Nikita Kucherov scored 33 seconds into overtime to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Sunday night.
Brandon Hagel also found the back of the net for Tampa Bay, which earned its second straight win after a sluggish 1-4-2 start to the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves to notch his first victory of the year in his sixth start.
William Karlsson scored the lone goal for Vegas, while rookie goaltender Carl Lindbom impressed in his NHL debut, stopping 26 shots in the loss. The defeat capped a tough Florida road trip for the Golden Knights, who dropped both games.
Kucherov’s winner came on a 2-on-1 rush with Hagel after Hagel intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and led the charge up ice. Kucherov took the return feed and fired the puck past Lindbom for the decisive goal.
Hagel had opened the scoring 4:53 into the first period, roofing a rebound from Victor Hedman’s shot over Lindbom’s shoulder. The Golden Knights answered late when Karlsson buried a cross-ice feed from Reilly Smith, slipping the puck under Vasilevskiy’s glove.
Vegas struggled to generate offense afterward, managing just two shots in the second period and only eight total through 40 minutes — the fewest in franchise history through two periods. Despite the imbalance, Lindbom kept the Golden Knights alive, turning aside all 11 Lightning shots in the second frame.
Tampa Bay thought it had taken the lead twice in the third, but both goals were overturned — one after deflecting off a referee, and another due to an offside challenge on a Kucherov entry. Still, the Lightning capitalized quickly in overtime to secure the win.
Up Next:
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Golden Knights: Continue their road trip Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Lightning: Travel to Nashville to face the Predators on Tuesday night.
