Victor Hedman’s goal 2:07 into overtime lifts Lightning past Kraken 4-3

In a thrilling overtime victory, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman secured a 4-3 win against the Seattle Kraken at Tampa Bay's home rink on Thursday night. Hedman, skillfully dodging the defense, netted the game-winning goal just over two minutes into the extra period, outmaneuvering Seattle's goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who was attempting to deflect the puck away.

Assisting on Hedman's goal was Pontus Holmberg. Brandon Hagel contributed with two goals, and Ilya Mikheyev added another for the Lightning, who have now won four straight home games. Before this game, Tampa Bay had never begun a season with four consecutive victories since the 2020-21 campaign, when they started the year with a perfect 6-0 record.

The Lightning led 2-1 after two periods and maintained their lead at 3-0 when they entered Thursday's match. The previous season, Tampa Bay boasted a remarkable 33-1 record when they led after the initial two periods. For the Kraken, Jared McCann, Matthew Beniers, and Ryan Winterton each scored goals. Beniers' tip-in goal in the third period tied the game with four minutes and nineteen seconds remaining in regulation time.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves to secure the win for the Lightning, while Grubauer managed 31 saves for the Kraken. In their next game, the Kraken will host the Florida Panthers on Saturday, while the Lightning will host the Vancouver Canucks on the same day.