LAS VEGAS - Nikita Kucherov tied Steven Stamkos’ all-time Tampa Bay Lightning scoring record Tuesday night, finishing with three points to reach 1,137 career points as the Lightning routed the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena, improving to 7-2-0 on the season.
Kucherov, who added a goal and two assists, now sits one point shy of taking sole possession of the franchise mark. He set up Anthony Cirelli’s game-winner 6:44 into the second period and capped the night with a breakaway goal that beat Carter Hart up high for the 6-2 final. Cirelli scored twice, including his 150th career goal, while captain Victor Hedman added a seeing-eye shot from the left point with 2:04 remaining in the middle frame to make it 5-2.
“His work ethic, his dedication to the game and his dedication to perfection has always been there,” Hedman said of Kucherov. “I’ve seen him the past five, six years and the way he works and tries to improve. The way he sees the game is fun to watch.”
Defenseman John Carlson, who scored Tampa Bay’s second goal and added an assist, credited the team’s ability to respond after Vegas twice tied the game at 2-2 in the first period. “Responses are enormous in this league,” Carlson said. “That’s a veteran team. I don’t think they’re getting scored on and sulking and gonna stop playing, but those are big momentum shifts to get it right back, get the crowd settled down a little bit again. And then it just builds us up a little bit, and that’s where you saw that surge.”
Andrei Vasilevskiy was equally critical to the win, posting a season-high 32 saves despite the Lightning being outshot 34-21. He stopped multiple dangerous Vegas rush chances in the opening minutes before Tampa Bay’s power play gave the visitors a 1-0 lead on Brandon Hagel’s seventh goal of the season, a deflection of Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ shot. Vegas answered with goals from Ivan Barbashev and a shorthanded tally from Mark Stone - fed by Braeden Bowman at the right wall - to pull even at 2-2 after one period. Vasilevskiy then held Vegas scoreless over the final 40 minutes.
“We needed him early,” coach Jon Cooper said of Vasilevskiy. “We’ve been pretty good with not giving up the odd-man rushes, and sure enough to a team that really can capitalize on that, we were careless with the puck. So give Vasy some credit there, and eventually the boys started putting some pucks in the net.”
Carlson summed up the second-period surge that put the game away. “I think we were opportunistic,” he said. “We found that third one and fourth one. Those are big plays to be made, and I think we did well enough to handle the rest of it.”
Of Kucherov, Carlson added: “It’s incredible to watch him. Practice, game, playing against him or playing with him, he’s an X-factor out there wherever he is and just someone that everyone should look up to.”
The Lightning continue their three-game road trip Friday against the Colorado Avalanche.