Tampa Bay celebrates its man of the hour

Brandon Hagel remains the man of the moment: With two goals, he extended his scoring streak to five games and led the Tampa Bay Lightning to an away win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

30 November 2025

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For Tampa Bay, the 4-1 victory marked their seventh consecutive win and their 15th victory in the last 18 games. The team was once again without several key players – Brayden Point, as well as defensemen Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak, and Ryan McDonagh, remain sidelined with injuries. But the Lightning seem unfazed. "We're just in a really good vibe right now," said coach Jon Cooper. Particularly impressive: Despite a slow start the previous day in Detroit, Tampa Bay found their rhythm and carried that momentum into New York.

Hagel is emblematic of his strong run: He has now scored eight times in the last five games and has netted twelve goals in November alone – a league-leading tally tied with Jason Robertson (Dallas). Since October 26, the striker has scored 15 goals in 16 games. "When you create as many chances as he does, at some point you reach a stage where everything just clicks," Cooper praised.

Nikita Kucherov once again showcased his talent, setting up three goals. This extended his point streak to nine games and marked his fifth consecutive multi-point game. Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel also scored, while goaltender Jonas Johansson faced only 12 shots – Tampa Bay dominated the Rangers with a 35-13 shot advantage.