The Tampa Bay Lightning's season didn't end the way the club wanted it to, but Victor Hedman deserves some love.

With a goal and an assist Sunday in Game 82, a 4-2 Lightning win over the Buffalo Sabres, Hedman put the finishing touches on a career season that saw him score 16 goals and record 56 assists in 79 games. Only Brent Burns had more than Hedman's 72 points, finishing with 76.

Hedman's two-point effort gave him one more point than Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who was limited by injury late in the season. Karlsson finished with 71 points in 77 games.

The Lightning ended up missing the playoffs by one point, so Hedman's not going to be celebrating, but it was a remarkable season for the 26-year-old. His previous career high in points was 55, in 2013-14, and he bested that mark in helpers alone.

It's too bad NHLers aren't going to the 2018 Olympics, because a Hedman-Karlsson one-two punch on the blue line would have been something for Sweden.

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