Hagel hat trick powers Lightning past Islanders 5-3
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11 Oct 2026Hagel hat trick powers Lightning past Islanders 5-3
Tampa Bay Lightning left Belmont Park with two points and a statement win, beating the New York Islanders 5-3 at UBS Arena. Brandon Hagel delivered a hat trick, including the late insurance into an empty net, while Jake Guentzel added a brace. The Islanders fired back with a three-goal second period, but Tampa Bay’s finishing at even strength and cleaner puck management told the story. Shots ended 26-23 for the visitors, and the game pivoted on conversion rather than volume.
For fans tracking every shift, Sofascore had full live coverage with the box score, advanced team stats and player metrics. It was the kind of NHL night where the details mattered. Power plays, faceoffs, turnovers and shot types all added up to a road win.
Lightning set the tone early
Tampa Bay jumped ahead with a sharp start, outshooting New York 10-4 in the first period and taking a 2-0 lead. Guentzel opened the scoring six minutes in at even strength, then Hagel doubled it at 16 minutes with another 5-on-5 finish. The Islanders actually controlled the dot early at 67 percent in first-period faceoffs, but their two tripping minors invited Lightning pressure. Tampa did not score on those power plays, yet the territorial edge and quick strikes put the hosts behind the pace.
Hits favored the Islanders 16-9 in the opening frame, and blocked shots were 7-4 for New York. Even with that grit, the possession quality leaned toward Tampa Bay, who went 2-for-9 at even strength shot conversion in the period. The Islanders were 0-for-4 at evens and had seven giveaways to the Lightning’s three, a trend that undercut their defensive work. Momentum belonged to the visitors, and the scoreboard backed it up.
A wild second period evens things up
The second period flipped the flow. New York outshot Tampa Bay 10-8 and found three goals to level the game at 3-3. Tony DeAngelo started the response at 27 minutes at even strength, then rookie defender Matthew Schaefer ripped home another at 32 minutes, also at 5-on-5. A late power play, drawn by cross-checking calls, put Brayden Schenn on the board at 39 minutes with a tidy finish from a Bo Horvat feed and Matias Maccelli’s secondary.
Tampa Bay still found a key special-teams answer. Guentzel pounced on a second-period power play at 28 minutes, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Hagel. The Islanders owned special-teams faceoffs in the frame at 75 percent on the power play and 66 percent while shorthanded, and they went 1-of-2 on the man advantage for the night. Still, the Lightning tightened the little battles, winning 58 percent of second-period faceoffs overall and forcing seven New York giveaways in the frame. At 3-3 after 40 minutes, the game set up for finishing and execution in the third.
Finishing decides it, and Hagel provides the difference
In the third, the Islanders had volume with nine shots on target to Tampa Bay’s eight. The conversion gap, though, was decisive. New York went 0-for-9 at even strength shot attempts in the period, while the Lightning went 2-for-8 at evens, including Hagel’s late go-ahead and his empty netter to seal it. Across the game, Tampa Bay posted a 22 percent even strength shot percentage compared to New York’s 10 percent. That edge in 5-on-5 finishing separated the teams.
The Islanders kept the physical edge with a 10-5 hits advantage and matched Tampa Bay with seven blocks in the third. But the Lightning nudged the puck-control margins, winning 53 percent of even strength faceoffs in the period. Tampa also generated the lone takeaway count advantage for the frame. When New York pulled Ilya Sorokin late, Hagel finished the job with his third of the night, assisted by Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. Clinical beats busy when the game is on the line.
Possession, shot quality and turnovers tell the larger story
Team-level metrics underline why the Lightning left with the win. Overall Corsi was essentially even at 50.7 percent for Tampa Bay and 49.3 percent for New York, while Fenwick slightly favored the Islanders at 52.1 percent. Despite that, the Lightning’s higher even strength shot percentage and a striking 4 goals from 11 wrist shots proved decisive. New York managed only 1 goal from 16 wrist shots, relying instead on a snap shot and a tip-in for their tallies.
