Brandon Hagel scored twice, and Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the shutout as the Tampa Bay Lightning downed the Los Angeles Kings, 3-0. The Lightning recently rebounded from a stretch of self-inflicted losses and wrapped up a long January schedule with an important win.
The Lightning started quickly yet again, with an opening score by Hagel in the first five minutes of play. Vasilevskiy earned his first point of the season when he passed the puck to Gage Goncalves. At mid-ice, Goncalves connected with Hagel, where the Saskatoon native drove a shot past Kings netminder David Rittich.
In case you didn’t know… Brandon Hagel is so good 😊 pic.twitter.com/spCgJdW7wQ
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 31, 2025
Quick passes highlighted the Bolts’ fast-paced start and even quicker shots at the Kings’ net. The Lightning have struggled to score goals the past few games, and there was a concerted effort to create more opportunities.
A challenge from Lightning coach Jon Cooper in the second period negated a Los Angeles goal from Quinton Byfield. Coming off a penalty kill, Ethan Moverare came out of the penalty box and took a pass that he got to Byfield on a breakaway. However, it was determined that Moverare was offside.
“A big turning point in the game was when the challenge went our way,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “Who knows what happens if that game is tied?”
Bolts continue to struggle to find the net
Despite Los Angeles’s sloppy play, the Lightning struggled to find the back of the net. The Kings turned the puck over several times in their zone, yet Tampa Bay could not convert those turnovers into goals.
The Lightning have been held to one goal in their past two games and outscored 17-10 in their last five games. Therefore, Tampa Bay entered tonight trying to find that scoring groove they had earlier this season. That lack of scoring directly led to the Bolts’ losing four of those five games.
Missed opportunities continued to plague Tampa Bay tonight, as well. Brayden Point, Hagel, and Nick Paul found themselves with pucks at their sticks at point-blank range yet could not convert. Nikita Kucherov was denied on two breakaways in the third.
“It’s just tough,” Cooper lamented. “We’ve given ourselves a ton of chances, and they just haven’t been going in for us.”
“(Despite that) I like the way we’re playing.”
Vasilevskiy Shines, Hagel Breaks the Game Open
The Lightning finally found their scoring groove late in the third period. Hanging on to a one-goal lead, Kucherov drove to the net when Vladislav Gavrikov upended him. Rittich made the initial save on Kucherov, but Hagel followed up with a drive to the back of the net to extend the lead to two.
Anthony Cirelli scored an empty-netter to ice the game away.
After being off the ice for four days due to illness, Vasilevskiy earned his third shutout of the season with a gritty performance. As the Bolts held on to a slim lead throughout the night, the Lightning goalie played consistently and held Los Angeles at bay.
“The worry was that he hadn’t skated in four days,” Cooper shared. “So this morning was the first time he touched the ice. He looked calm in there, so it was great to see.”
“We just wanted to ensure that we weren’t stuck in our end all night, and we did a pretty good job of not doing that.”
Three Stars of the Game
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Vasilevskiy stopped all 28 shots he faced after returning from an illness that kept him off the ice for four days. The Big Cat further builds on his legacy.
2. Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay. Scored two of the three goals and added an assist. The second goal in the third period, to break the king’s spirit, was much needed for the psyche of the lightning more than anything else.
3. David Rittich, Los Angeles. Rittich stopped 30 of 32 shots, and kept the Kings in the games despite some sloppy hockey, at times.
Up Next
The long month of January has come to an end. The Tampa Bay Lightning start February by hosting the New York Islanders on Saturday at Amalie Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
