A pair of goals in the first period gave the Anaheim Ducks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish on Sunday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 at Honda Center.
The loss is the fourth straight for Tampa Bay.
Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano scored in the first period for the home team, but Lightning forward Jake Guentzel’s power-play goal in the second period halved the Ducks’ advantage.
A goal by defenseman Jackson LaCombe made it 3-1 with 3:34 left in the game, and a Vatrano empty-net goal closed the offense for both teams.
Jonas Johansson made 22 saves for the Lightning, while Anaheim goalie John Gibson finished with 36 saves.
The Lightning are now 20-15-2 this season and return home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at AMALIE Arena.
Scoring Summary
First period
ANA 1, TBL 0
5:26 Troy Terry (14) - Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano
Anaheim started the scoring off the stick of forward Troy Terry, whose shot from the top of the right faceoff circle found the top right corner of the Lightning net.
ANA 2, TBL 0
17:03 Frank Vatrano (10) - Jacob Trouba, Terry
The top forward line for the Ducks doubled the home team’s lead late in the first period. Forward Frank Vatrano earned his second point of the night by redirecting a point shot by defenseman Jacob Trouba into the Lightning net.
Shots on goal: ANA 12, TBL 5
Second period
ANA 2, TBL 1
9:12 Jake Guentzel (21) - Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point - PP
Forward Jake Guentzel’s windup one-timer from the right faceoff circle slashed the Lightning deficit to one goal midway through the second period on the power play.
Shots on goal: TBL 18, ANA 8
Third period
ANA 3, TBL 1
16:26 Jackson LaCombe (8) - Alex Killorn, Leo Carlsson
Anaheim extended its lead on a 2-on-1 in the closing minutes of Sunday’s game. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe finished the rush at the right side of the net after a pass from Alex Killorn.
ANA 4, TBL 1
18:28 Vatrano (11) - Strome - EN
Vatrano’s second goal of the night came on an empty-net goal to seal the final score.
Total shots: TBL 37, ANA 26
