The Tampa Bay Lightning secured a 4-3 overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks on December 31, 2025, extending their winning streak to five games. The win marked head coach Jon Cooper's 1,000th NHL game, a milestone celebrated with his 595th career victory. Darren Raddysh scored the game-winner in overtime at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (23-13-3) faced the Anaheim Ducks (21-16-3) in a thrilling New Year's Eve matchup at Honda Center. The game, which also served as Jon Cooper's 1,000th game behind the bench, saw the Lightning rally for the win after trailing in the third period.
In the first period, Brayden Point's apparent goal at 8:41 was overturned on an offside challenge. Tampa Bay then took a 1-0 lead at 13:30 when JJ Moser scored from the left circle, assisted by Darren Raddysh and Brandon Hagel. Shots were even at 7-6 for Tampa Bay.
The second period featured Anaheim's prime chances, including Beckett Sennecke hitting the crossbar on a breakaway at 4:20 and Leo Carlsson stopped on a 2-on-1 at 5:08. The Ducks tied it 1-1 at 15:17 via Jansen Harkins on a 2-on-1 after a Lightning turnover by Charle-Edouard D'Astous, assisted by Ross Johnston. Tampa Bay regained the lead 2-1 with 49 seconds left when Point redirected Maxwell Crozier's shot, assisted by Nikita Kucherov. Shots: Tampa Bay 9, Anaheim 7.
The third period was action-packed. Sennecke tied it 2-2 at 3:57 with a shot from the left circle. Kucherov restored Tampa Bay's lead 3-2 at 8:00 on a power-play one-timer from the right circle, his fifth goal in three games, assisted by Hagel and D'Astous. Mason McTavish equalized 3-3 at 13:02 on a power-play wrist shot, assisted by Pavel Mintyukov. Shots: Anaheim 13, Tampa Bay 9.
In overtime, at 2:47, Hagel drew defenders and passed backdoor to Raddysh, who lifted the puck over Lukas Dostal for the 4-3 win. Hagel recorded three assists, while Raddysh and Kucherov each had a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves for Tampa Bay; Dostal stopped 24 for Anaheim.
Cooper's milestone highlighted his journey from junior hockey in Texarkana to two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay. His wife, Jessie, recalled the early 'wild adventure,' noting his fortitude. Assistant coach Rob Zettler praised Cooper's detail-oriented approach and relationship-building, saying, 'He has that gift' of giving time to players. Video coach Brian Garlock called him 'a winner' for fostering loyalty and culture. Cooper now holds the most wins (595) by a coach through their 1,000th game with one team.
