Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel each scored two goals and had an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 on Thursday in Las Vegas.
Dominic James scored his first NHL goal and also had two assists, Oliver Bjorkstrand added two assists and Gabe Goncalves scored a goal for Tampa Bay, which won for the sixth time in its last seven games. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves.
Ivan Barbashev scored two goals and had an assist, Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists and Jack Eichel chipped in with two assists for Vegas, which took its fourth loss in the past six games (2-3-1). Carl Lindbom stopped 21 of 26 shots in his third career NHL start.
Vegas, which held Tampa Bay without a shot on goal for the first 15:35 of the game, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind a pair of goals by Barbashev. The first came at the 7:25 mark on a backhand rebound of a Noah Hanifin slap shot from the left point. The second came on a snap shot in the slot off a Marner pass at 15:53.
Tampa Bay bounced back with two goals in the span of 2:52 early in the second period to tie it.
James set up the first goal after Hanifin lost the puck behind the net, passing to Goncalves in the low slot, where he fired a wrist shot into the top left corner 36 second into the period. It was Goncalves’ first goal of the season.
James, playing in his eighth NHL game, then tied it at the 3:28 mark when he put in a rebound of a Bjorkstrand shot from the slot.
The Lightning took their first lead, 3-2, at 2:48 of the third period on a Kucherov sharp-angled one-timer from below the right circle.
The Golden Knights answered 49 seconds later when Marner’s wrist shot from the left point hit defenseman Victor Hedman in the slot and caromed past Vasilevskiy.
Hagel then put Tampa Bay back in front 35 seconds later with his 100th career goal for the Lightning and fifth in six games, a spinning slap shot in the slot off a James feed.
Kucherov extended the lead to 5-3 with 5:47 left with a power-play goal, blasting a one-timer from the right circle that deflected off Hanifin’s stick and past Lindbom’s right arm.
The Golden Knights pulled Lindbom for an extra attacker with 2:10 remaining, and Kucherov sent Hagel in for an empty-netter with 46.5 seconds left to seal the win.
