With three points, Kucherov leads the scoring race for Tampa Bay, which advances in the close Atlantic race.
TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Buffalo Sabres 7–4 at Amalie Arena on Sunday, gaining distance in the Atlantic Division thanks to two goals and an assist from Nikita Kucherov.
With 76 games played this season, Kucherov has 119 points (36 goals, 83 assists), three more than Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, who is sidelined due to an unexplained ailment, for the NHL lead.
With two games left, the Lightning are now two points ahead of the Florida Panthers for second place in the Atlantic. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 earlier on Sunday, were still four points ahead of them for first place.
“The guys knew what was at stake today and I thought we had a really outstanding second period,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “Giving up two in the final minute (of the first period), which is a no-no, and coming out in the second the way we did is a positive sign for a team. That most likely made the game different.
Brandon Hagel had three helpers and Jake Guentzel scored twice for the Lightning (46-26-8), who had dropped four of five games (1-1-3). 21 saves were made by Jonas Johansson.
Jiri Kulich, Alex Tuch, Connor Clifton and Sam Lafferty scored for the Sabres (35-38-7), who have lost three straight (0-2-1). 24 saves were made by James Reimer.
Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff stated, “I felt we lost puck battles, got on the wrong side of the puck, and poor defense led to goals against.” “They beat us to pucks, and their sustained O-zone time sometimes led to great opportunities and we couldn’t get people off the ice.”
At 16:35 of the first period, Anthony Cirelli’s first shot struck Hagel at the top of the crease, and Guentzel put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 by putting in a loose puck at the left post.
“We’re in a fight right now for points and placement, so two points is huge,” said Cirelli. “As the game progressed, we improved slightly. We obviously don’t want to give away four, as that is an excessive number.
The game was knotted 1-1 at 19:37 when Tage Thompson’s turnaround shot deflected through the net and Kulich tapped the puck past Johansson’s right pad.
On a pass from Hagel, Ryan McDonagh scored a one-timer from above the circles at 3:02 of the second period to equalize the score at 2-2.
Kucherov gave the Lightning a 3-2 lead at 6:34. He moved around Tuch at center ice, went to the right circle’s edge, and scored on his own rebound after his first attempt struck the back of Reimer’s skate and the crossbar.
“It’s game 80 and ‘Kuch’ … he showed a lot of emotion when he scored and I think the guys … they knew what was at stake for him as well,” Cooper claimed. “The team comes first at this time of year, but individual achievements can also be overlooked. Seeing the boys sort of feed off the emotion was fantastic.
Earlier in the day, Conor Geekie, who was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Syracuse, made it 4-2 at 14:21. After his first shot was saved by Reimer, he scored five-hole from the right hash markers.
“I had a few chances early on, but seeing it go in makes you feel better, but there’s still a long road ahead,” Geekie commented. “I needed to learn a lot of things, and Syracuse helped me with that. I’m hoping I can continue because it worked well tonight.
At 16:45, Emil Lilleberg scored glove side with a one-timer from the left point to increase the margin to 5-2. In his 111th career game, he scored his first NHL goal.
“It was incredibly significant for me to accomplish it. “I had a great time,” Lilleberg remarked. “Everyone on the line was ecstatic. I work in the D-zone, and scoring goals is always enjoyable.
“We’re so happy for him,” Cirelli remarked. He is a man who gives his all during every shift. He always fights, he defends guys, and he makes those tremendous hits. It means a lot to him and to us to see him on the scoring sheet. We’re thrilled for him.
At 2:39 of the third period, Kucherov turned the score to 6-2. Ryan McLeod’s pass was intercepted by him in the low slot, and he hit Reimer’s glove with a wrist shot.
“I didn’t think we had a great start to the game, but we responded with two quick goals and we’ve got the lead on the road,” Clifton explained. “We pass the game to them when we emerge in the second. We are then pursuing and facing difficulties.
On a Lightning power play at 13:12, Guentzel scored his 40th goal of the season to make it 7-3, but Tuch’s 5-on-3 power play at 8:39 made it 6-3.
At 18:23, Lafferty scored to seal the 7–4 victory.
We simply didn’t perform up to par. Peyton Krebs of the Sabres stated, “We weren’t making plays at the blue line and we weren’t getting pucks deep.” “They took advantage of it. Their large dogs were active.
NOTES: In the second period, Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh left the game. An update wasn’t available. Guentzel’s NHL career high of 40 goals is tied with this one. With eight goals and six assists, Tuch has scored 14 points in his last ten games. In his last seven games, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has two assists and 11 points (four goals, seven assists). During a four-game point run, Hagel has eight points (seven assists and one goal). Lightning forward Gage Goncalves has three goals and three assists in his last five games, with two assists.
