Nuts & Bolts: Lightning are one win away entering Game 5

SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Stars are playing Game 5 of a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final tonight...Both franchises are in search of their second Stanley Cup...Tampa Bay has won three straight against Dallas after starting the season 0-1-2 (reg. season and playoffs)...The Bolts have outshot the Stars in five of six meetings this season -- including all four games of the SCF -- and own a cumulative 207-158 advantage in shots...Victor Hedman (1-5--6 pts.) and Nikita Kucherov (1-5--6 pts.) lead all skaters in the SCF for scoring through four games...Brayden Point has four goals to pace all skaters in the SCF for goals...Nikita Kucherov leads all skaters in the Cup Final for shots (18)...Brayden Point has a pair of power-play goals to pace all skaters for power-play goals in the Cup Final, while Victor Hedman (1-3--4 pts.) and Nikita Kucherov (0-4--4 pts.) lead all skaters for power-play scoring...Nikita Kucherov (1-8--9 pts.) leads the Lightning for scoring against Dallas in 2019-20 (reg. season and playoffs)...Andrei Vasilevskiy has started all six meetings against Dallas in 2019-20 and allowed 18 goals on 157 shots...Tampa Bay is 6-for-15 (40%) on the power play in the SCF.

SATURDAY'S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay has never lost a playoff series when owning a 3-1 lead, going 9-0 in such situations and closing out the series in Game 5 on seven of those ccasions (have never gone beyond 6 games)...The Lightning improved to 7-1 in overtime this postseason and is the fourth team in NHL history to earn seven or more overtime wins in a playoff year, joining 1993 Montreal (10), 2002 Carolina (7) and 2003 Anaheim (7)...The Lightning have played more overtime minutes this postseason (191:51) than any other NHL team in a single playoff year...The Bolts are 22-9 all-time in playoff overtime contests for the best OT win percentage in NHL history (.710)...The Lightning are within a win of securing the second Stanley Cup in franchise history (also: 2004) and can become the first of the 10 franchises that debuted in the 90s or later to win multiple Stanley Cups...Tampa Bay is 13-10 all-time in Game 5s, including wins in eight of its last nine Game 5s (only loss - Game 5 of 2020 ECF vs. NYI)...The Lightning have never won a Game 5 in the Stanley Cup Final and are 0-2 all-time entering tonight's contest...Game 5 will be the second 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 are 3-1 all-time in the second half of a playoff back-to-back and are attempting to sweep a playoff back-to-back for the fourth time in five tries in franchise history.
IN THE NIK OF TIME
Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov posted a pair of assists Game 4 at DAL for his ninth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs (3 in the SCF) and 27th career multi-point game in the postseason...Kucherov tallied his 24th and 25th assists of the 2020 Playoffs in Game 4 to become just the fifth NHL player to record 25 or more assists in a single playoff year, joining Wayne Gretzky (5 times), Mario Lemieux, Doug Gilmour and Paul Coffey...Kucherov's 25 assists are the most ever by a primary winger in NHL playoff history.

MOST ASSISTS BY A WINGER IN A PLAYOFF SEASON IN NHL HISTORY
1. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 25 assists in 2020 (23 GP)
2. Mark Recchi (PIT) - 24 assists in 1991 (24 GP)
3. Rick Middleton (BOS) - 22 assists in 1983 (17 GP)

Kucherov recorded his 31st and 32nd points in Game 4 and remains the NHL scoring leader in the 2020 Playoffs...Kucherov's 32 points are tied for the most by a NHL player in the last 10 years...Kucherov's 32 points are tied for the 19th most ever recorded in a single playoff year in NHL history (most: Wayne Gretzky - 47 pts. in 1985).
POINTING THE WAY
Lightning center Brayden Point netted a pair of goals, including one on the power play, Game 4 at DAL for his third career playoff multi-goal game, all three coming in the 2020 Playoffs...Point has scored a goal in three-consecutive games (4 goals total)...Point became the fifth player since 2011 to score a goal in three-straight games in the Stanley Cup Final, following Ryan O'Reilly (2019), Charlie Coyle (2019), Devante Smith-Pelly (2018) and Jake Guentzel (2017)...Point registered his 12th and 13th goals of the playoffs to match Tyler Johnson's mark of 13 goals from the 2015 Playoffs for most in a single playoff year in Lightning history.

