Mikhail Sergachev had two goals and as many assists in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Nikita Kucherov has not been outdone either with a goal and an assist, bringing his tally to 13 points in his last six games.
The Caps were unable to overcome a 4-0 deficit in the first period. Sergachev got the ball rolling after just 1:23 with a wrist shot that smashed its way through traffic from the tip, then Kucherov doubled the lead on a power-play lead.
Nick Perbix, who also got an assist tonight, made it 3-0 when his shot deflected off opposing defenseman Erik Gustafsson’s skate while the Caps were still looking for a first shot on net from Andrei Vasilevskiy. While he was waiting, Sergachev scored his second of the game as Tampa took advantage of a power play.
It was then that Darcy Kuemper gave way to Charlie Lindgren in front of the cage after having flinched four times on only nine throws.
Brandon Hagel also hit the target in the win, while Nick Paul completed the scoring in an empty net.
Vasilevskiy eventually made 19 saves to earn his fifth win of the season, being beaten by Conor Sheary in the second period and then Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway in the third. In relief to Kuemper on the other side, Lindgren made 24 saves.
Canucks unanswered in front of Boston
The Boston Bruins gave the Vancouver Canucks a taste of medicine with a 5-2 win, their fourth straight win. Boston has now suffered only one loss in its last 12 games and the team has won 14 of its 16 meetings this season.
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm continued his stellar start to the season with three assists in the win, bringing his total points to 17 in 16 games this season.
David Pastrnak also contributed two assists to reach 25 points this season. Only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have done it faster than him this season.
The Bruins were the first to get on the mark when Connor Clifton rattled the ropes for the second time this season midway through the first period.
JT Miller then took advantage of a power play moments later to break away and serve a nice fake to Linus Ullmark to tie the game at 1-1.
With less than three minutes to play in the first period, Quebecer Patrice Bergeron hit the mark for the eighth time this season and thus restore the lead to the Bruins.
Boston followed up with two goals in the middle period thanks to Pavel Zacha and Brad Marchand.
Sheldon Dries gave the Canucks hope in the third period by closing the gap to 4-2 with his first goal this season, but Tomas Nosek scored late in an empty net to dash Vancouver’s comeback hopes.
With his performance of 29 saves, Ullmark signed his 11th victory this season. At the other end of the rink, Thatcher Demko allowed four goals on 31 shots.
The Canucks wrap up a five-game trip east on Tuesday against the Sabres, while the Bruins return to action on Thursday against the Flyers.
Fox continues to produce at full speed
The New York Rangers held on to a three-goal lead to claim a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, who suffered a second straight loss.
Defenseman Adam Fox contributed offensively with a goal and an assist, he now has five goals and 19 points in 17 games this season. Before Fox hit the target to double Rangers’ second-period lead, New York had taken the lead with a goal from Barclay Goodrow.
Early in the third period, Chris Kreider scored on the power play to extend the Rangers lead. It was the 88e goal of his career on the power play. Ryan Carpenter scored New York’s other goal.
Clayton Keller scored the Coyotes’ lone goal, extending his game streak with at least one point to five.
Igor Shesterkin was intractable in net for New Yorkers with a performance of 31 saves, while his vis-à-vis Connor Ingram gave up four times on 27 shots.
New York will kick off a four-game road trip out West on Thursday when they take on the Kraken. The Rangers will then face the Sharks, the Kings and the Ducks before returning to their home.
Victory in extremis for the Jets
Blake Wheeler tied the game late in the third period, Mark Scheifele scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets posted a 3-2 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken.
After watching Wheeler force overtime in the dying seconds of the third period, Scheifele played the heroes in a two-on-one run after 54 seconds of extra time thanks to his 10e goal of the season.
Seattle opened the scoring midway through the first period when Jordan Eberle took advantage of a power play to collect a loose puck in the slot.
Then in the second period, Scheifele scored for the first time in the game to tie the game after 40 minutes.
Midway through the third period, Brandon Tanev restored the Kraken lead, a lead that almost held until the end.
But with five seconds left in the third period, Jets forward Blake Wheeler jumped on a rebound into the slot and pushed the puck into the back of the net to send the game into overtime. Wheeler reached 300 NHL goals with that net.
Scheifele then closed the books to allow the Jets to record a fourth victory in their last five games.
In goal, David Rittich saved 19 pucks in the win, while Martin Jones’ 28 saves weren’t enough for the Kraken.
Sharks finally stick with two straight wins
Alexander Barabanov scored in the fifth round of the playoff session to give the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
The Sharks completed the comeback after scoring two goals in the final six minutes of regulation time, forcing overtime. They deserved two straight wins for the first time this season.
Frédérick Gaudreau opened the scoring in the first period when he was left alone in front of the net. The Wild then capitalized on a clumsy fall from defenseman Erik Karlsson at the blue line to make it 2-on-0, then Mason Shaw passed the puck to Connor Dewar who hit the target shorthanded to take the lead. two goals. The Sharks were outshot 9-1 in the first 11 minutes.
Steven Lorentz finally got the Sharks on the board in the third period, followed by Nico Sturm with 4:11 to go. Karlsson had an assist on the tying goal, his 22nd point in 17 games.
Barabanov eventually foiled Filip Gustavsson between the pads to end the shootout. Nick Bonino had also scored in the previous round.
Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just 24 seconds. He was hit in the head by an elbow from forward Mason Shaw on his first appearance on the ice and he did not complete the game.
James Reimer made 28 saves for San Jose, who were coming back from a 5-4 victory at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Friday night. They will complete their four-game road trip Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
