Andrei Vasilevskiy (28 saves) helps Lightning blank Kings

Brandon Hagel scored twice in a three-point outing, Andrei Vasilevskiy notched his third shutout this season and the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the visiting Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Thursday night.

In the second match of their season-long five-game homestand, the Lightning got goals from Hagel in the first and the third period plus Anthony Cirelli’s empty-net tally to win for the second time in six games (2-4-0).

Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots and added an assist in his 21st win this season. It was the 37th career shutout for the 11th-year veteran.

After being named Team Sweden’s captain for next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off earlier Thursday, Lightning captain Victor Hedman played in his 1,100th game, becoming the fourth Swedish defenseman to hit the milestone.

David Rittich made 30 saves as Los Angeles lost 3-0 for the second straight game. The Kings are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games and have lost nine straight at Tampa.

After losing to Los Angeles 2-1 in an offensive-starved match on Jan. 4, Hagel blazed past defenseman Jordan Spence with an inside move and beat Riddich for the game’s first goal 4:45 into the opening period. Vasilevskiy was credited with the secondary assist.

Neither team had a power play in the first as Tampa Bay held an 11-8 advantage in shots.

The visitors appeared to pull even at 1-1 right as the game’s first power play ended when Jacob Moverare popped out of the penalty box and fed Quinton Byfield for a breakaway goal at 7:44 of the second.

However, the Lightning successfully challenged that Moverare was offside and the goal was nullified.

Rittich kept the score 1-0 at 10:31 of the second with a diving glove save on Brayden Point at the near post on a 3-on-2 rush.

In the third, Vasilevskiy made a key save on Anze Kopitar’s breakaway four minutes in, and Hagel put the win away at 15:39 with a marker after Rittich stopped Nikita Kucherov’s breakaway.

With an assist from Hagel, Cirelli tapped a short goal into an empty net for the final tally at 18:43.

–Field Level Media