MONTREAL 鈥� Brandon Hagel had a three-point performance as the Tampa Bay Lightning began a four-game road trip with a decisive a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Hagel hit a milestone with his first goal when he reached the 100-point mark in the National Hockey League. It was a feat the fifth-year pro didn鈥檛 realize was at arm鈥檚 reach.聽
鈥淚'm not even sure, maybe, I guess it was 100?鈥� Hagel asked. 鈥淚t's crazy from how it started and the ups and downs I鈥檝e been through and finally to get that, it's pretty cool.鈥澛�
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper didn鈥檛 like his team鈥檚 start Saturday at the Bell Centre but said Hagel鈥檚 goal was the kick-starter for his side.
鈥淭hat's what he's done for us, his engine鈥檚 always going and he never gives up on pucks,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淗e's always around the net, as both those goals he scored. It's been kind of (Ondrej Palat鈥檚) spot for a lot of years and Hagel鈥檚 fit seamlessly in there and it's been really good for us.
鈥淭hat line is really good for us, a lot of skill on that line,鈥� said Steven Stamkos of Tampa鈥檚 top unit of Hagel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. "They're feeling it and when they're feeling it, they're making some really good plays 鈥� so it鈥檚 fun to watch.
Nicholas Paul, Anthony Cirelli and Kucherov also scored for Tampa (20-9-1), while Stamkos picked up two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.
Nick Suzuki scored the lone goal for the Canadiens, who have now dropped three straight games for the first time this season. Habs goaltender Jake Allen surrendered five goals on 27 shots.
The Canadiens (14-15-2) took six penalties, five in the second period, and the Lightning made them pay with two power play goals.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lack of finishing but we鈥檙e able to create, we had chances at the start.鈥� said Habs coach Martin St. Louis. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been about penalties tonight. It was hard to score in the second when you鈥檙e defending for the whole period."
The Lightning broke the ice with their first shot of the game. Ian Cole found Hagel with a stretch pass from his own end. Hagel beat Allen on a breakaway.
Tampa took a 2-0 lead at 11:39 of the first period when Paul hopped on a rebound in the slot.
Jake Evans took a high-sticking double minor penalty in the second period, giving Tampa a two-man advantage.
As Mike Matheson left the penalty box, to help his side defend the Lightning power play, Circelli tapped in his first goal of the season from point-blank range.聽
The Lightning improved their lead to four goals at 17:47 of the second period on their sixth power play of the game. Hagel deflected Hedman鈥檚 shot from the point and punished the Habs for their lack of discipline.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, I feel like we talk about it before every single game and as of late. We鈥檝e been taking way too many penalties and that鈥檚 got to stop,鈥� Suzuki said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e wasting the guys鈥� energy killing penalties and it鈥檚 hard to keep momentum like that.鈥澛�
Montreal got one back 16 seconds into the third period when Kaiden Guhle stickhandled past Cirelli and left the puck for Suzuki who spoiled Vasilevskiy鈥檚 shutout hopes.聽
Kucherov showed a flash of skill late in the third period as he zoomed past Joel Edmundson and beat Allen in the top right-hand corner.聽
With five straight wins in their back pocket, the Bolts look forward to a clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tampa scored a 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Leafs on Dec. 3.聽
Even though his team scored five against Montreal, Cooper believes the club's defence is what elevated the Lightning.
鈥淲e're playing well in the right areas of the ice, there's no question," he said. 鈥淲ins are following us because of (defence) and there's a lot of firepower on that Leafs team so we're going to have to defend again.鈥�
HEDMAN TIES LECAVALIER
With his power-play assist, Victor Hedman picked up his 42nd point (eight goals, 34 assists) against the Canadiens in 41 games. The defenceman is now tied with Vincent Lecavalier (19 goals, 23 assists in 53 games) as the Bolts鈥� all-time points leader against Montreal.
UP NEXT
The Canadiens embark on a seven-game road trip starting with a visit to Arizona to take on the Coyotes on Monday.
The Lightning continue their flour-game road trip with a clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. 聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2022.
Tristan D'Amours, The Canadian Press
