The No. 2 pick by the Lightning at the 2009 NHL Draft, Hedman ranks first all-time among their defensemen in games played (1,164), goals (172), assists (639) and points (811). The two-time Stanley Cup champion (2020, 2021) has 120 points (23 goals, 97 assists) in 170 playoff games, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 2019-20, and the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2017-18.
His mere presence is infectious to his teammates, who embraced the fact he accompanied them to Montreal for Games 3 and 4.
“It’s awesome,” Lightning forward Gage Goncalves said during the trip. “He’s our captain for a reason. We’re with Vic and we love having him here. I’ve seen him at the hotel just picking his brain or even just talking to him about what he’s been up to and how’s the family at home. It’s been nice to spend a lot of quality time around the captain.”
And now he’s back on the ice with them, fully practicing and cheering them on, knowing if he doesn’t play in this series, the odds are improving he could potentially play in the second round should the Lightning advance.
With this series down to a best-of-3, Tampa Bay does have the edge in experience.
Montreal’s top three scoring forwards during the regular season — Nick Suzuki (41), Cole Caufield (29) and Juraj Slafkovsky (nine), have combined for 79 career playoff games. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov has played 156 — 77 more than the Canadiens’ top three.
In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy has played 124 postseason games for Tampa Bay; rookie Jakub Dobes had played seven for Montreal.
“You know, with this team having played in these situations and playing meaningful hockey in the past nine years, sure, it helps,” Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh said. “But they’re a good team over there. They’re hungry, they want to get by us, and we want to do the same.
“So, I think these next few games will be pretty fun.”
