Breakaway on SI

Controversial Call Ends Dramatic Penguins vs. Lightning Game

A potential instant classic, complete with three players positioned for hat-trick game-winners in overtime, was undone by a late review-room decision that left fans confused and livid.

Sam Len

Dec 4, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a save in front of Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a save in front of Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins have been living opposite storylines through the first stretch of the season. Tampa opened the year in freefall but has since roared back, climbing toward the top of the Atlantic Division and looking every bit like the powerhouse they were supposed to be.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, flipped the script — starting hot behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin turning back the clock, only to slide into a November slump that dragged them straight to the middle of the standings. Now they’re fighting to rediscover that early-season identity.

Whenever the Penguins and Lightning meet, it usually feels like hockey royalty sharing the same stage because of all the future Hall of Famers on both benches. Unfortunately, this time was a little different. The Lightning came in severely depleted due to injuries, missing Brayden Point, Erik Cernak, Ryan McDonagh, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

A Frenzy-Filled First Period

The night opened with a fireworks: a heavyweight showdown at center ice between Boko Imama and Curtis Douglas, a scrap that Imama controlled from the jump (video below). That energy gave the Penguins life and carried straight into Pittsburgh’s first goal.

At 6:12 of the opening period, Ville Koivunen scored his first NHL goal in his 24th game, ripping a power-play wrist shot from the high slot after taking a feed from Kris Letang. Despite the low 1–0 score, the period had almost the same amount of excited seen in what may have been the period of the season between the Lightning and Rangers.

Tristan Jarry probably played the best period of his NHL career, stopping all 15 Lightning shots and protecting Pittsburgh’s lead where many goalies would have given it up.

Penguins Pour It On In The Second

The second period leaned heavily toward Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin made it 2–0 at 7:53 with a vintage Geno moment where he stole a puck after a bad pass from Hagel and went end-to-end beating Jonas Johansson on a clean breakaway (video below). Just two minutes later, Ben Kindel redirected an Erik Karlsson shot for a power-play goal, extending the lead to 3–0.

The Lightning found life with just over a minute left in the frame. Nikita Kucherov slipped behind coverage for a backdoor tap-in off a brilliant passing play from Darren Raddysh and Jake Guentzel, trimming the deficit to 3–1 and setting up a wild third period.

A Third Period That Turned Chaotic

The chaos came fast. Hagel and Kucherov — the league’s hottest duo — connected again only a minute into the third, with Hagel ripping a power-play shot from the very top of the left circle to make it 3–2 (video below).

Hagel then tied the game at 11:44, jumping on a loose puck that deflected off Nick Paul’s skate and snapping it home from the slot. That was Hagel's 10th goal in the last seven games.

With 2:43 left, Malkin struck again, putting Pittsburgh ahead 4–3 and seemingly sealing the night. But Kucherov had other ideas, and unleashed a rocket from the right circle in the final minute to tie the game again... or so everyone thought.

NHL Fans Robbed of an All-Time Finish

After a long delay and an even longer review, the goal was called off for a hand pass that had been rimmed off the boards and bounced off Hagel's glove over 10 seconds before it went into the net. It seemed like such a sure goal that the NHL’s social team even made a post about Kucherov scoring the late equalizer captioned "NIKITA KUCHEROV TIES IT ⚡" before quickly deleting it (picture below).

The call was, as Jon Cooper later described it in a postgame interview, “laughable.” with Cooper explaining what we all already knew—that Hagel instinctively raised his hand to shield his face from the puck flying at it, not to redirect it. This stupidity robbed fans of what could have been an all-time finish. Had the goal stood, Kucherov would have joined Malkin and Hagel as the third player one goal shy of a hat trick.

With less than a minute remaining, the game would likely have gone to overtime, setting up a dramatic ending where three players each had a chance to complete a hat trick with an overtime game-winning goal. Instead, fans were left frustrated, confused, and stuck with an ending overshadowed by a terrible Toronto review room decision that defined the night.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Published
Sam Len
SAM LEN

Sam Len is a content editor, writer, and digital strategist with a lifelong passion for hockey. Growing up just north of Toronto, the game was never just background noise—it was part of everyday life. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the first team that captured his imagination, and he still remembers watching Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics like it was yesterday. Over time, his love for the sport expanded to include the Tampa Bay Lightning, blending his appreciation for classic grit with modern speed and skill. Between 2024 and 2025, Sam worked as a content editor at Covers, where he helped shape sports and gaming content for top-tier brands including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Bet99. He’s also written for Bolts by the Bay and Pro Football Network, covering everything from Tampa Bay Lightning analysis to trending stories across the NHL, NFL, and NBA.

Home/News Feed Page