Kucherov tallies two goals, leads Lightning past Red Wings

Nikita Kucherov scored two goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the visiting Detroit Red Wings for the 14th consecutive time, 3-2, on Saturday. Kucherov now has an NHL-high 110 points, which is also a franchise record.

Louis Domingue made 22 saves, while Ryan McDonagh had the other goal for Tampa Bay, which bounced back after being shut out by Minnesota in its previous outing. The Red Wings, who have lost nine of their last 10 games, were playing their second straight game without leading scorer Dylan Larkin. He was sidelined by a back injury.

Thomas Vanek and Anthony Mantha had the Wings' goals, while Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves. Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead in the first period.

McDonagh put the Lightning on the board 3:06 into the contest after Tampa Bay won a faceoff inside Detroit's zone. He ripped a shot from the point that beat Bernier on the far side. Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak were credited with assists. Kucherov made it 2-0 at the 11:56 mark. Brayden Point dug out the puck from behind the net and fed it to an unchecked Kucherov in front. Victor Hedman picked up the other assist.

The Wings scored on the power play with 3.1 seconds remaining in the second period to cut Tampa Bay's lead to 2-1. Vanek tipped Niklas Kronwall's shot from the point past Domingue for his 13th goal of the season. Rookie Filip Zadina was credited with his first career assist. Steven Stamkos appeared to give the Lightning a two-goal lead with 11 minutes left with a shot from the high slot. The Wings challenged that the play was offsides and replay review confirmed it.

Bernier couldn't stop Kucherov's blast from the right side at the 13:53 mark, which gave the Lightning a 3-1 advantage. Tyler Johnson and Mikhail Sergachev had the assists. With Detroit's net empty, Mantha scored with 56 seconds remaining to pull the Wings within a goal. His shot from the point passed through a wall of bodies and past a screened Domingue. Filip Hronek picked up an assist.

--Field Level Media

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