Hedman has goal, assist for Lightning in win against Senators

TAMPA -- Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Amalie Arena on Thursday.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for the Lightning (19-6-4), who have won seven of their past eight games. Vasilevskiy set an NHL record with his 63rd win of the calendar year. He is 63-21-4 in 2021, including regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff games. Marc-Andre Fleury was 62-30-6 in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We're just sliding under the radar, which is fine for us," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said. "Probably a little weird being a defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champion and we're just sliding under the radar. It's great for us."
"We kind of joke that we're the 'Tampa Bay Find-A-Ways.'" We just find a way to win, find a way to get points and just munch them away until we get healthy."
Thomas Chabot scored for the Senators (9-17-1), and Anton Forsberg made 25 saves but had his five-game winning streak end.
"I thought we played real hard," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "I thought we had plenty of chances, especially in the second period. Obviously five penalties, they score one and that's the difference here tonight.
"You'd like to get a point. We had some guys that were a little bit flat, but defensively we worked hard and blocked shots and did everything we could to give ourselves a chance to win."

Chabot's first goal in 27 games gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 15:43 of the first period when he skated down the left boards and chipped the puck over Vasilevskiy's glove.
"Obviously it stings, we feel really good about our game right now," Chabot said. "But this is a team that has won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and you see why. We stuck with it until the end. We had our chances. We could have taken the lead a couple times. I think we battled until the end."
Alex Killorn tied it 1-1 at 3:47 of the second period. Ross Colton skated through traffic and found Killorn open near the crease for the tip.
Hedman gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 15:05, a slap shot from outside the left circle that deflected off Forsberg's glove.
"I was looking to pass the whole way, but they gave me the left lane and, you know, it sneaked in somehow," Hedman said. "You have to shoot sometimes too."

Stamkos had the secondary assist on Hedman's goal for his 900th NHL point (452 goals, 448 assists), all with Tampa Bay after being the No. 1 pick at the 2008 NHL Draft.
"Anytime you can do anything like that at home in a win in front of your fans and friends and family, it's just that much more special," Stamkos said. "One hundred more and that will be a really nice one, but you have to get to this to get there."
Vasilevskiy preserved the one-goal lead with 10 saves in the third period.
'''Vasy' had to make some big saves when they had their chances,'' Stamkos said.
NOTES:Chabot led all skaters with 30:06 of ice time. … Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev left the game in the first period because of a lower-body injury. There was no further update. ... Hedman has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in the past six games. ... Senators forward Drake Batherson had his six-game point streak end.