Guentzel and Bjorkstrand score 2 goals each, Vasilevskiy makes 25 saves as Lighting rout Utah 8-0
Guentzel and Bjorkstrand score 2 goals each, Vasilevskiy makes 25 saves as Lighting rout Utah 8-0
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates around the goal during a timeout during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) stops the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates around the goal during a timeout during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates around the goal during a timeout during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) stops the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) stops the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals each, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for his sixth shutout of the season, and the Tampa Bay Lightning routed the Utah Hockey Club 8-0 on Thursday night.
Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Gage Goncalves and Victor Hedman also scored for Tampa Bay, which won its second in a row and has won five of its last seven games. Kucherov also had three assists.
It was the fourth time this year Tampa Bay has scored eight goals in a game.
Utah starting goalie Karel Vejmelka — who had started 15 straight games — had a rough night, giving up four goals on 11 shots before being lifted after Kucherov made it 4-0 midway through the second period. He was replaced by Jaxson Stauber, who gave up four goals on 10 shots.
Takeaways
Mikhail Sergachev spent seven seasons with the Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups. He returned Thursday night as a member of the Utah Hockey Club for the first time.
Utah has now given up 13 goals in its last two games, including a 5-1 loss to Detroit on Monday, not a good sign for a team currently out of the playoff picture.
Key moment
Guentzel and Hedman got the Lightning off to a fast start. Guentzel opened the scoring at 1:30 of the first period with a backhander, and Hedman made it 2-0 at 4:20 on a snap shot.
Key stat
Guentzel’s second goal that made it 5-0 with 2:06 to play in the second period came on the power play and his 16 power-play goals this season leads the NHL. Point’s goal was the 300th of his NHL career.
Up next
Utah plays at the Florida Panthers on Friday night. The Lightning play host to the New York Islanders on Saturday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl