The Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, to pick up their first win on home ice this season. It was a tight bout that had multiple career milestones help lead them to victory.
The Lightning opened scoring with a goal by Jake Guentzel, representing the lone score of the first period. Jacob Trouba would knot it up at one apiece in the early minutes of the second period.
The next two goals would feature a career milestone for two star players on the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov’s assist on Guentzel’s second goal of the night notched him his 1,000th career point.
The following score, Anthony Cirelli’s goal to make it 3-1, gave Victor Hedman his 800th career point and Brandon Hagel’s 300th career point. This series of milestones put the Lightning in the driver’s seat heading into the final period of play.
However, the Ducks took advantage of key offensive attacks to get back into the game. Ryan Poehling tipped a pass coming across the front of the net past Jonas Johansson to cut the lead to one. Troy Terry tied it back up a minute later.
With the clock winding down in the game, the Lightning became the first of either team to capitalize on a power play. Anthony Cirelli found the back of the net to give them a 4-3 lead, proving to be the game-winning goal.
The Lightning pick up where they left off on Sunday when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights to wrap up the weekend. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, the Ducks head south to Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. PDT.
Three Stars of the Game
- Nikita Kucherov (1,000th point, two assists)
- Anthony Cirelli (two goals, one assist)
- Jake Guentzel (two goals)
