The Tampa Bay Lightning have won an NHL-best 11 games in a row, which is even more impressive considering top defenseman Victor Hedman has been out of the lineup and on injured reserve since Dec. 11.
As the team continues to surge — now sitting 29-13-3 and first place in the Eastern Conference — head coach Jon Cooper provided a key update on the injured Swede on Thursday afternoon.
“Victor Hedman could get back on the ice soon, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Thursday,” confirmed NHL.com. “The defenseman was projected to return in time to play for Sweden in the Olympics after having a procedure on his elbow Dec. 15.”
Hedman captained Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and is again expected to play a critical role for the country in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina in February.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion hasn't scored a goal for the Bolts in 2025-26, but he's chipped in 12 assists over 18 games while averaging a shade over 21 minutes per contest.
Darren Raddysh has been fantastic in the veteran's absence, quarterbacking the top powerplay unit and breaking out to the tune of 39 points in 39 games — which includes 12 goals.
Lightning surging despite key injuries
Along with Hedman, star forward Brayden Point is out of the lineup after getting injured during a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. He needed to be helped off the ice after scoring a powerplay goal early in the second period.
Cooper said there is no update on the Canadian; he's set to miss his second consecutive game when the Lightning travel to St. Louis to play the Blues on Friday.
The forward was named to Team Canada's Olympic roster — Cooper is the head coach of the squad — and his status for the tournament is now in serious jeopardy after he was labelled week-to-week.
“Cooper said there still is time for Hockey Canada to make a decision on Point's availability for the Olympics or if they will need to replace him on the roster,” wrote NHL.com.
Despite missing Hedman and Point, as well as Ryan McDonagh and Emil Lilleberg, Tampa Bay just cannot stop winning. Sitting 18-13-3 on Dec. 20, the Lightning have racked off 11 straight victories — eight of them in regulation — while looking like a juggernaut in the process.
The team is firing on all cylinders in the middle of January, and star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been masterful after missing a handful of games earlier in the season.
Despite the long hot streak, the Bolts are just a point up on the Detroit Red Wings at the top of the Atlantic Division, and two ahead of the Montreal Canadiens.
They'll look to create more separation on Friday against a Blues team that has lost six of 10 and currently sits seventh place in the Central Division. Puck is set to drop from Enterprise Center just past 8:00 p.m. ET.
