TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night.

Nikita Kucherov, Luke Glendening and Nick Paul scored in the third period and Brandon Hagel added his third short-handed goal of the season as the Lightning improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven games.

Shane Wright scored, and Ales Stezka finished with 19 saves in his NHL debut for Seattle.

After a scoreless first period, Hagel gave the Lightning the lead when he raced up ice to fend off Oliver Bjorkstrand and put a spinning backhander on goal for his league-leading seventh short-handed score of the season at 9:27 of the second period.

Kucherov and Glendening scored 1:43 apart in the third period to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. Wright tipped in a shot by Brandon Montour to cut it 3-1 at 15:24. Paul added an empty-net goal.

Takeaways

Kraken: Seattle fell to 0-9 in the second half of back-to-back games. … Stezka, a 28-year-old rookie, became the first goalie to make an NHL debut with the Kraken.

Lightning: Tampa Bay recorded its 10th short-handed goal of the season, second-most in the league behind Florida (12). … Defenseman J.J. Moser returned to the lineup after missing 28 games with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Key moment

Tampa Bay was nursing a one-goal lead in the third period when the Lightning scored off a set faceoff play. Brayden Point pulled a puck off the draw back to Nikita Kucherov, who scored on a quick shot past Stezka at 11:15 of the third.

Key stat

Tampa Bay improved to 7-0-1 all-time against Seattle.

Up next

Both teams play Tuesday. Seattle is at St. Louis, while Tampa Bay hosts Edmonton.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Associated Press – New York Yankees star Aaron Judge supports the club’s decision to finally allow players to grow well-groomed beards, but don’t expect to see him with one anytime soon.

Judge said Saturday that he was shocked by the rule change but added that he has no plans to grow a beard, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

The Yankees announced Friday they were amending the decades-long policy that prohibits beards after conversations with current and former players.

“If this is something that’s going to stop us from winning games or stop us from getting a player or stop a certain guy from not performing their best, why would we put that in the way of what our ultimate goal is?” Judge said, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

The Yankees’ facial hair policy dated back to the early 1970s when George Steinbrenner purchased the franchise. Players weren’t permitted to have hair touching the collar of their jersey, and a mustache was the only acceptable facial hair.

Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida – Throughout the offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield faced intense scrutiny from critics who doubted the team’s potential heading into the 2024 season.

Following a breakout 2023 campaign that earned him a Pro Bowl selection and a division title, skeptics wondered if Mayfield’s success was a fleeting phenomenon. However, Mayfield silenced his doubters by elevating his game to new heights in 2024.

Mayfield achieved impressive statistics in 2024, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, while also setting a new career-high with a 71.4% completion rate. Notably, despite his outstanding performance, he was overlooked for a Pro Bowl selection.

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Although Mayfield has received limited accolades over the past two years, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has taken notice of his impressive performance. In their annual ranking of the top 101 players from the 2024 season, PFF slotted Mayfield at No. 63, recognizing him as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks alongside just six others.

“Under yet another new offensive play-caller, Mayfield earned an 85.9 overall grade this season, which represents a new career-high for him and ranked him sixth in the NFL. Including the postseason, his 43 passing touchdowns tied him for second-most in the league. His signature performance came in Week 18 with an NFC South title on the line, as he posted a career-best 94.8 overall grade.”

This ranking serves as a well-deserved acknowledgment of Mayfield’s skills, notably placing him ahead of fellow quarterback Jalen Hurts (91).

As he prepares to adapt to his third offensive coordinator in as many years, the spotlight will once again be on Mayfield to prove his consistency and replicate his success.

Fortunately, Josh Grizzard’s promotion from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator ensures a measure of continuity, which should facilitate a smoother transition.

After two consecutive Pro Bowl-caliber seasons, Mayfield has finally garnered recognition from the broader NFL community. Now, as the 2025 season approaches, all eyes will be on him, eagerly anticipating whether he can sustain his exceptional performance.

Given his impressive track record, it’s reasonable to expect that Mayfield and the Buccaneers will make another playoff appearance in 2025.

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