Tampa Bay 4, Columbus 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Referees:
Beau Halkidis, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen:
Matt MacPherson, Kiel Murchison
Attendance:
19092
By Field Level Media
Steven Stamkos collected two goals and two assists to surpass the 100-point plateau on the season Tuesday, fueling the host Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Stamkos, the NHL's reigning First Star of the Week, recorded at least three points in his fifth consecutive game -- just the 10th such streak in league history. The most recent on that list had been Jari Kurri in 1992-93. The record is six consecutive games with three-plus points, shared by Kurri, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.
The Tampa Bay captain also notched his seventh consecutive multi-point performance to move within one of tying Vincent Lecavalier (2007-08) for the longest such run in franchise history.
Nikita Kucherov scored early in the first period to extend his goal-scoring streak to seven games. The former Hart Trophy recipient added three assists, Ondrej Palat scored a goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves to send the Lightning (50-22-8, 108 points) to their fourth straight win.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored a power-play goal and Elvis Merzlikins turned aside 28 shots for the Blue Jackets (36-37-7, 79 points), who have dropped five of their past six games (1-4-1).
Stamkos unleashed a one-timer off a feed from Kucherov on a power play to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead with 3:13 remaining in the first period.
Stamkos recorded his second goal and third point of the night at 7:29 of the second period to join Lecavalier (2006-07), Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis (2006-07) and Kucherov (2017-18, 2018-19) as the lone players to produce 100-point seasons with the franchise.
Kucherov stripped the puck from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov before feeding Stamkos, who snapped a shot past Merzlikins for his team-leading 39th goal of the season.
Palat capped the scoring by converting Kucherov's centering feed with 5:07 remaining in the third period.
Kucherov continued his hot streak by unleashing a shot from between the circles that sailed under Merzlikins' arm to open the scoring at 1:37 of the first period. The goal was Kucherov's 24th of the season and ninth during his seven-game goal streak.
Columbus answered 82 seconds later after Jack Roslovic's feed found Bjorkstrand, who unleashed a one-timer from the left circle that sailed inside the near post. The goal was Bjorkstrand's 26th of the season, tying him with Patrik Laine for the team lead.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Columbus |
|
Tampa Bay |
|
Oliver Bjorkstrand 1 |
Points |
Steven Stamkos 4 |
|
Oliver Bjorkstrand 1 |
Goals |
Steven Stamkos 2 |
|
Jack Roslovic 1 |
Assists |
Nikita Kucherov 3 |
|
Oliver Bjorkstrand 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Steven Stamkos 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Elvis Merzlikins .875 |
Save Percentage |
Andrei Vasilevskiy .952 |
|
Elvis Merzlikins 28 |
Saves |
Andrei Vasilevskiy 20 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Columbus
|
21 |
1 |
1-3 |
1-2 |
4 |
22 |
| Tampa Bay
|
32 |
4 |
1-2 |
2-3 |
6 |
22 |
Upcoming Games
-
Tampa Bay will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Lightning have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .593 after a loss.
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .475 after a loss.
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