The Lightning scored early and often in each of the first two periods en route to a blowout victory. They swept the California trip and now have won seven straight, matching a season high.
The Sharks are an improved team from last year. They are above hockey .500 at the halfway point of the season, and their superstar center, Macklin Celebrini is third in the league scoring race. But they are not a strong defensive club, entering Saturday having allowed 3.45 goals per game, tied for 30th in the NHL. Those numbers worsened after this game.
The Lightning tallied three goals before the first TV timeout. Off the rush, Brayden Point wired a left-circle shot past Yaroslav Askarov’s stick at 2:37. Ninety-one seconds later, after the Lightning held in a San Jose clearing attempt in the Sharks zone, Nikita Kucherov set up Darren Raddysh for a right-circle slapshot that got through the pads of Askarov. Brandon Hagel extended the lead at 6:46 with a goal from the slot when he finished a give-and-go rush chance with Jake Guentzel.
The Sharks pulled Askarov for Alex Nedeljkovic, and Nedeljkovic made several difficult saves over the remainder of the period. The Sharks got one goal back at 10:50 of the first when Pavol Regenda scored on a rebound during a San Jose power play.
The Lightning solved Nedeljkovic in the opening minutes of the second, however. Raddysh blasted home a power-play goal from the center point at 2:49. Just over a minute later, the Lightning made it 5-1. Following a Sharks faceoff win in the defensive zone, Oliver Bjorkstrand disrupted a pass attempt from Dmitry Orlov. The puck caromed to Dominic James in the low slot. James deked to his backhand and tucked the puck into the net at 3:55.
The Sharks converted off a rebound stemming from a two-on-one rush at 14:08. Timothy Liljegren’s shot hit off Regenda and went into the net.
Minutes later, J.J. Moser delivered a clean check on Celebrini in the Tampa Bay end. William Eklund challenged Moser. Although both players were assessed penalties, Eklund got an extra minor. On the power play, Kucherov wired a right-circle shot inside the far post at 14:08 to make it 6-2. The Sharks weren’t happy with Moser’s hit, so once he served his penalty, they looked to challenge him again. The ten skaters on the ice got involved. Since the Sharks initiated the scrum, they were given an extra penalty. Once more, the Lightning converted on the ensuing power play. Raddysh completed his hat trick with another blast from the middle of the ice at 16:53. Kucherov, who passed Raddysh the puck, picked up his fifth point of the game.
Up 7-2 entering the third, the Lightning managed the final 20 minutes effectively. The Sharks didn’t build momentum, although Regenda completed his first NHL hat trick when he swept in a loose puck from the low slot at 16:11.
It can sometimes be tricky to maintain high intensity when jumping out to a big early lead. But the Lightning handled the situation well and didn’t allow the Sharks to score goals in succession. Which they themselves did.
The Lightning have one home game before heading back on the road next weekend. They host Colorado, the NHL’s top team, on Tuesday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Darren Raddysh — Lightning. First career NHL hat trick.
- Nikita Kucherov — Lightning. Goal and four assists.
- Brayden Point — Lightning. Goal and assist.
