National Hockey League
Tampa Bay 4, Vancouver 2
When: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 8, 2024
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Chris Lee, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Caleb Apperson, Bevan Mills
Attendance: 18290

Jake Guentzel scored a tiebreaking power-play goal late in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning opened a four-game Western road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon.

Guentzel scored when Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen (28 saves) deflected a shot that bounced up into the Lightning winger. It then hit Vancouver's Noah Juulsen and bounced in for Guentzel's 12th tally.

It was originally waved off as a hand pass, but a quick review confirmed the go-ahead goal. Brayden Point sealed it with an empty-net goal to give Tampa Bay its 11th win in the past 13 games (11-2-0) against Vancouver.

Point had two goals and two assists, including his 300th career helper, while Nikita Kucherov was back after being out two games and totaled a goal and two assists. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots.

Forward Anthony Cirelli was checked hard into the boards by Juulsen in the first period and missed the remainder of the game.

In the second game of their six-game homestand, the Canucks got tallies from Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood but fell to 1-1-1 in their past three.

Donning its black throwback jerseys, Vancouver had the game's first major advantage when the Lightning's Brandon Hagel went off for four minutes, bloodying the ice with a double-minor, high-sticking penalty delivered to Hughes' nose.

However, the visitors shut down the extended power play and allowed just one shot on Vasilevskiy.

Hughes returned to the ice to cheers from the crowd with seven minutes left in the period, wearing a full-face shield and pushing the play for Vancouver before making a late impact.

With 3:52 left and Kucherov chasing him after a Canucks faceoff win in the offensive zone, Hughes flipped in a backhander from the left circle for his seventh goal.

Shortly after Vasilevskiy denied Max Sasson's bid for his first NHL goal on a breakaway in the second, Kucherov whipped in his 13th marker at 4:40 from the right circle to tie it.

Point netted on a power play, the 99th of his career and team-leading 17th goal overall, less than two minutes later for the first Tampa Bay lead. The Lightning outshot the home side 18-5 in the middle frame.

Sherwood produced the first shot of the third for either club, shoving one past Vasilevskiy from in tight at 4:52 for his eighth goal.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Tampa Bay   Vancouver
Brayden Point 4 Points Quinn Hughes 1
Brayden Point 2 Goals Quinn Hughes 1
Brayden Point 2 Assists Tyler Myers 1
Brayden Point 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Andrei Vasilevskiy .920 Save Percentage Kevin Lankinen .903
Andrei Vasilevskiy 23 Saves Kevin Lankinen 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Tampa Bay 32 4 2-4 3-3 6 20
Vancouver 25 2 0-3 2-4 8 24
Upcoming Games
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Canucks have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .636 after a loss.
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Lightning have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .583 after a loss.