Victor Hedman scored a game-winning goal 11:53 into the third period on Thursday night for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Brayden Point contributed a goal and two assists for Tampa Bay, while Mikhail Sergachev scored in the second period and assisted on Brandon Hagel’s empty-netter. After Chicago’s Corey Perry tied the game at 2 early in the third, the Lightning took over. “After giving up that second goal, I thought we took over the game once again after that,” Hedman said. “We got some zone time and we kept playing so it was big for us.”
Coach Jon Cooper praised his team’s response after Perry scored. “The boys dug in,” Cooper said. “What happened in the past is basically we shied away from the moment and tonight we didn’t. A big response from us in the third to close it out.” Lukas Reichel scored for Chicago, but the Lightning’s strong performance in the third period secured the victory. Jonas Johansson made 13 saves for the Lightning, while Petr Mrazek blocked 25 shots for the Blackhawks. The Lightning’s next game will be against Edmonton on Saturday, while the Blackhawks will face off against Nashville on the same day.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL