Victor Hedman broke through Seattle’s coverage and ended the night himself, scoring 2:53 into overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning edged the Seattle Kraken 4-3 at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday.
Key takeaways
- Hedman’s close-range overtime finish delivered Tampa Bay’s fifth win in its past six games.
- Brandon Hagel scored twice for the Lightning, who improved to 5-2-0 and remained unbeaten at home at 4-0-0.
- Matty Beniers forced overtime with a redirected goal late in the third period.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 shots, while Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves.
- Seattle saw a three-game winning streak end despite goals from Ryan Winterton, Jared McCann and Beniers.
Hedman supplies the extra-time winner
The decisive play began with Hedman carrying the puck from the blue line. The Lightning defenseman drove between Kraken defenders, got to the net and beat Grubauer from in tight to settle a back-and-forth game.
Tampa Bay had led 3-2 entering the late stages of regulation, but Seattle earned a key offensive-zone faceoff and made it count. Vince Dunn’s initial shot created the chance, and Beniers got his stick on the puck to steer it past Vasilevskiy at 15:41 of the third.
The Kraken entered the game at 5-2-1 after winning four of their previous five outings, including three straight. The point kept Seattle’s road effort from going empty, but Hedman’s rush ensured the Lightning collected the extra point.
Hagel’s two goals lead Tampa Bay’s push
Seattle grabbed the first lead at 5:43 of the opening period. Frederick Gaudreau pressured Emil Lilleberg behind the Tampa Bay net, forcing a turnover before moving the puck to Winterton alone in front. Winterton converted the quick chance for a 1-0 Kraken advantage.
Hagel answered late in the first. He slipped behind Berkly Catton, took Brayden Point’s feed and finished after Grubauer turned aside his first attempt, tying the score at 16:53.
The Lightning winger struck again at 3:38 of the second period. Anthony Cirelli dropped the puck to Hagel, who fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle past Grubauer’s glove to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1.
McCann pulled Seattle level on the power play at 2:54 of the third. Jordan Eberle sent a pass across the ice, and McCann buried a one-timer from the low slot.
Ilya Mikheyev restored Tampa Bay’s lead at 9:58 of the third when he stripped Ville Ottavainen near the crease and nudged the puck beyond Grubauer. Beniers then supplied Seattle’s late equalizer, setting the stage for Hedman’s overtime finish.
