Kucherov's hat trick leads Lightning past Senators
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Lightning refused to play like a team packing it in despite seeing two key players moved out before the trade deadline.
In a playoff-intense showing, the Lightning ran roughshod over the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Monday at Amalie Arena despite seeing Ben Bishop and Brian Boyle traded away in a 24-hour span.
Nikita Kucherov recorded his second career hat trick while notching his fourth four-point game of the season and second in the past three games. Jonathan Drouin picked up three assists as Tampa Bay improved to 6-1-2 in the past nine games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who assumed the No. 1 goaltending job after Bishop was traded, finished with 39 saves to snap a personal five-game winless streak that dates back on Jan. 24.
Kyle Turris had the only goal for Ottawa while Mike Condon stopped 29 shots to take the loss.
The Senators, trying to chase down Montreal for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, got on the board first by taking advantage of an extended 5-on-3 power play. Turris one-timed a pass from Erik Karlsson for a goal with 13 seconds remaining on the two-man advantage.
The Lightning offense erupted for four goals in the second period, fueled by Kucherov's natural hat trick, all on the power play and all from the same spot on the ice.
Brayden Point pulled Tampa Bay even early in the second when a loose puck popped free to him in the middle of the right circle before he whipped a wrist shot to the top-far shelf just 1:39 into the period.
Kucherov then found his groove from the right circle while on the man advantage. He notched his first of the game as the Lightning moved the puck around quickly on the power play before Kucherov finished off the play with a one-timer off a Victor Hedman pass at 6:37.
The power play went to work again later in the period, and the result looked the same, only this time Kucherov one-timed a Drouin pass for his 25th goal of the season to put Tampa Bay up 3-1 at the 10:26 mark.
Another late power-play chance netted the same result as Kucherov, once again hanging out at the right circle, one-timed a pass from Drouin past Condon with 15 seconds remaining in the period. Drouin recorded his third assist of the game on the play.
Braydon Coburn increased the lead to 5-1 with his third goal of the season at 10:57 of the third period.
NOTES: The Lightning claimed C Greg McKegg off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Monday. McKegg did not make it in time for the game and was listed as a healthy scratch. ... Tampa Bay called up RW Adam Erne and C Yanni Gourde from Syracuse of the American Hockey League before the game. Erne was in the lineup but Gourde was scratched. ... New Lightning goaltender Peter Budaj dressed as the backup wearing No. 31. ... Ottawa scratched C Curtis Lazar (upper body), D Fredrik Claesson and newly acquired LW Alex Burrows. ... Senators RW Kyle Turris recorded his 300th career point. ... D Mark Borowiecki appeared in his 200th career game.