TAMPA — Nikita Kucherov already had became the third player this season to reach the 100-point mark Tuesday night, and a win over the Penguins was well in hand when the Lightning’s top scorer collided with Alex Nedeljkovic late in the second period. Kucherov’s front teeth crashed into the top of the goaltender’s mask as Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves ran him into the right post.
Kucherov threw his gloves off, dropped his stick and held his mouth as he got to his feet, skated to the Lightning bench and disappeared down the tunnel with assistant athletic trainer Mike Poirier, sending a collective gasp through Amalie Arena.
Just 1 minute, 45 seconds later, Kucherov returned to the ice, joining the second power-play unit. On his second touch, he calmly snapped a shot from above the right dot past Nedeljkovic to put the icing on a 6-1 Lightning win. Kucherov flashed a subtle smile, revealing three chipped upper front teeth.
By night’s end, Kucherov’s three points tied him for second in the NHL scoring race with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, and the Lightning recaptured some positive vibes with one of their most dominant efforts of the season.
“It means a lot,” Kucherov said. “I thought everybody played well (Tuesday). Just, I think, when we play our system and we’re consistent throughout the game, we’re a good team and tough to beat, so we did that (Tuesday).”
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Lightning (41-25-5) are two points back of Toronto and Florida for the Atlantic Division lead.
Kucherov recorded his third straight 100-point season and the fifth of his career, surpassing Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for most by a Russian-born player. He became the 10th player in NHL history to record three straight 70-assist seasons, joining Connor McDavid as the only active players.
“He’s a 100-point guy, but he wants to be out there and battle with the guys no matter (what),” said left wing Brandon Hagel, who had a goal and an assist. “I mean, losing teeth, and if those are sensitive, that definitely isn’t fun. I can attest to that. But that’s just what Kuch does, and that’s why he’s loved by his teammates and is considered a gamer.”
Cirelli big on both sides
Anthony Cirelli wore a full-bubble face shield for added protection after getting hit in the face during Sunday’s loss at Vegas, but it didn’t stop him from holding Sidney Crosby scoreless until the final 5:45 as the matchup center assigned to Pittsburgh’s top scoring line.
But it was the strong puck possession play by Cirelli’s line early on that led to the opening goal with 7:47 left in the first period, the first of four in a 3:47 stretch that opened the game up for the Lightning and chased Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry after he allowed four goals on just seven shots.
Cirelli’s line established the tone early with excellent puck retrieval that extended the Lightning’s zone time, wore down the Penguins and ultimately led to the first goal of the game.
The Lightning kept the puck in the offensive zone, retrieved it and put it on net, ending with Ryan McDonagh flinging it toward the net. It deflected off Nick Paul’s stick and landed at the feet of Cirelli, who flung it past Jarry.
“I just feel the identity of our line there with Hags and Pauly, with both guys, is just getting on the forecheck, coming up with pucks, getting pucks to the net, just that grind kind of game,” said Cirelli, who played in his 500th game. “We want to establish that early and just get on the forecheck and keep it simple.”
Just over a minute later, McDonagh put another puck on net, trying to connect with Jake Guentzel at the back post. It hit Rickard Rakell’s skate and went in the net. After Cirelli scored his second goal off a feed from Hagel on the rush, Brayden Point made it 4-0 by crashing the net and scoring on a rebound of a Guentzel shot.
Getting back to defense
Though Cirelli’s 26 goals this season are already six more than his previous career high, it’s the matchup defense that plays a pivotal role in the Lightning winning. Doing his part to lock down Crosby was another example.
“Sid’s unbelievable,” Cirelli said. “He’s been doing it for 20 years. He scores goals, he makes plays, he does it all. He’s a Hall of Famer. So, it’s tough. I think it’s just trying to contain and trying to limit the Grade-A chances. But it’s tough doing it shift after shift because of how good he is.”
The Lightning held Pittsburgh to just eight shots over the first two periods. It was a stark contrast from the previous two games, in which Tampa Bay had far too many defensive lapses in loses to Utah and Vegas in which it allowed a combined 10 goals.
“I think just maybe our defensive game slipped from us a little bit,” Hagel said. “That’s something we needed to get back on track with. ... We know we have the offense in this room. That’s not the issue. And if we want to do some damage down the road, it’s going to have to be in the D zone and just continue to build off stuff like this.”
The Lightning lost defenseman Erik Cernak to an injury late in the first period. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced.
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