TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off their home schedule with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.
The Lightning offense was firing on all cylinders, with Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Anthony Cirelli each tallying a goal and an assist.
Nikita Kucherov continued his hot start to the season, netting his fourth goal in as many periods. Kucherov, who recorded a hat trick in Tampa Bay’s season opener, opened the scoring with a snap shot in the first period.
READ: Lightning To Spark Community Support With Hurricane Relief Drive
Point extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period with a one-timer, and Cirelli added another goal just 39 seconds into the third.
Conor Garland briefly brought the Canucks back within two with a power-play goal, but Hagel sealed the deal with an empty-netter late in the third period.
Andrei Vasilevskiy backstopped the Lightning with another strong performance, making 26 saves and earning his 295th career victory. He is now just five wins shy of the 300-win milestone.
Arturs Silovs made 24 saves for the Canucks, who fall to 0-1-2 on the season.
Key Stats:
- Shots: Tampa Bay 28, Vancouver 27
- Power Play: Tampa Bay 0-for-5, Vancouver 1-for-3
- Faceoffs: Tampa Bay 22/51 (43%), Vancouver 29/51 (57%)
Three Stars:
- Brayden Point (TBL)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL)
- Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
The Lightning will look to continue their winning ways as they host the Vegas Golden Knights on October 17th.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Android Users: Download our free app to stay up-to-date on the latest news.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.