Kucherov ends goal drought, Lightning beat Canucks 5-2
TAMPA, Fla. — Nikita Kucherov got the Tampa Bay Lightning off to a strong start in their first home game in three weeks.
Kucherov stopped an 11-game goal drought, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves for his NHL-best 32nd victory, and the Lightning beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Thursday night.
Yanni Gourde, Adam Erne, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman also scored for the Lightning, who returned home after a 5-3 trip.
“We had the puck a lot because we were smart with it in the neutral zone,” Stamkos said. “It allowed dominating shifts in their defensive zone.”