“We were definitely sloppy with the puck on our stick,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Turnovers were an all-time high for us in the season, but in the end, we got outworked, if we’ve really looking at the big picture here, and there’s a team that simply came in and worked harder than us, and that’s the disappointing thing for sure.”

Hagel reached the 70-point mark for the second straight season. He has 30 goals, which is third on the Bolts, and his 40 assists are the best of the rest behind uber-playmaker, Nikita Kucherov (64). Hagel's career high 75 points came last season,

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh is playing a key role in helping Oliver Bjorkstrand get acclimated to Tampa Bay.

Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen sees similarities between Slaggert and Hagel, and as it turns out, Slaggert has actually been studying Hagel's game for years.

The Bolts Best Player of the Month for February has officially been crowned to Brandon Hagel. The Lightning winger has been taking the hockey scene by storm as of late, thanks to 13 points in eight games and a solid two-way showing for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel reached the 30-goal plateau by scoring in his fourth straight game, and the Lightning extended the Eastern Conference's longest winning streak to eight with a 3-1 showing against the host Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon.

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres are looking to stop their four-game slide with a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay is 36-21-4 overall and 7-10-0 against the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are second in the league with 217 total goals (averaging 3.6 per game).

The Lighting paid a steep price — two first-round picks — for Gourde and Bjorkstrand but they're two players who should fit in perfectly.

The Sabres have lost seven games this year when leading by two or more goals at some point. Four of the seven have been in regulation.

Early in the third, the two newest members of the Lightning teamed up for the eventual game-winning goal. Following a Kucherov right-circle shot, Yanni Gourde knocked the puck to Oliver Bjorkstrand at the top of the crease, and Bjorkstrand swatted it in at 1:40.

The best thing after a tough loss is to get right back on the ice and that’s what the Lightning will do with a home game against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) gets around Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38 ...