Brandon Hagel led the Tampa Bay Lightning to victory over the Colorado Avalanche with five assists on the night. He would tie both an NHL mark and a team record with his performance.
Hagel and the Lightning opened the game fast yet again tonight. The Bolts posted five goals in the first period. Included in those five goals was a power play goal by Jake Guentzel and a shorthanded goal by Luke Glendening.
Nick Perbix opened the scoring with an unassisted goal five minutes into the game. Jake Guentzel scored his 8th goal of the season on quick feeds from Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. After an Ivan Ivan goal cut the lead, Kucherov scored his 12th goal to reopen the lead to two. That goal chased Colorado goalie Justus Annunen for the night only 10 minutes after the game started.
Here comes Guentzel 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZjVz5H8sVn
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 26, 2024
Alexander Georgiev did not fare much better for the Avalanche. Luke Glendening would score his first goal of the season by gabbing the rebound off the pads of Georgiev moments after he entered the game. Anthony Cerelli rounded out the first period with a goal with 14 seconds left.
The Bolts score AGAIN and Georgiev is NOT happy 😳 pic.twitter.com/rrkFBT6vQ1
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 26, 2024
The assist would give Hagel four points on four assists. The feat by the Bolts forward tied for the most in the first period in NHL history. He joined the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Mario Lemieux, among others.
That was just the first period.
Hagel dominates the offensive zone
The Bolts did not let up in the second period. Brayden Point would score the second power play goal of the night halfway through the period. One of the assists would go to Hagel.
Hagel dominated the offensive zone most of the game. His breakaway in the first period led to the Glendening goal. The fast passing between the Saskatoon native and Kucherov led to both power play goals. Most plays saw Hagel right in the middle of the action, and his efforts were benefitted his teammates.
“I’m sure that everything that came out of his mouth was about the team and the effort,” Bolts coach Jon Cooper said regarding Hagel, “I think what it comes down to is that he’s a heck of a player.”
“For him to get those points shorthanded and on the power play shows that he clicks with his teammates.”
Hagel tied the Tampa Bay Lightning record with five assists in a game, joining Mark Reechi (2009), Martin St. Louis (2010), and Darren Raddysh (2024).
Bolts respond to recent woes
After Saturday night’s loss, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper stressed the importance of limiting the number of passes before shooting the puck. The Lightning responded with a quicker movement and got the puck on the net.
“I think we’ve been making the same mistakes again and again where we’d get the lead,” Hagel said, “And then stop playing the right way and just trying a little bit too much.”
“Tonight we came out and we stuck with it right from puck drop.”
The Lightning power play ranked 15th in the league entering Monday night. A question mark most of the season, the Bolts jumped to 8th spot (23.0%) after going two-for-two. Again, the quicker play and tempo stretched out Colorado’s penalty kill unit.
Three Stars of the Game
1. Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay. The Bolt winger posted five assists, tying the team record and joining good company. His effort was the spark the Lightning needed to rout Colorado.
2. Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay. Guentzel scored to boost a struggling power play and added another in the third in a gutsy performance.
3. Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay. Cirelli is on a six-game goal streak following tonight’s second period gem.
Up Next
The Lightning homestand continues as they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a pre-Thanksgiving matchup Wednesday night. Puck drop is at 7:30pm.
