The Lightning broke franchise records, chased the opposing starting goalie midway through the first period and got back in the win column with an 8-2 beatdown over the Colorado Avalanche at AMALIE Arena on Monday.
Tampa Bay took a 5-1 advantage in the first period, one that saw forward Brandon Hagel set a new franchise record for most assists (four) by a single player in one period.
Hagel added a fifth in the second period when he set up Brayden Point, tying the franchise record for most assists in a game and giving the Bolts a 6-1 lead.
Colorado scored first in the third period on Ivan Ivan’s second goal of the night, but Jake Guentzel scored to regain a six-goal lead before Mikey Eyssimont’s first goal of the season made it 8-2.
Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the victory with 23 saves. Up next for Tampa Bay is a visit from the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
TBL 1, COL 0
5:41 Nick Perbix (2)
Defenseman Nick Perbix gave the home team the early lead after he found the puck in the high slot following a chance for the Lightning in tight to the Colorado net.
TBL 2, COL 0
7:46 Jake Guentzel (8) - Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov - PP
Jake Guentzel scored on a power-play rush, slipping the puck through the pads of Colorado goalie Justus Annunen after bursting down the left side of the offensive zone.
TBL 2, COL 1
8:56 Ivan Ivan (4) - Valeri Nichushkin, Josh Manson
Colorado got on the scoreboard with a rebound goal one minute after Guentzel made it 2-0.
TBL 3, COL 1
10:03 Nikita Kucherov (12) - Hagel
Tampa Bay’s leading goalscorer in Nikita Kucherov wired a one-timer inside the right goalpost from the right faceoff circle just past the midway point of the first period.
TBL 4, COL 1
13:15 Luke Glendening (1) - Hagel - SH
Center Luke Glendening scored his first of the year by burying a rebound after a Brandon Hagel shot on a shorthanded 2-on-1.
TBL 5, COL 1
19:46 Anthony Cirelli (9) - Erik Cernak, Hagel
Anthony Cirelli extended his goal-scoring streak to six games in the closing seconds of the first period. Erik Cernak let a shot fly from the right point, and Cirelli found the rebound near the center hashmark before roofing it over Alexander Georgiev’s blocker.
Shots on goal: TBL 12, COL 7
2nd Period
TBL 6, COL 1
9:38 Brayden Point (12) - Hagel, Kucherov - PP
The second power-play goal of the night extended the Lightning lead in period two. Brayden Point scored from the bottom of the left circle after a pass from Hagel in the slot.
Shots on goal: TBL 11, COL 4
3rd Period
TBL 6, COL 2
1:08 Ivan (5) - Unassisted
Ivan scored his second goal of the night when his shot hit the post, then bounced off Vasilevskiy and into the net.
TBL 7, COL 2
3:09 Guentzel (9) - Perbix
Guentzel responded to the Ivan goal with his second tally of the night, breaking in alone before scoring through the wickets of Georgiev.
TBL 8, COL 2
4:44 Mikey Eyssimont (1) - Zemgus Girgensons
Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons broke up a clearing attempt by the Avalanche before feeding Eyssimont for a shot between the circles, which the latter shot through the glove of Georgiev for this first goal this season.
Total shots: TBL 33, COL 25
