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,

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.

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.

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.

A goal scored with Tampa Bay on the penalty kill propels it to a 2nd straight home win over a tough Eastern Conference opponent.

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.

Detroit has been on a bit of a hot streak as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 games. The Lightning have had a jam-packed month of January with sixteen games on the schedule. There's no doubt they'd like to see their divisional record improve and they'll have a chance to do it tonight.

The 20-year-old is getting used to living on his own and coping with the mental challenge that comes with playing in the NHL.

THROUGH GAMES OF SATURDAY, JAN. 18, 2025

Past the season's midpoint, our staff's updated picks for Cup winner, dark horse, biggest disappointment, awards, playoff fields and more.