The Islanders’ average shot distance was shorter at 10.6 compared to Tampa’s 12.0, yet they did not turn those closer chances into goals frequently enough. Takeaways were 5-2 for Tampa Bay and giveaways ran 18-14 against New York, a combined puck management gap that shows up on the scoreboard. Special teams were a wash in goals at 1-1, with the Islanders more efficient at 50 percent on 1-of-2 power plays and Tampa Bay at 25 percent on 1-of-4. Faceoffs finished nearly level overall, 51 percent to 49 percent for New York, but even strength draws leaned Tampa’s way 53 percent. Add in an 18-30 hits deficit for Tampa that did not translate to possession losses, and the Lightning’s control in key phases stands out.
Standouts and goaltending numbers
Hagel was the headliner with 3 goals and 1 assist, 6 shots, and a +2, plus four blocks in a complete performance. Guentzel produced a two-goal night, splitting even strength and power play finishes, while Kucherov’s two assists included the setup on the empty netter. Max Crozier quietly drove play with two even strength assists and a +2, and McDonagh and Victor Hedman each added helpers. Cirelli’s late assist and a +3 underline how Tampa’s two-way centers managed the details.
For the Islanders, DeAngelo posted 1 goal and 1 assist at even strength, Schaefer scored with a heavy shot and led all Islanders with 9 shots on goal, and Schenn converted a late power play chance. Horvat delivered the primary power play assist and went 54 percent on faceoffs, while Maccelli added the secondary. In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 23 for an .87 save percentage with 17 even strength saves, and Sorokin made 21 of 25 for an .84, including 5 power play saves on 6 shots against. New York blocked 15 shots to Tampa’s 14, but the Lightning’s 5-on-5 execution was the separator.
If you want the complete NHL box score, player stats and advanced splits from Islanders vs Lightning, you can find them on Sofascore. The app also shows the Sofascore Rating for every player so you can spot the top performers at a glance after full time.
NHL
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Tampa Bay Lightning left Belmont Park with two points and a statement win, beating the New York Islanders 5-3 at UBS Arena. Brandon Hagel delivered a hat trick, including the late insurance into an empty net, while Jake Guentzel added a brace. The Islanders fired back with a three-goal second period, but Tampa Bay’s finishing at even strength and cleaner puck management told the story. Shots ended 26-23 for the visitors, and the game pivoted on conversion rather than volume.
For fans tracking every shift, Sofascore had full live coverage with the box score, advanced team stats and player metrics. It was the kind of NHL night where the details mattered. Power plays, faceoffs, turnovers and shot types all added up to a road win.
Lightning set the tone early
Tampa Bay jumped ahead with a sharp start, outshooting New York 10-4 in the first period and taking a 2-0 lead. Guentzel opened the scoring six minutes in at even strength, then Hagel doubled it at 16 minutes with another 5-on-5 finish. The Islanders actually controlled the dot early at 67 percent in first-period faceoffs, but their two tripping minors invited Lightning pressure. Tampa did not score on those power plays, yet the territorial edge and quick strikes put the hosts behind the pace.
Hits favored the Islanders 16-9 in the opening frame, and blocked shots were 7-4 for New York. Even with that grit, the possession quality leaned toward Tampa Bay, who went 2-for-9 at even strength shot conversion in the period. The Islanders were 0-for-4 at evens and had seven giveaways to the Lightning’s three, a trend that undercut their defensive work. Momentum belonged to the visitors, and the scoreboard backed it up.
A wild second period evens things up
The second period flipped the flow. New York outshot Tampa Bay 10-8 and found three goals to level the game at 3-3. Tony DeAngelo started the response at 27 minutes at even strength, then rookie defender Matthew Schaefer ripped home another at 32 minutes, also at 5-on-5. A late power play, drawn by cross-checking calls, put Brayden Schenn on the board at 39 minutes with a tidy finish from a Bo Horvat feed and Matias Maccelli’s secondary.
