TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos had two goals and two assists as the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning won their sixth consecutive game, beating the Colorado Avalanche 7-1 on Saturday night.
Stamkos scored twice in the first period and had two second-period assists. It was his franchise-best 13th four-point game.
Tampa Bay also got two goals from Ondrej Palat, and Louis Domingue made 29 saves. Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli had the other Lightning goals.
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal for the Avalanche, who are 10-2-2 over the last 14 games. Semyon Varlamov was pulled midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 23 shots.
Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen got his NHL-leading 48th point with an assist that extended his points streak to 11 games (14 assists, 19 points).
Stamkos opened the scoring from the left circle off a pass through the slot by Nikita Kucherov during a power play 3:05 into the game. Kucherov has 21 assists and 26 points over his last 13 games.
After Stamkos scored on a breakaway backhander at 13:15 of the first, MacKinnon made it 2-1 just 59 seconds later.
MacKinnon has 20 goals in 30 games, which ties Joe Sakic’s Colorado team record, set in 1995-96, for the fewest games needed to reach the mark.
Johnson put Tampa Bay up 3-1 late in the first.
Stamkos made a pass from the left circle while falling down to Yanni Gourde, who then set up Killorn’s goal two minutes into the second that put Tampa Bay ahead 4-1.
Palat and Cirelli added second-period goals.
Palat had a power-play goal in the third.
NOTES: Stamkos has 67 multi-goal games. … Injured Tampa Bay G Andrei Vasilevskiy (fractured left foot) and D Anton Stralman (upper body) both took part in the morning skate. Vasilevskiy could return within the next three weeks while Stralman’s status is being reviewed on a weekly basis. … Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog assisted on MacKinnon’s goal. It’s the 17th time all three got a point on the same goal.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Return home Tuesday night to play Edmonton.
Lightning: Host the New York Rangers Monday night.
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Mark Didtler, The Associated Press