TBL MOST GOALS IN A PLAYOFF SEASON
T-1. Brayden Point (2020) - 13 goals (21 GP)
T-1. Tyler Johnson (2015) - 13 goals (26 GP)
T-3. Ruslan Fedotenko (2004) - 12 goals (22 GP)
T-3. Brad Richards (2004) - 12 goals (23 GP)

The Lightning are 10-0 this postseason when Point scores a goal following their Game 4 victory...Point reached 30 points for the 2020 Playoffs with his two goals in Game 4; he and linemate Nikita Kucherov are the eighth set of teammates in NHL history to each record 30 or more points in the same playoff year and the first to do so since Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in 2009.
HED OF THE CLASS
Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman tallied an assist Game 4 at DAL to give him points in three-straight games (1-5--6 pts.)...Hedman has recorded 1-9- 10 pts. in 10 career Stanley Cup Final games to move past Brad Richards and take over as Tampa Bay's all-time scoring leader in the Cup Final.

TBL ALL-TIME SCF SCORING LEADERS
1. Victor Hedman - 1-9--10 pts. in 10 GP
T-2. Brad Richards - 4-5--9 pts. in 7 GP
T-2. Nikita Kucherov - 2-7--9 pts. in 10 GP

Hedman has scored 10 goals this postseason, most by a NHL defenseman in the 2020 Playoffs and third most all-time by a defenseman in the playoffs.

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 23 GP (2020)

With three game-winning goals in the 2020 Playoffs, Hedman 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)...With his point in Game 4, Hedman moved past Martin St. Louis and into sole possession of 2nd place among Tampa Bay's all-time playoff scoring leaders.

TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS
1. Nikita Kucherov - 93 pts. (88 GP)
2. Victor Hedman - 69 pts. (107 GP)
3. Martin St. Louis - 68 pts. (63 GP)
ANDREI THE GIANT
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26-of-30 shots in Game 4 at DAL for his third-consecutive win and NHL-leading 17th win this postseason...Vasilevskiy's 17 wins are the most ever in a playoff season by a NHL goalie...Vasilevskiy has made all 23 starts for Tampa Bay and has played every minute of every game in the 2020 Playoffs...Vasilevskiy has allowed two or fewer goals in 15 of 23 starts overall this postseason, tied for the second-most starts allowing two or fewer goals in a playoff season in Lightning history (most: Ben Bishop - 18 starts out of 25 total allowing 2 or less goals in 2015).
DEUCES WILD
Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk notched an assist and netted the overtime game-winning goal in Game 4 at DAL on a power play for his second career playoff power-play goal (also: Game 3 of 2017 Eastern Conference 1st Rd. while with Washington)...Shattenkirk's OT game-winner was just his second playoff game-winning goal scored in overtime (also: Game 3 of 2017 Eastern Conference 1st Rd. while with Washington)...Shattenkirk recorded his ninth career playoff multi-point game and third this postseason...Shattenkirk has posted points in three-straight games (2-2--4 pts.).
PUTTING UP PALAT OF POINTS
Bolts left wing Ondrej Palat tallied an assist Game 4 at DAL to extend his point streak to three games (2-2--4 pts.)...Palat has scored a goal in two of four Stanley Cup Final games and is within two goals of matching Martin St. Louis for second-most playoff goals in Lightning playoff history.

TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
1. Nikita Kucherov - 36 goals (88 GP)
2. Martin St. Louis - 33 goals (63 GP)
3. Ondrej Palat - 31 goals (90 GP)
4. Tyler Johnson - 28 goals (91 GP)
THE ROAD AHEAD
Game 6* - Monday, September 28 - 8 p.m.
Game 7* - Wednesday, September 30 - 8 p.m.
\If necessary
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