Steven Stamkos scored his 24th goal of the season in the third period to help the Tampa Bay Lightning secure a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves, extending his unbeaten streak in regulation to 16 games, tying a franchise record set by Nikolai Khabibulin in the 2002-03 season.
“The record is great, but being higher in the standings is even better,’’ said Vasilevskiy, who hasn’t lost a regulation game since Dec. 14. The win helped Tampa Bay solidify second place in the Atlantic Division, putting them seven points ahead of Florida.
Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli also found the back of the net for Tampa Bay, while Nikita Kucherov contributed two assists. Alex Killorn added an empty-net goal with 44.7 seconds remaining, sealing the Lightning’s seventh consecutive home victory.
Paul Stastny and William Carrier scored for Vegas, which suffered its second regulation loss in six games under new coach Peter DeBoer. Marc-Andre Fleury made 13 saves for the Golden Knights.
Stamkos scored the game-winner at 10:36 of the third period, redirecting a shot from Point past Fleury and extending his scoring streak to seven games.
“I knew I had a good position in front of the net, and I was just hoping (Point) would fire it,” Stamkos said. “I was glad to see that one go in.”
Point scored his 19th goal of the season at 10:57 of the first period. Vegas tied it up when Carrier fired a wrist shot past Vasilevskiy for his sixth season goal at 15:42.
Tampa Bay regained the lead late in the first on a double deflection. Anthony Cirelli tipped Ondrej Palat’s shot, bouncing off Tyler Johnson’s stick and into the net at 17:57.
The Golden Knights couldn’t capitalize on three power-play opportunities in the second period. Tampa Bay’s fourth-ranked penalty kill held Vegas to just one shot on goal during their 5:07 of power play time.
“You’ve got to do everything right when you come in here,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer. “We did many things right, but their record shows they don’t need many chances to score.”
Stastny tied the game for Vegas early in the third, tipping a shot from Jonathan Marchessault past Vasilevskiy at 3:47. Still, Stamkos’ tiebreaker and Killorn’s empty-netter secured the win for Tampa Bay.
Game Notes:
- Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury and is considered out week-to-week.
- Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov extended his scoring streak to eight games.
- Tampa Bay played its first home game since Jan. 14.
- Vegas’ Cody Glass and William Karlsson missed the game due to injuries.
- The Lightning are 9-0 this season against Pacific Division teams.
Up Next:
- Lightning: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
- Golden Knights: Visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
