TAMPA, Fla. — Victor Hedman had two goals and an assist, Brayden Point had a four-point game and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored three power-play goals in a 6-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday night.
Point had a goal and three assists, Nikita Kucherov added a goal and two assists and Alex Killorn and Mikhail Sergachev each scored power-play goals as the Lightning snapped a two-game winless skid.
Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 29 saves and improved to 15-9-2 on the season.
Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky allowed a season-high six goals on 34 shots.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored the only goal for Florida, which had its three-game winning streak halted.
The Lightning finished off a dominant opening period with a three-goal lead. Point opened the scoring 41 seconds in with a deflection of Erik Cernak’s shot from the right circle.
Hedman made it 2-0 with a slap shot from the centre point at 15:06, and Sergachev scored on the power play with a wrist shot from the left circle at 18:03.
The Panthers cut into the lead with a Huberdeau power-play goal at 2:47, but Killorn answered at 5:53 on the rebound of a shot by Steven Stamkos. Kucherov made it 5-1 with another power-play goal at 9:52.
Florida played most of the third period with four defenceman after Aaron Ekblad took a shot off his shoulder and left the game with 7:32 left in the second period and did not return.
Florida defenceman Anton Stralman took a hit to top of the helmet and was left bleeding on a shot by Ryan McDonagh.
NOTES
Lightning C Tyler Johnson was held out after aggravating a lower-body injury that kept him out of four games earlier in the month. … Tampa Bay recalled RW Mathieu Joseph from Syracuse of the American Hockey League. … Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov recorded his 300th career assist and 500th career point with a first-period assist. … Florida RW Noel Acciari was named the NHL No. 1 Star of the Week on Monday after recording seven goals in three games. … The Panthers allowed a season-high three power-play goals. … LW Jonathan Huberdeau has goals in three consecutive games. … Tampa Bay won three of the four meetings between the teams this season.
UP NEXT
Lightning: Host Montreal on Saturday.
Panthers: Host Detroit on Saturday.
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Erik Erlendsson, The Associated Press
