Lightning quickly extinguish Flames on Thanksgiving eve

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Nov 26, 2025

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — Want urgency? Want a team not satisfied with just reaching the top of the Atlantic Division standings? Want a team more concerned with carving up its opponent than Thanksgiving carvings?

Meet the Lightning.

There was something special in the pregame meal Wednesday night, because they wasted no time serving the Calgary Flames on a platter with a 5-1 win on Thanksgiving eve at Benchmark International Arena.

The Lightning scored goals on three of their first four shots, starting with Brandon Hagel’s fifth goal in three games just 39 seconds in. They took a four-goal lead midway through the first period and never looked back.

The Lightning (14-7-2) remained atop the division, heading into Thanksgiving with their 13th win in their last 16 games after opening the season 1-4-2. It was their fifth straight win and second five-game streak in their last 16 games.

The Lightning got bottom-six forward Pontus Holmberg back in the lineup after he missed the previous seven games. But they were without top center Brayden Point for a second straight game, as well as defensemen Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Max Crozier, who are on injured reserve.

Still, that didn’t stop Tampa Bay from jumping on Calgary quickly, proving from the start that the key to good defense is good offense.

After Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy threw out his left pad to stop Jonathan Huberdeau on the doorstep, Anthony Cirelli collected the puck and took it the other way. The resulting 3-on-2 ended with Hagel wristing a shot from above the left hash past Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf into the top far corner.

Rookie defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who has filled in admirably on the left side with Hedman and McDonagh out, scored 47 seconds later on a slap shot from just inside the blue line with Gage Goncalves setting a screen in the paint for his second goal in 16 games with the Lightning.

At 5:52, forward Zemgus Girgensons saucered the puck past Wolf, chasing him from the game and giving Girgensons five goals on the season.

Defenseman Declan Carlile, who is making up one half of the Lightning’s third defensive pairing with all the blue-line injuries, then scored on a wrister from the left dot, a shot that was stopped by goaltender Devin Cooley but leaked past him into the back of the net.

The Flames’ only goal came shorthanded 64 seconds into the third period, on a wrister from the right circle that appeared to hit off Darren Raddysh’s stick.

Vasilevskiy saved 32 shots on the night and has held opponents to one goal or fewer in each of his last five games.

Nikita Kucherov finished off a 2-on-1, and the game, on a give-and-go with Hagel for his 11th goal of the season with 5:37 left.

Hagel’s two-point night gave him 23 points, including 12 goals, over his last 15 games.