Nuts & Bolts: Busy weekend begins with Game 4 on Friday

FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and Stars are playing Game 4 of a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final tonight...Both franchises are in search of their second Stanley Cup...The Lightning have won two straight against the Stars after starting the season 0-1-2 against them (reg. season and playoffs)...The Bolts have outshot the Stars in four of five meetings this season -- including all three games of the SCF -- and own a cumulative 172-128 advantage in shots...Tampa Bay scored the opening goal in Game 3 for the second-straight game and improved to 11-1 this postseason when scoring first (5-5 when trailing first)...Victor Hedman (1-4--5 pts.) leads all skaters in the SCF final for scoring through three games...Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point and DAL's Jason Dickinson share the goal lead in the SCF, each with two goals...Nikita Kucherov (1-6--7 pts.) and Victor Hedman (1-6--7 pts.) lead the Lightning for scoring against Dallas in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs)...Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat pace the Bolts for goals versus Dallas in 2019-20 with three apiece...Andrei Vasilevskiy has started all five meetings against Dallas in 2019-20 and allowed 14 goals on 127 shots.

FRIDAY'S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay pulled ahead 2-1 in a Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history (also: 2015)... When a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final is tied 1-1 (since 1939), the winner of Game 3 owns an all-time series record of 22-7 (.759)...The Lightning are within two wins of securing the second Stanley Cup in franchise history (also: 2004)...The Bolts can become the first of the 10 franchises that debuted in the 90s or later to win multiple Stanley Cup championships...The Lightning are 16-11 all-time in Game 4s in the playoffs, including a 3-0 record this postseason...The Bolts have won 9 of their last 10 Game 4s... Tampa Bay is 1-1 all-time in Stanley Cup Final Game 4s...The Lightning are 8-5 all-time in Game 4s when up 2-1 in a series, including a 3-0 record in the 2020 Playoffs...Tampa Bay features three players -- Brayden Point (11), Victor Hedman (10) and Ondrej Palat (10) -- with 10 or more goals this postseason and are the first team in 10 years to have at least three players with 10 or more goals in the same postseason (last: 2010 Chicago - 3 players w/ 10+ goals)...Since 1990, the Lightning are one of 11 NHL teams to feature three or more 10+ goal scorers in the same postseason...Game 4 will be the first half of a back-to-back set, the Bolts second back-to-back of the 2020 Playoffs (also: Games 2 &3 of 2nd Rd. vs. BOS) and fifth in playoff history (also: 2003 ECQF Games 3 and 4 vs. WSH; 2011 ECSF Games 3 and 4 vs. WSH; and 2015 ECSF Games 3 and 4 vs. MTL)...The Lightning have never lost the first half of a playoff back-to-back set, going 4-0.
HED OF THE CLASS
Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman scored a power-play goal and added two assists Game 3 at DAL for his fifth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs (2nd of the SCF) and fourth career three-point playoff game...Hedman netted his 10th goal this postseason in Game 3 to lead all NHL defensemen for goals in the 2020 Playoffs and move into sole possession of third place for the most goals in a playoff season by a defenseman in NHL playoff history.
MOST GOALS BY A NHL D-MAN IN A PLAYOFF SEASON
1. Paul Coffey (EDM) - 12 goals in 18 GP (1985)
2. Brian Leetch (NYR) - 11 goals in 23 GP (1994)
3. Victor Hedman (TBL) - 10 goals in 22 GP (2020)
Hedman's goal was the game-winner in Game 3 -- his third game-winning goal this postseason -- and he is one game-winning goal shy of the most by a NHL blueliner in a single playoff year (most: Slava Voynov - 4 in 2013 w/ LAK; Brian Leetch - 4 in 1994 w/ NYR; Al MacInnis - 4 in 1989 w/ CGY; and Paul Coffey - 4 in 1985 w/ EDM)...Hedman scored his first career goal in a Stanley Cup Final and has recorded 1-8--9 pts. in nine career SCF games, tied for the most career points in the SCF in Lightning history.