Tampa Bay still found a key special-teams answer. Guentzel pounced on a second-period power play at 28 minutes, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Hagel. The Islanders owned special-teams faceoffs in the frame at 75 percent on the power play and 66 percent while shorthanded, and they went 1-of-2 on the man advantage for the night. Still, the Lightning tightened the little battles, winning 58 percent of second-period faceoffs overall and forcing seven New York giveaways in the frame. At 3-3 after 40 minutes, the game set up for finishing and execution in the third.
Finishing decides it, and Hagel provides the difference
In the third, the Islanders had volume with nine shots on target to Tampa Bay’s eight. The conversion gap, though, was decisive. New York went 0-for-9 at even strength shot attempts in the period, while the Lightning went 2-for-8 at evens, including Hagel’s late go-ahead and his empty netter to seal it. Across the game, Tampa Bay posted a 22 percent even strength shot percentage compared to New York’s 10 percent. That edge in 5-on-5 finishing separated the teams.
The Islanders kept the physical edge with a 10-5 hits advantage and matched Tampa Bay with seven blocks in the third. But the Lightning nudged the puck-control margins, winning 53 percent of even strength faceoffs in the period. Tampa also generated the lone takeaway count advantage for the frame. When New York pulled Ilya Sorokin late, Hagel finished the job with his third of the night, assisted by Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. Clinical beats busy when the game is on the line.
Possession, shot quality and turnovers tell the larger story
Team-level metrics underline why the Lightning left with the win. Overall Corsi was essentially even at 50.7 percent for Tampa Bay and 49.3 percent for New York, while Fenwick slightly favored the Islanders at 52.1 percent. Despite that, the Lightning’s higher even strength shot percentage and a striking 4 goals from 11 wrist shots proved decisive. New York managed only 1 goal from 16 wrist shots, relying instead on a snap shot and a tip-in for their tallies.
The Islanders’ average shot distance was shorter at 10.6 compared to Tampa’s 12.0, yet they did not turn those closer chances into goals frequently enough. Takeaways were 5-2 for Tampa Bay and giveaways ran 18-14 against New York, a combined puck management gap that shows up on the scoreboard. Special teams were a wash in goals at 1-1, with the Islanders more efficient at 50 percent on 1-of-2 power plays and Tampa Bay at 25 percent on 1-of-4. Faceoffs finished nearly level overall, 51 percent to 49 percent for New York, but even strength draws leaned Tampa’s way 53 percent. Add in an 18-30 hits deficit for Tampa that did not translate to possession losses, and the Lightning’s control in key phases stands out.
Standouts and goaltending numbers
Hagel was the headliner with 3 goals and 1 assist, 6 shots, and a +2, plus four blocks in a complete performance. Guentzel produced a two-goal night, splitting even strength and power play finishes, while Kucherov’s two assists included the setup on the empty netter. Max Crozier quietly drove play with two even strength assists and a +2, and McDonagh and Victor Hedman each added helpers. Cirelli’s late assist and a +3 underline how Tampa’s two-way centers managed the details.
For the Islanders, DeAngelo posted 1 goal and 1 assist at even strength, Schaefer scored with a heavy shot and led all Islanders with 9 shots on goal, and Schenn converted a late power play chance. Horvat delivered the primary power play assist and went 54 percent on faceoffs, while Maccelli added the secondary. In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 23 for an .87 save percentage with 17 even strength saves, and Sorokin made 21 of 25 for an .84, including 5 power play saves on 6 shots against. New York blocked 15 shots to Tampa’s 14, but the Lightning’s 5-on-5 execution was the separator.
If you want the complete NHL box score, player stats and advanced splits from Islanders vs Lightning, you can find them on Sofascore. The app also shows the Sofascore Rating for every player so you can spot the top performers at a glance after full time.