Hedman scored twice Tuesday in an 8-5 win over the Devils.
Hedman's goals book-ended Brandon Hagel's natural hat trick in the second. He tied the game 2-2 at 7:34 of the second period on a wrist shot from low in the left circle. Hedman then scored his second of the game on a slap shot from the point to push the score to 6-2. It stood as the winner. He's already at eight points (two goals, six helpers), and he's on track to equal the kind of near point-per-game output he delivered in 2023-24 and 2022-23.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Two assists in loss Monday
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Hedman dished out two assists, including one on the power play, in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Hedman has yet to find the back of the net this season, but he remains heavily involved in the Lightning's offensive scheme and currently leads the team with six assists, ranking second in the league in that category among defensemen. Goals should come sooner rather than later for Hedman, though, as he's also averaging 3.0 shots per game.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Credited with three assists
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Hedman notched three assists, including two on the power play, and two shots on goal in Friday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Hedman is an elite defenseman in the NHL, and he delivered an impressive outing in Tampa Bay's season opener. He was involved directly in three of the team's goals, including two in the power play. Hedman has notched at least 60 assists in two of the last three seasons. He should remain one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL as long as he remains healthy, thanks to his integral roles on one of the top-scoring rosters in the league.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Inks four-year extension
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Hedman agreed to terms on a four-year, $32 million contract extension with Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Hedman has one year remaining on his current deal, which means he is tied to the Lightning through the 2028-29 campaign. There's no doubt the Bolts' front office will hope this softens the blow with the fan base after Steven Stamkos was allowed to depart in free agency Monday. The 33-year-old Hedman is coming off a bounce-back year in which he topped the 75-point threshold for just the second time in his career. Heading into the 2024-25 campaign, Hedman figures to remain among the elite defensemen in the NHL, providing top-end fantasy value as the No. 1 power-play quarterback.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Scores lone goal in Game 5 loss
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Hedman scored a goal on six shots, added four hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5.
Hedman put the Lightning on the board in the second period, but they couldn't build any momentum. The 33-year-old did his part in the Lightning's first-round exit, racking up seven points, 15 shots on net, 13 hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over five contests. Hedman will be in the last season of his eight-year contract extension in 2024-25, but he should at least begin the campaign in his usual role as the Lightning's top blueliner.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Adds three helpers in win
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Hedman supplied three assists -- including one on the power play -- in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers in Game 4 of the conference quarterfinals.
Hedman was held off the scoresheet in the series opener but he's since emerged with six helpers, and the power-play quarterback's vintage Game 4 performance helped the Lightning avoid a series sweep. A two-time Stanley Cup champion whose 15-year career has been spent exclusively with Tampa Bay, Hedman should continue to be a major factor as long as his team can keep adding games to its postseason schedule.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Two helpers in OT loss
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Hedman picked up two assists, one on the power play, in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers in Game 2 on Tuesday.
All of Tampa Bay's scoring came in the first six minutes of the second period, as the team was otherwise stifled by Sergei Bobrovsky. Hedman had managed only one multi-point performance in the prior 15 games, including Game 1, but he'd been a consistent contributor with a goal and 10 points over that span. The Bolts may need the 33-year-old blueliner to find another gear in order to have a chance to bounce back from an 0-2 deficit in the series.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Back at practice Friday
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Hedman (illness) returned to practice Friday, per Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida.
Hedman had another terrific regular season, scoring 13 goals and adding 63 assists. The Lightning's top blueliner had one assist in each of Tampa Bay's three games versus Florida, the team's first-round playoff opponent, this season.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Sitting due to illness
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Hedman (illness) won't play Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
There's no point in playing through it for Hedman, as the Lightning are locked into the first wild-card spot. Hedman will end the regular season with 13 goals, 76 points, 168 shots on net and 102 blocked shots over 78 appearances.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Three helpers in loss
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Hedman picked up three assists, two on the power play, in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Penguins.
The 33-year-old blueliner is having an impressive finish to the season. Over the last 12 games, Hedman has racked up three goals and 14 points. The recent surge has carried him up to 75 points on the season -- the second-highest total of his career after the 85 he compiled in 2021-22.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Notches helper in return
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Hedman picked up an assist, fired five shots on goal and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Bruins.
