TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning delivered a decisive 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday night at AMALIE Arena, extending their home winning streak to six games.
The Lightning wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Mitchell Chaffee redirecting a shot from Emil Lilleberg just 30 seconds into the game to open the scoring. The Bolts continued to pour on the offense, with goals from Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel (2), and Victor Hedman (2).
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Hedman’s performance was particularly noteworthy, as he recorded two goals and an assist, reaching the 50-point mark for the season. He also passed Rob Blake for sole possession of the 20th-most points by a defenseman in NHL history.
Kucherov also had a stellar night, tallying a goal and two assists to reach 90 points on the season. This marks his third consecutive season with 90 or more points, tying Steven Stamkos for the most in Lightning history.
Goaltender Jonas Johansson made 30 saves to earn his seventh win of the season.
Key Stats:
- Shots: Tampa Bay 40, Columbus 32
- Power Play: Tampa Bay 1-3, Columbus 0-2
- Penalty Kill: Tampa Bay 2-2, Columbus 2-3
- Faceoffs: Tampa Bay 53%, Columbus 47%
With this win, the Lightning improve to 36-21-4 on the season and solidify their position as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
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