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Lightning Morning News: Victor Hedman first Lightning player to 600 assists

Dec 10, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman (77) and Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry (90) battles for position during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

At 34-years old Victor Hedman might not take over games like he did as a 24-year-old, but The Big Swede still knows how to set up his teammates. On Thursday he did it again as Hedman picked up the secondary assist on Anthony Cirelli’s power-play goal. It was his 28th assist of the season and the 600th of his 16-season career.

It was a vintage Hedman power-play assist. In the center of the ice he spied an open Brandon Hagel in the right circle and sent the diagonal pass right to his stick. Hagel then sent it to his buddy Cirelli, who tapped it past Lukas Dostal. With 35 points this season Hedman ranks sixth in scoring among defensemen and his 14 power-play points is 14th. The captain of the Lightning is still logging big minutes as he is averaging 23:20 of ice time per night. Twilight might be approaching, but the sun has not set on his hall-of-fame career just yet.

With the record-setting helper, Hedman became just the 19th defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark, and the fourth Swedish blueliner with 600 assists under his belt. In regards to franchise history he is miles and miles beyoung all other Lightning defenders. The next closest defenseman in Tampa Bay history is Mikhail Sergachev with 209. Even among forwards Hedman has outpaced Vinny Lecavalier (491), Steven Stamkos (582), Marty St. Louis (588), and Nikita Kucherov (598).

While Hedman currently holds the record, it likely won’t be for much longer as Kucherov added another two against the Ducks to get to his total. At this rate, Kuch should eclipse him by this weekend.

As long as Hedman stays healthy, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could get to 700, a milestone only 11 defensemen have ever reached.

Congratulations, Victor Hedman.

Lightning News

Lightning defeat Ducks, 4-3 [Raw Charge]

Despite giving up the first goal, the Lightning had a much better start to their game. It took a little longer than they wanted thanks to the play of Anaheim netminder Lukas Dostal, but they eventually pulled out the win in the shootout.

Lightning rank 24th in NHL Prospect Rankings [The Athletic]

Being ranked 24th in anything usually isn’t cause for celebration, but it’s one of the highest rankings bestowed on the Lightning by The Athletic’s prospect team in quite some time. The play of Conor Geekie at the NHL level, coupled with the development of Dylan Duke and Niko Huuhtanen, and the potential of Isaac Howard and Ethan Gauthier have elevated the organization.

Erik Cernak leaves game with injury [The Hockey News]

The Bolts pulled out the victory despite playing with just five defensemen as Cernak left the game after just 30 seconds of play. It’s the second game in a row that the Lightning’s shut-down pairing suffered an injury as Ryan McDonagh was knocked out of the Bruins game when a puck hit him in the face. As of right now, Cernak’s status for Tampa Bay’s next game is uncertain.

Hockey News

How the Capitals retooled on the fly [The Athletic]

It’s doubtful that anyone had the Capitals atop the Eastern Conference when the season started, but here we are. The Lightning get a shout-out for the moves they made in the summer to extend their playoff window.

Aleksander Barkov named Finland’s Athlete of the Year [NHL.com]

The Panthers’ captain became the first hockey player to win the prestigious award, which is voted on by the Finnish Association of Sports Journalists.

Ovechkin scores OT winner [Japers’ Rink]

He’s not going to actually do the thing is he? Alex Ovechkin increased his goal total to 874 with the overtime winner against Ottawa. He also set the record for most goalies scored against as Leevi Merilainen was the 179th different goaltender he’s beaten. Despite missing 16 games this season, Ovi know sits just 21 goals away from being the all-time leading scorer in NHL history.

Gary Bettman on taxes, the CBA, and more [Sportsnet]

Don’t expect the NHL to expand their playoff field any time soon. The Commissioner (and Hall of Famer) spoke on The Real Kyper and Bourne Show about a variety of topics.

Zach Hyman discusses purchase of OHL Bulldogs [Sportsnet]

Of all the off-ice distractions that NHL hockey players face where does “attend OHL Board of Governors meetings” rank? Hyman is about to find out as he and his family purchased the Brantford Bulldogs. The Oilers’ forward will be the President and Governor while his father will be CEO, and his brother the COO.

Blue Jackets/Red Wings release Stadium Series uniforms [The Cannon]

For a team that has played roughly 452 outdoor games and had to come up with 452 different sweaters, the Red Wings did a pretty good job by keeping it simple. Love the script, love the helmets. Five stars. Columbus did well with their first outdoor alternative. Love the shoulder patch and the state outline around the Captain and Assistant Captain letters. Five stars.

Montreal Victoire return home from West Coast Swing [The Hockey News]

It’s been a minute since we checked in on our adopted PWHL team, the Montreal Victoire. They went 1-0-1 out west as part of the league’s Takeover Tour, playing games in Vancouver, Seattle, and Denver. Much like the Lightning, they have games in hand on their competitors as they have only played 9 games this season, compared to the 11 everyone else has. Their 4-2-1-2 record is good for second place.

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