Jake Guentzel's hat trick propels Lightning to win, Snapping Devils’ Streak in Hughes’ Absence
The Tampa Bay Lightning bounced back in a big way, taking down the top team in the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils , 5-1. Jake Guentzel led the way, picking up his eighth career hat trick and his third as a member of the Lightning.
Big Offensive Night for Lightning
The man of the night, Guentzel, opened the scoring in the first period with an unassisted goal. However, his efforts didn’t shine right away. When the Lightning extended their lead to 2-0, Anthony Cirelli arguably had the highlight of the night with a no-look pass to Nikita Kucherov that set him up for the goal.
This big play would set the Lightning up to carry that 2-0 lead to the end of the first period. Halfway through the second period, Guentzel picked up his second goal on the power play to make it 3-0.
The Devils got themselves on the board after a shot from Arseny Gritsyuk bounced off goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, giving Nico Hischier a chance to knock it in. It remained a two-goal game heading into the final period of play.
Darren Raddysh made it a three-goal game again with his second goal of the season. Along with Guentzel, this goal put him in striking distance of a three-point performance. Raddysh assisted Guentzel’s hat-trick sealing goal along with Kucherov.
Two of Guentzel’s goals came on the power play, providing the team with a breath of fresh air on special teams. They had been uncharacteristic on the power play most of the season. They’ve scored on 15.3% of their chances, which is near the bottom of the NHL this season. By comparison, the Devils, who have had one of the top power-play units this season, failed to capitalize on four opportunities.
Both teams will return to action on Thursday. The Devils will head to Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, the Lightning will host the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Three Stars of the Game
- Jake Guentzel (three goals)
- Darren Raddysh (one goal, two assists)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (.969 save percentage)
Bears Sign Former Lions All-Pro LB Amid Injury to T.J. Edwards
Another former Detroit Lions player is signing up with Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears ahead of Week 12’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears signed former Lions All-Pro and Pro Bowl special-teamer and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin on Tuesday to their practice squad, filling the spot that vacated when they released Miles Boykin last week.
Reeves-Maybin, a 2017 fourth-round pick, recorded 221 tackles over 114 career games for the Lions in his first eight seasons, notching 51 of those tackles on special teams. His play on special teams earned him Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2023, earning him an extension that made him the highest-paid core special teams player.
Despite his two-year contract, Reeves-Maybin became a salary-cap casualty for Detroit in March 2025 after missing seven games with a neck injury during the 2024 season.
Interestingly, Reeves-Maybin is also the current NFL Players Association president.
Reeves-Maybin won’t necessarily factor into the Bears’ plans against the Steelers on Sunday, but he will provide them with another backup option if they need to call up reinforcements at linebacker with veteran T.J. Edwards still battling multiple injuries.
The Bears (7-3) will host the Steelers (6-4) at Soldier Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Will T.J. Edwards Remain Out With Injuries vs. Steelers?
The Bears won’t release their first injury report for their matchup with the Steelers until after Wednesday’s first practice, but eyes will be on Edwards — their veteran linebacker — and his injury status when they do after he sat out Week 11’s win over Minnesota.
Edwards did not play against the Vikings due to hand and hamstring injuries that kept him from participating in all three practices last week. His hamstring issue, head coach Ben Johnson has said, is related to the one that held him out for a good portion of NFL training camp as well as three of the Bears’ first four games in the regular season.
As for his hand, Edwards broke it and underwent surgery last week, but Johnson said he anticipates the 29-year-old linebacker will play through it with a protective cast.
The big question at the onset of Week 12 is whether Edwards’ hamstring will continue to hold him back. If the Bears can clear him of the troublesome lower-body injury, it could pave the way for him to play against the Steelers, even with his hand still healing.
If Edwards isn’t available, the Bears could look to Reeves-Maybin — or perhaps one of their other practice-squad linebackers, such as Carl Jones Jr. — as a potential elevation. They may need even more support if strongside linebacker Noah Sewell pops up on the injury report this week. He appeared to get shaken up in Sunday’s win over the Vikings.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin Could Boost Bears’ Special Teams
Reeves-Maybin could get a look for a game-day promotion if the Bears are facing some availability issues at linebacker ahead of Sunday’s kickoff against the Steelers. But even if the linebacker situation stabilizes for the Bears, they might promote Reeves-Maybin in the coming weeks anyway to better evaluate what he can bring to special teams.
The Bears have two of the highest-paid core special teams players already signed to their roster in cornerback Josh Blackwell and veteran linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, but Reeves-Maybin has a lengthy special-teams resume that includes a league-high in special teams tackles (14) in 2023 and experience running fake punt plays.
That said, defensive end Daniel Hardy (13 special teams tackles) and defensive back Jonathan Owens (12 special teams tackles) have done a nice job on coverage units in 2025 despite the unit, as a whole, dealing with inconsistency throughout the season. They are tied for fifth and ninth in the league, respectively, in special teams tackles.
