TAMPA, Fla. – Nikita Kucherov ignited the Tampa Bay Lightning with a natural hat trick in the third period, leading them to a decisive 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in their season opener at Lenovo Center on Friday night.
The Lightning, who relocated to Raleigh earlier in the week to avoid Hurricane Milton, showed no signs of displacement, dominating the Hurricanes in the final frame. Kucherov’s scoring explosion began with a power-play goal at 11:06, giving the Lightning a 2-1 lead. He then sealed the deal with two empty-net goals in the final minutes, securing his sixth career hat trick and etching his name in the Lightning record books.
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Kucherov’s remarkable performance wasn’t just about the goals; he also tallied an assist, accumulating four points on the night. This marked the 30th four-point game of his career, the most in Lightning history, and propelled him past Vincent Lecavalier to take sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time points list.
The Lightning’s victory was a complete team effort. Brayden Point netted the game-tying goal on the power play in the second period, while captain Victor Hedman, in his first game wearing the “C,” contributed three assists.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was stellar in net for the Lightning, stopping 20 of 21 shots to earn his first win of the season and inch closer to the 300-win milestone.
The Hurricanes, despite a first-period goal from Jordan Staal, couldn’t overcome the Lightning’s offensive onslaught and their own struggles on the power play, going 0-for-4.
The Lightning now head home to Tampa, where they will host the Vancouver Canucks on October 15th.
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