second of six road games for the Capitals over an eight-game stretch.
