LAS VEGAS — Nikita Kucherov reached a franchise milestone Tuesday, matching Steven Stamkos atop Tampa Bay’s all-time scoring list as the Lightning rolled past the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena.
Kucherov posted a goal and two assists to reach 1,137 points in 888 games with Tampa Bay, on 405 goals and 732 assists. Stamkos produced the same total across 1,082 games for the Lightning, scoring 555 times and adding 582 assists before joining the Nashville Predators.
Quick facts
- Final: Lightning 6, Golden Knights 2
- Kucherov: one goal, two assists; tied Tampa Bay’s career points record at 1,137
- Anthony Cirelli scored twice but did not return for the third period
- Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots; Carter Hart made 15 saves
- Tampa Bay improved to 7-2-0 and has won seven of its past eight games
- Vegas fell to 8-3-0 after its three-game winning streak ended
The record-tying point came on Kucherov’s late breakaway goal. He stripped Jeremy Lauzon near the blue line, broke in alone and scored at 5:16 of the third to make it 6-2.
“He’s a special talent,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “Players like that are rare. He’s given our fans a decade of awesome.”
Victor Hedman pointed to the winger’s preparation and playmaking instincts, saying Kucherov’s commitment to improvement has remained clear over the past several seasons. Hedman said teammates simply need to find open ice and get the puck back to him.
Brandon Hagel opened the scoring on a Lightning power play at 4:11 of the first, tipping Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ point shot past Hart. Vegas answered at 13:16 when Ivan Barbashev buried a rebound for his first goal of the season after Vasilevskiy denied Mitch Marner from close range.
D’Astous had broken his stick on an attempted clearance before the Barbashev goal, helping keep Vegas in the attacking zone.
John Carlson restored Tampa Bay’s lead 48 seconds later. With Vegas caught changing, Hart stopped Carlson’s first attempt, but the defenseman collected the rebound below the right circle and deposited it into the open side.
Mark Stone pulled the Golden Knights even again with a shorthanded strike at 18:30. Braeden Bowman picked off Vasilevskiy’s pass along the wall and found Stone alone at the left circle for the 2-2 goal.
Vegas had chances to seize momentum early in the second, including looks during four-on-four play and on the power play, but could not convert. Stone said turnovers against Tampa Bay’s top players proved costly.
“There were opportunities where we could have taken momentum back,” Stone said. “But you make turnovers against those guys, and they make you pay.”
Cirelli did exactly that at 6:44 of the second. Kucherov tracked down a loose puck below the goal line and fed Cirelli in front for a one-timer and a 3-2 Lightning lead.
Cirelli struck again at 10:09 after Jack Eichel turned the puck over. He fired from the outside edge of the left circle to put Tampa Bay ahead by two.
Hedman added insurance at 17:56, sending a shot from the left boards through for a 5-2 advantage. Cirelli’s final shift ended with 1:09 left in the period, and Cooper had no update after the game on why he did not play the third.
Carlson credited Tampa Bay’s special teams and timely finishing. The Lightning scored on their early power play, killed key Vegas opportunities and took advantage when the game was still in the balance.
Vegas coach Ryan Craig said his club was not as sharp as it had been through the opening nine games, though he also credited the Lightning for disrupting the Golden Knights’ execution.
Stone has now scored in three consecutive games and owns five goals and three assists during a four-game points streak. Marner extended his own run to seven games, with one goal and nine assists in that span.
Kucherov can take sole possession of Tampa Bay’s scoring record Friday when the Lightning visit the Colorado Avalanche at 9 p.m. ET.
