Lightning Beat Red Wings For 11th Straight Time, 4-1
By MARK DIDTLER/Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Steven Stamkos scored twice, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists, and the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings for the 11th straight time, 4-1 Thursday night.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 38 saves and Victor Hedman picked up three assists for the Lightning, who were coming off an 0-2 road trip. Alex Killorn had the other Tampa Bay goal.
Tomas Tatar scored for Detroit and Jimmy Howard stopped 28 shots.
Tampa Bay scored twice early on for a 2-0 lead. Stamkos scored from the low right circle off a nice cross-ice pass from Hedman 3:55 into the game before Kucherov got his 31st goal on the power play at 7:05.
Kucherov has four goals and 10 points during a five-game point streak.
Vasilevskiy, 6-0 against the Red Wings, made a nice save on Trevor Daley's low slot shot during a short-handed 2-on-1 late in the second.
Howard turned aside Kucherov's shot during a breakaway in the second.
Stamkos got his 23rd goal to make it 3-0 during a power play with 1:52 left in the second.
Tatar had a power-play goal in the final minute of the second.
Killorn had a third-period goal.
NOTES: Detroit has also lost 11 consecutive road games against the Lightning. ... Red Wings C Andreas Athanasiou (illness) didn't play. . Kucherov has 12 goals and 21 points in 19 games against Detroit, while Stamkos has 11 goals and 18 points over 20 games. ... Howard is 5-6-2 against Tampa Bay.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: At Nashville on Saturday night.
Lightning: Host New Jersey on Saturday night.