The Tampa Bay Lightning (13-7-2) are on a four-game winning streak, taking no prisoners. They continued that on Monday, with a 3-0 win vs. the Philadelphia Flyers (11-7-3). They scored goals in the first (Brandon Hagel, 15:34), second (16:00), and third (19:45) to win it.
The Lightning’s first line of Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Nikita Kucherov won them the game, despite Brayden Point being out. Kucherov led the way with three assists and a plus-3 plus/minus, but Hagel had two goals and an assist on the night. Cirelli also earned a goal and assist, so Hagel and Cirelli are now third and fourth on the team in points (behind Jake Guentzel and Kucherov).
Andrei Vasilevskiy had another strong performance in net, stopping all 20 shots he faced. That included vanquishing a power play the Flyers went on. Philadelphia actually outshot Tampa Bay 20-18, and they had more opportunities on the power play (2 to 1), but Vasilevskiy was in Vezina form.
The Lightning that were revered in the preseason are all the way back. With 28 points, Tampa Bay moves up to the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic, just like most people predicted in the offseason. The Flyers, meanwhile, remain at 25 points, putting them back in the mosh pit of wild card contention.
Brandon Hagel Is Back to Himself
It’s astonishing to think Hagel was struggling at the beginning of the season. At the beginning of the season, he scuffled, notching just one assist in his first seven games. Since then, he has 11 goals and ten points in his last 15 games.
Related: Lightning’s Brandon Hagel Reclaiming Scoring Touch
In his past two games, Hagel has gone nuclear, scoring a combined four goals, three assists, and seven points. His 11 goals are just second on the team behind Guentzel, and he’s shown to be a first-line talent through and through. On Monday, he had a goal in the first and the empty-netter in the third to seal the win.
Again, it’s insane how much Hagel has developed since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks. In his first full season in Tampa Bay (2022-23), he had 64 points in 81 games, and in 2024-25, he had 90 points in 82 games. If this recent stretch is any indication, he could be in store for averaging well over a point per game again.
Vasilevskiy Is on Fire
Vasilevskiy has been as advertised for the Lightning this season. His .911 save percentage (SV%) is sixth in the NHL, lower than last season’s tally of .921, but in his most recent stretch, it looks like he could surpass that number.
In his past four games, Vasilevskiy has allowed just three goals. On the road against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 15, he saved 22 of 23 shots. At home against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 18, he stopped 31 of 32. Against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 20, he stopped 24 of 25 shots, and against the Flyers on Monday, he saved all 20 of the shots he faced. It was the 41st shutout of his NHL career.
If Vasilevskiy can keep up this pace, he could be a candidate for the Vezina Trophy again, especially with the recent news of Connor Hellebuyck missing time. Regardless, no Lightning fan has to worry about their netminder.
Tampa Is All the Way Back
At the beginning of October, the Lightning had one of their worst stretches in recent history. In the first seven games of the season, they were 1-4-2. They were one of the worst teams in the league, with everyone but Kucherov, Guentzel, and Point struggling.
Fast-forward to late November, and the Lightning are rolling. They’ve come all the way back from the bottom of the Eastern Conference. With 28 points and a four-game winning streak, they are now atop the Atlantic.
Depth, such as Charles-Edouard D’Astous and Dominic James, has stepped up, and J.J. Moser has filled in well as the No. 1 right-handed defenseman with Ryan McDonagh’s injury. Tampa is just three points ahead of the wild card teams, so anything could happen, but Lightning fans should feel a sense of relief knowing Tampa Bay is still a team to be feared in the Eastern Conference.
