While the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to move up the Eastern Conference standings, their captain Victor Hedman keeps checking off milestones. The Lightning and their hulking defenseman will finish a two-game homestand Saturday night against the sizzling Detroit Red Wings in the opener of four matchups between the Atlantic Division foes.

One of the best players in the game has reached an exceptional milestone. On Thursday night, during a game against the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman registered the 600th assist of his NHL career,

Anaheim opened the scoring 6:03 into the game on a redirection by forward Troy Terry, but the Lightning tied the score eight minutes later on the power play. Hedman got the puck at the left point and fed forward Brandon Hagel in the right corner, where the latter passed the puck to Anthony Cirelli at the back post for a tap-in and a tie game.

Here are three reasons to like the Lightning’s new-look power play. Thursday’s moves were transformative, because the personnel and positional changes made it difficult to tell which was the top unit and which was the second. Point men Victor Hedman and Darren Raddysh switched units, with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel matched with Raddysh.

NHL Game recap for the Anaheim Anaheim Ducks vs. Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Lightning game on January 16, 2025. Follow every play as it happens throughout the NHL season on CBS Sports and the CBS Sports app.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout as Victor Hedman sets a Lightning franchise record.

Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel are inseparable ... biggest goal of the game with Tampa Bay shorthanded. Defenseman Victor Hedman had just gone to the penalty box for an interference penalty ...

The Lightning played without their leading goal-scorer, top center Brayden Point, who was scratched for missing a team meeting prior to the morning skate. It forced the team to scramble just to get enough players to fill its roster, recalling 22-year-old forward Jack Finley from AHL Syracuse to make his NHL debut as the 12th forward.

Jake Guentzel scores the only goal in the shootout to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 victory over the Ducks.