NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Lightning showcased an electrifying performance against the New York Rangers, securing a 5-1 victory at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Brayden Point made a notable impact with two goals and an assist, while Nikita Kucherov shone with a goal and two assists, underscoring Tampa Bay’s offensive prowess.
Yanni Gourde and Brandon Hagel also found the back of the net, supporting a well-rounded attack. Jake Guentzel contributed significantly with three assists as the playoff-bound Lightning demonstrated mastery on the power play, converting three of their four opportunities. In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy held firm, making 38 crucial saves.
Mika Zibanejad provided a glimmer of hope for the Rangers with his power-play goal, his 17th of the season, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their second straight defeat. The loss kept New York six points adrift of a wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just five games left in their schedule. Their goalie, Igor Shesterkin, managed 18 saves in a challenging outing.
Kucherov wasted no time putting Tampa Bay ahead, scoring his 34th goal of the season on a power play with just under seven minutes to go in the first period. Gourde quickly followed, doubling their advantage a mere 36 seconds later. Keeping the momentum, Point struck once more on the power play to widen the gap.
Zibanejad cut into the Lightning’s lead early in the second period, scoring what was only the third power-play goal for the Rangers in their last 45 attempts. However, Point reinforced Tampa Bay’s dominance with his second score, bringing his season tally to 41 goals. Hagel capped off the night with an empty-net goal.
The Rangers are now precariously close to falling out of playoff contention, sporting a 3-5-1 record in their last nine games and an 18-18-3 record at home—a stark contrast to the previous season’s 30 home wins.
Meanwhile, the Lightning marked a significant milestone with their 45th victory of the season, a feat they’ve achieved an NHL-leading eight times in the past 11 seasons. They sit just two points shy of overtaking Toronto in the Atlantic Division.
Kucherov’s early power-play goal played a pivotal role, setting the stage for a dominant Lightning performance. His continued excellence places him on level footing with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, both leading the league with 115 points. Kucherov’s assist on Point’s first goal also placed him in elite company, as he became only the fourth player in NHL history to achieve 80 assists in three consecutive seasons, joining icons Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, and Bobby Orr.
Looking ahead, the Lightning are set to host Toronto, while the Rangers will face off against Philadelphia, both teams eager to secure crucial victories as the regular season winds down.