Victor Hedman back in Lightning lineup after special delivery

TAMPA — Victor Hedman nearly scored a goal in his return to the ice following the birth of his second son.

The defenseman pinged a backhand shot off the crossbar in the second period of the Lightning’s 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday at Amalie Arena. Instead, he had to settle for two power-play assists in his first game back.

“I’ll take that,” Hedman said. “But most importantly, we got two points (Tuesday). And that’s kind of obviously the goal going into games. But, you know, for me, it’s all about trying to create offensively as well. The power play was good (Tuesday).”

Consider that Hedman — who flew back to Tampa early before Friday’s game in Winnipeg to be with his wife, Sanna, for the birth of the couple’s second child — hasn’t gotten much sleep lately.

Viggo Hedman was born Monday morning in Tampa, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. He was almost 21 inches long.

“I got a good nap, which was good,” Hedman said. “I’ll see how much I get (Tuesday night), but bottom line is he’s healthy, Sanna’s doing great. So that’s all that matters.”

Hedman still skated a team-high 23:26 against the Blue Jackets.

“It’s been tremendous,” he said about being by his wife’s side. “Obviously, a big blessing for me to be there for it and come back in (Tuesday) and see the guys and win a hockey game. That’s as good as it gets.”

Hedman’s first son, Rio, was born on Oct. 14, 2020, just two weeks after the Lightning won the first of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, with Hedman earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

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