Hedman missed Sunday's game versus the Ducks due to a lower-body injury, but he was back to his usual self Wednesday. He led the Lightning with 25:49 of ice time and earned his 10th point in nine March appearances with a helper on Nikita Kucherov's empty-net goal. Hedman is up to 70 points (12 goals, 58 assists), 147 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 62 PIM and a plus-17 rating through 69 contests overall.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Poised to return Wednesday
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Hedman (lower body) is slated to play in Wednesday's matchup with Boston, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports.
Hedman looks set to return to action after missing just one game due to his lower-body issue. While the blueliner has scored just two goals in his last 10 outings, with both tallies coming in the same game, he did rack up eight helpers over that stretch for a point-per-game pace. With Hedman back in action, he should reclaim his spot at the point with the No. 1 power-play unit.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Won't play Sunday
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Hedman (lower body) is considered day-to-day and will not be available Sunday against Anaheim, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
The day-to-day designation is good news, but Hedman will be absent for at least one game. The veteran blueliner has been productive as usual on the offensive end this year, racking up 12 goals and 69 points through 68 contests. His next chance to play will be Wednesday against the Bruins.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Slings helper
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Hedman notched an assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings.
Hedman has two goals and seven assists over his last seven outings. The defenseman helped out on a Steven Stamkos goal in the final minute of the third period Saturday, which forced overtime. Hedman is up to 69 points, 142 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 62 PIM and a plus-15 rating through 68 appearances on the year.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Garners assist Thursday
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Hedman logged an assist, four blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Sharks.
Hedman saw a four-game point streak end Tuesday in Vegas. He's been strong lately with 14 points over his last 11 outings, a span that includes four multi-point efforts. The 33-year-old defenseman is up to 68 points, 140 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 51 hits, 62 PIM and a plus-15 rating through 67 appearances. Hedman looked to be in decline last year, but he's rebounded excellently this year, giving him a chance to reach the 80-point mark for the second time in his career.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Three-game, six-point streak
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Hedman put up two assists Thursday in a 6-3 win over the Rangers.
Hedman is on a three-game, six-point scoring streak that includes four assists. And he has 10 shots and four PIM in the same span. Hedman sits third overall in scoring from the blue line with 66 points (12 goals, 54 assists) in 64 games. This season has been a sweet rebound for the big defender, who saw his output drop last season to only 49 points.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Big three points carry win
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Hedman had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
Hedman opened the scoring 1:49 into the first period from the high slot, and he then made it 6-0 at 7:33 of the third. With five points in his last four games, Hedman (64 points) has moved into a tie with Noah Dobson for third in defenseman scoring across the NHL. There's also an outside chance that he will hit the 80-point mark for the second time in the last three seasons.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Registers power-play helper
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Hedman notched a power-play assist in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Islanders.
Hedman has racked up 12 points over his last nine outings. The 33-year-old's spot on the top pairing and first power-play unit are as secure as ever, with Mikhail Sergachev (leg) out for the rest of the regular season. Hedman's at 51 points in 50 appearances this season, already better than his 49-point campaign a year ago. The defenseman has added 102 shots on net, 58 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Hits 700 NHL points
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Hedman picked up three assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Devils.
His first helper was his 700th point. Only 29 defenders have achieved 700 career points in the NHL. Hedman heads into the All-Star break on a four-game, six-point scoring streak (one goal, five assists). He also has 50 points in 48 games, which is third on the team behind Nikita Kucherov (85) and Brayden Point (54). So much for all the speculation that Hedman's career was in decline after he posted just 49 points last season.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Four-point outburst leads way
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Hedman scored a goal and added three assists in a 7-4 win over Minnesota on Thursday.
It was Hedman's seventh career four-point game, tied with Roman Josi (Nashville) for second among active defensemen. Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh) has 10 to lead active defenders. Hedman's goal came on a one-timer from the point in the first period to knot the game at 1-1. He's put up eight goals and 44 points this season in just 43 games. That puts him on an 80-plus point pace like he delivered in 2021-22. The 33-year-old has effectively rebounded from a 49-point season in 2022-23.
