On a team that has multiple high-end players, Kucherov is leading the Bolts in scoring by a margin of 19, accounting for 47 helpers, 68 points and a plus-14 rating through 42 outings this season.
Jake Guentzel, who won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017, had two assists to become the second player in Lightning history with at least 20 goals and 40 points in his first 40 games with the franchise. Guentzel signed a seven-year deal with the team in the offseason.
Jake Guentzel, who won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017, had two assists to become the second player in Lightning history with at least 20 goals and 40 points in his first 40 games with the franchise. Guentzel signed a seven-year deal with the Lightning in the offseason.
Nikita Kucherov swiped the puck and converted on a breakaway with three minutes remaining as the Tampa Bay Lightning broke a tie and claimed the season series from the host Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2, on Sunday.
Kucherov scored twice, added an assist and went plus-3 in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and three more in the shootout as the host New York Rangers earned a crucial 1-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. Vincent Trocheck scored in the second round of the shootout for the lone goal of the skills competition as the Rangers improved to 5-0-2 in their past seven games after dropping 15 of 19 (4-15-0).
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in a matchup within the Atlantic Division Monday. Toronto is 29-16-2 overall with a 10-4-1 record against the Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs have gone 12-5-1 in games they convert at least one power play.
TAMPA BAY -- The Detroit Red Wings know they can’t let a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at AMALIE Arena on Saturday night linger because in about 24 hours, they’ll be dropping the puck against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
Some stat lines from this game spelled potential trouble for the Lightning. The Red Wings had gone 17-34 on the power play over their previous 10 games, and the Lightning put them on the power play six times. Also, Tampa Bay ceded most of the possession, allowing 40 shots on net and 77 shot attempts.
Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored, Logan Thompson made 18 saves and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Saturday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
It was 4-0 before Lucas Raymond for the Red Wings on the scoreboard at 14:12 of the second by blasting in a one-timer on a pass from Patrick Kane on the power play. It was his 19th goal. The Red Wings are 18 for 40 on the power play in the past 11 games. But it was too much of an uphill climb at that point.