The Tampa Bay Lightning faced a bit of turbulence early on in their long-awaited return to the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After nearly three weeks off, the Lightning had two first-period goals overturned due to offside challenges by Toronto. But true to their resilient nature, Tampa Bay bounced back with a flurry of activity, scoring twice in a rapid 51-second span during a dominant 19-shot second period, ultimately securing a 4-2 victory at Benchmark International Arena.
Despite Toronto's struggles-being closer to last place in the Atlantic than a playoff spot-the Lightning extended their winning streak to six games and improved their impressive record to 20-1-1 over the last 22 contests. This victory also widened their lead to eight points over Detroit, Montreal, and Buffalo in the division standings.
Brayden Point made a triumphant return, netting two goals after an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Nikita Kucherov, continuing his hot streak, tallied his 30th goal of the season and reached a remarkable milestone-becoming the ninth-fastest player in NHL history to achieve 700 career assists in just his 855th game.
In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy was a fortress, making 33 saves to notch his ninth consecutive win. His standout moment came with a spectacular pad save on a breakaway attempt by Toronto’s William Nylander, maintaining his stellar 17-0-1 record over the last 18 games.
The Lightning roster featured all eight players who participated in the Olympics, seamlessly blending with teammates who had been sharpening their skills in practice during the break. Point's opening goal came at 7:07 of the second period, courtesy of a slick setup by Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Shortly after, Gage Goncalves orchestrated a rush, connecting with Kucherov and then slicing through Toronto’s defense to double the lead.
Kucherov added another layer of security in the third period with a blistering one-timer, assisted by Goncalves, extending the Lightning's advantage.
The team played without head coach Jon Cooper, who was absent due to the passing of his father. Cooper had just returned from coaching Canada to a silver medal at the Olympics. With defensemen D’Astous and Emil Lilleberg back from injuries, the Lightning opted for an 11-forward, seven-defensemen strategy to manage ice time effectively.
Point, playing for the first time since injuring his knee in January, saw a potential goal in the first period nullified by a coach’s challenge, as did Kucherov, who had another goal disallowed for offside.
In the end, the Lightning's ability to adapt and overcome obstacles was on full display, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting stretch run in the season.