Kucherov strikes again, Lightning beat Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. -- NHL goals leader Nikita Kucherov scored for the 13th time in 13 games, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy tied a franchise record for consecutive wins as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers 8-5 on Monday night at the BB&T Center.
Tampa Bay (10-2-1), which leads the Eastern Conference with 21 points, snapped a streak in which it lost five straight times at the BB&T Center.
Kucherov, who leads the NHL in goals, also added an assist. Vasilevskiy tied John Grahame's 2005 franchise record with nine straight wins. Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who entered the day on top of the NHL with 17 assists, also had a big night: two goals and one assist.
In addition, Tampa Bay's Brayden Point continued to torment the Panthers. In three games against Florida this season, he has seven points, including one goal and one assist on Monday.
Florida (4-6-1) fell to 1-1-1 on its current homestand. Panthers goalie James Reimer was pulled in the second period after making 14 saves but allowing five goals. He was replaced by veteran Antti Niemi, who made his Panthers debut and stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced.
The Panthers were led by their top line of Aleksander Barkov (one goal, career-high three assists), Jonathan Huberdeau (one goal, two assists) and Evgenii Dadonov (one goal, two assists).
Tampa Bay needed just 2:48 to dent the scoreboard. Braydon Coburn put a shot on net that was deflected in by Point.
A little over two minutes later, the Lightning made it 2-0. Panthers center Nick Bjugstad turned the puck over along the right boards, and Kucherov capitalized by cracking a quick wrist shot from the slot that beat Reimer glove-side.
Florida cut the deficit to 2-1 on a rather soft goal by Aaron Ekblad, albeit aided by Huberdeau's screen. Vasilevskiy seemed to have the near post covered, but Ekblad's shot somehow trickled past him.
The teams then traded goals to close out the first period. Tampa Bay made it 3-1 on a power-play goal by Stamkos, who took a pass from Victor Hedman and rifled a high one-timer that beat Reimer stick-side.
Florida cut its deficit to 3-2 with 53 seconds left in the first period. Dadonov stripped Hedman of the puck in the left corner and made a nearly-blind pass to Barkov, who scored on a one-timer from the slot.
Huberdeau tied the score 3-3 with 5:32 expired in the second period. Barkov and Dadonov both earned assists, but it was Huberdeau, in close quarters, who managed to lift the puck over Vasilevskiy's stick.
Less than two minutes later, Tampa Bay took a 4-3 lead on a goal set up by Point's great pass to Ondrej Palat, who tapped the puck into the open left side of the net.
Tampa Bay nearly scored again on a Kucherov breakaway. Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle hauled him down from behind, but the Lightning scored on the resulting power play. Florida was 20 seconds away from killing the penalty when Mikhail Sergachev put the puck on net, and Yanni Gourde deflected it past Reimer.
That goal with 9:38 left in the second period chased Reimer, and Niemi allowed his first Florida goal six minutes later.
Less than five seconds after Florida had killed a penalty, Tampa Bay's Vladislav Namestnikov pounced on a loose puck and made it 6-3.
In the third period, Florida twice got within two goals, but that was as close as the Panthers could reach, and Anton Stralman's empty-net goal with 19 seconds left sealed the outcome.
NOTES: This was the third matchup between these teams in the past 25 days, but they meet just once more the rest of the regular season. ... Florida benched D Alex Petrovic and put D MacKenzie Weegar into the lineup. Panthers coach Bob Boughner said there are things Petrovic needs to clean up, noting that Florida has been "exposed a bit from behind the net." ... Lightning RW J.T. Brown participated in his first ride-along with Tampa police this past weekend. ... Lightning RW Ryan Callahan and his wife Kyla had their child on Friday, a son named Dominick Robert. ... Florida's homestand ends this week with games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and the New York Rangers on Saturday. ... The Lightning play host to the Rangers on Thursday.