Raw Charge
Summary
Lightning News What a game by captain Victor Hedman last night! His struggles and triumphs over the last year have been well documented but last night, Hedman scored one of the most memorable goals I can ever remember the Big Swede scoring. There are plenty to choose from in his Hall of Fame career but last night’s goal felt extra special. Hedman looked like the Hedman of old as he scored the game-winning goal in overtime by beating all three Kraken players and a finishing with a beautiful goal. He finished the game +3 in 17:13 of action across 25 shifts which was second most by the Lightning defensive unit. [ Raw Charge ] THAT'S OUR CAPTAIN 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JIExw28fUu — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 16, 2026 Hedman picked a great time to have a key moment. He has played in every game this season and has averaged 13:52 of game action, and trending down lately, heading into last nights game against Seattle which saw Hedman play 17:13 time on ice. He looked a lot like the Hedman we all know and love and was a driving force in the Lightning win before he scored in overtime. Justin dove deep into his underlying stats in a way too early look at Victor Hedman’s 2026-27 season so far. [ Raw Charge ] Dominic James is finally back with the Lightning after a conditioning stint in the AHL with Syracuse. James was injured in the off-season when his stick jammed into the boards and broke a bone in his hand. Ouch. The Lightning will certainly appreciate his “juice” inserted into their lineup as James enters his second season in the NHL. He recorded an assist last night against Seattle with a great breakout pass on Brandon Hagel’s second goal of the game. [ NHL ] Some notes on Nikita Kucherov from a fantasy hockey perspective that ties into why he only has one goal on the season so far. Please note this was posted before last night’s game when he landed eight of his twelve shot attempts on goal. [ Dobber Hockey ] League News The NHL put out a list of seven surprises two weeks into the new season. There’s been some goalie drama and unexpected storylines involving two teams from the Atlantic Divison. [ NHL ] The Atlantic-leading Ottawa Senators got some bad injury news as William Eklund will be out 10-12 weeks weeks with a torn tendon in his ankle that required surgery. Eklund was injured against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 8th. He was acquired from San Jose as part of the Brady Tkachuk trade and has one goal and one assist in four games. [ Daily Faceoff ] The Carolina Hurricanes are also dealing with their own injuries. Seth Jarvis started the season on Injured Reserve and is out until mid-November and Carolina recently lost Captain Jordan Staal for 1-2 months with a torn calf muscle. Taylor Hall has joined them on the mend with an upper-body injury sustained against Washington on Tuesday night. [ ESPN ] In non-injury news, Alex DeBrincat is the latest player to get paid handsomely. The Red Wings signed him to a 7 year, $91 million ($13m cap hit) extension. DeBrincat has 4 goals and 4 assists in seven games this season and has 298 goals and 305 assists in 703 games and turns 29 years old in December. [ Winging It In Motown ] Life as an emergency emergency back up goalie. View this post on Instagram