TBL ALL-TIME SCF SCORING LEADERS
T-1. Brad Richards - 4-5--9 pts. in 7 GP
T-1. Victor Hedman - 1-8--9 pts. in 9 GP
3. Nikita Kucherov - 2-5--7 pts. in 9 GP
4. Martin St. Louis - 4-2--6 pts. in 7 GP
STAMMER TIME
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos made his 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 3 at DAL -- his first game since Feb. 25 vs. TOR in the regular season, 211 days between contests -- and scored his first career goal in a Stanley Cup Final on his first shot of the game...Stamkos became the second NHL player - and first in more than 80 years - to score a goal while skating in his first game of a postseason during the Stanley Cup Final (also: Billy Taylor Sr. w/ TOR in 1940 Game 2 at NYR)...Stamkos has recorded points in 16-straight games he's played in dating back to Jan. 14 of the regular season (13 goals, 10 assists over that stretch).
ANDREI THE GIANT
Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22-of-24 shots Game 3 at DAL for his second-straight win and NHL-best 16th win this postseason...Vasilevskiy's 16 wins are tied for the most in a playoff season in Lightning history.
TBL MOST GOALIE WINS IN A SINGLE PLAYOFFS ALL-TIME
T-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy (2020) - 16 wins (22 GS)
T-1. Nikolai Khabibulin (2004) - 16 wins (23 GS)
3. Ben Bishop (2015) - 13 wins (25 GS)
Vasilevskiy has allowed two or fewer goals in his last two starts, five of his last six starts and 15 of 22 starts overall this postseason, tied for second most starts allowing two or fewer goals in a playoff season in Lightning history.
MOST STARTS IN A PLAYOFF SEASON ALLOWING 2 OR LESS GOALS
1. Ben Bishop (2015) - 18 starts (out of 25 total)
2. Nikolai Khabibulin (2004) - 16 starts (out of 23 total)
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy (2020) - 15 starts (out of 22 total)
IN THE NIK OF TIME
Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and added an assist Game 3 at DAL for his eighth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs and 26th of his playoff career, most in TBL franchise history... Kucherov tallied his 29th and 30th points of the 2020 Playoffs, recording just the 31st instance of a player notching 30 or more points in a single playoff year in NHL history and becoming the 22nd different player to accomplish the feat (first since WSH's Evgeni Kuznetsov in 2018)...Kucherov became just the fifth European-born player in NHL history to record 30 or more points in a single playoffs, joining Evgeni Malkin (36 pts. in 2009), Evgeni Kuznetsov (32 pts. in 2018), Jari Kurri (31 pts. in 1985 and 31 pts. in 1988) and Pavel Bure (31 pts. In 1994)...Kucherov leads the 2020 Playoffs for assists (23) and scoring (30 pts.)...Kucherov's 23 assists are tied for the 11th most in a single playoffs in NHL history (most: Wayne Gretzky - 31 assists in 1988) and the second most by a winger all-time.
MOST ASSISTS BY A WINGER IN A PLAYOFF SEASON IN NHL HISTORY
1. Mark Recchi (PIT) - 24 assists in 1991 (24 GP)
2. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 23 assists in 2020 (22 GP)
3. Rick Middleton (BOS) - 22 assists in 1983 (17 GP)
PUTTING UP PALAT OF POINTS (AND GOALS)
Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat netted his 10th goal of the playoffs and added an assist Game 3 at DAL for his fourth multi-point game this postseason and 14th for his career...Palat has scored a goal in two-straight SCF games...Palat scored his 31st career playoff goal and pulled to within two of matching Martin St. Louis for second most in Lightning playoff history.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
1. Nikita Kucherov - 36 goals (87 GP)
2. Martin St. Louis - 33 goals (63 GP)
3. Ondrej Palat - 31 goals (89 GP)
4. Tyler Johnson - 28 goals (90 GP)
POINTING THE WAY
Bolts center Brayden Point tallied a goal and assist Game 3 at DAL for his seventh multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs and 12th of his career...Point has scored 11 goals to lead the 2020 Playoffs (5 players tied w/ 10 goals)...Point is two goals shy of matching Tyler Johnson's franchise record for most goals in a playoff season.
TBL MOST GOALS IN A PLAYOFF SEASON
1. Tyler Johnson (2015) - 13 goals (26 GP)
T-2. Ruslan Fedotenko (2004) - 12 goals (22 GP)
T-2. Brad Richards (2004) - 12 goals (23 GP)
T-4. Nikita Kucherov (2016) - 11 goals (17 GP)
T-4. Brayden Point (2020) - 11 goals (20 GP)
THE ROAD AHEAD
Game 5 - Saturday, September 26 - 8 p.m.
Game 6* - Monday, September 28 - 8 p.m.
Game 7* - Wednesday, September 30 - 8 p.m.
\If necessary
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