Kucherov sparks Lightning comeback, defeating Canucks 4-2 after trailing 2-0

The Story

The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at Benchmark International Arena on Saturday.

Kucherov, who scored twice, helped Tampa Bay improve to 6-2-0 while remaining unbeaten at home (5-0-0). In the comeback, the Lightning turned a strong start into a one-goal tie before taking control late in the third.

Vancouver struck first in the opening frame when Linus Karlsson scored a slap shot from the right circle with 15:32 remaining. Kevin Lankinen made 11 saves in the first period as he stopped key chances, including attempts set up for Jake Guentzel and Victor Hedman.

The Canucks extended their lead to 2-0 on an Elias Pettersson power-play goal. Tampa Bay responded with its own power-play marker: Brandon Hagel fed Kucherov from the left faceoff circle to the right side, and after Lankinen stopped Hagel’s initial shot, Kucherov finished the rebound at 6:00 of the period.

Kucherov then tied the game 2-2 just over five minutes later, accepting a won draw by Brayden Point atop the left circle and snapping the puck inside the right post.

Tampa Bay took its first lead of the night early in the third period when Jake Guentzel one-timed a pass from Charle-Edouard D’Astous at the blue line. The puck deflected off a Canucks forward and went into the top right corner.

Pontus Holmberg added an insurance goal with four minutes remaining, winning a puck battle on an offensive-zone draw before firing through Lankinen for the 4-2 final.

The Lightning finished with a 35-14 advantage in shots on goal and a 73-51 edge in shot attempts, and they won 62% of their faceoffs after addressing the need to improve in that area the previous game.

Tampa Bay’s next stretch begins on Tuesday, with a 10:30 p.m. ET puck drop against Vegas.

Coach Jon Cooper said the team has been missing some chances despite the current power-play situation, and he praised Kucherov’s emphasis on shooting. Kucherov also credited Brayden Point for the faceoff result that led to his tying goal.