DENVER — Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring for the Tampa Bay Lightning just over a minute into Wednesday night’s game, leading to a quick offensive surge that comprised three goals within the first 5 1/2 minutes. The Lightning eventually defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-2, marking their third consecutive victory.
Joining Kucherov in the early scoring blitz were Jake Guentzel and Conor Geekie, who both found the back of the net against Colorado’s goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who was making his season debut after being claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
In addition to Kucherov’s early contribution, Anthony Cirelli capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal with just 1:20 remaining in the game. In the waning moments of the first period, Ivan Ivan managed to tip a shot from Cale Makar into the net during a power play, while Makar also scored later in the third period.
Tampa Bay’s goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, turned in a stellar performance with 33 saves, achieving his 299th career win. Both Makar and Nathan MacKinnon assisted Ivan’s power-play goal, extending their respective point streaks to 11 games at the start of the season.
Noteworthy Observations:
For the Lightning, this victory marked matching a season-high record as they encountered their second three-game win streak, continuing their trend of strong performances in the opening weeks of the season. Conversely, the Avalanche faced challenges as they equaled a season-low in scoring, losing additional forwards to injuries. Ross Colton sustained a broken foot, while Miles Wood is dealing with an upper-body injury. The Avalanche were already missing players like Jonathan Drouin, captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Artturi Lehkonen due to their respective injuries.
A pivotal moment in the match occurred early on when Kucherov fired a slapshot from the high slot, establishing a lead for the Lightning that they would maintain throughout the game. Brayden Point provided the assist with a precise centering pass, allowing Kucherov to place his shot skillfully above Kahkonen’s left shoulder.
In a striking statistic, Tampa Bay was able to net three goals from their first five shots on goal fired at Colorado’s net.
Looking ahead, Tampa Bay is set to continue their road trip with a match on Friday night against Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Avalanche will take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday evening.