NHL

Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes

· National Hockey League

Kucherov scores go-ahead goal, two empty-netters to push Lightning past Hurricanes in season opener

Nikita Kucherov nets the slap shot for Lightning

Kucherov beat goaltender Frederick Andersen for the go-ahead power-play goal with a low slap shot on the glove side with 8:54 left in the third. The Lightning winger then iced the game with empty-net goals with 2:08 and 16 seconds left. Brayden Point also scored a power-play goal for the Lightning to open the scoring.

Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 20 saves.

Captain Jordan Staal scored a first-period goal for Carolina by tapping in an around-the-net feed from William Carrier, but the Hurricanes were unable to beat Vasilevskiy again.

Andersen finished with 19 saves for Carolina.

Takeaways Lightning: It was an extended stay for Tampa Bay, which left for Raleigh on Monday due to Hurricane Milton's push into Florida later in the week. The opener came amid concerns for storm damage back home, with captain Victor Hedman saying Thursday that the players “owe it to everyone that we put our best foot forward.”

Hurricanes: Carolina has retooled its lineup significantly after multiple free-agent losses. Carrier's assist came in his first game, but the Hurricanes didn't generate the same offense and shot volume that has been a characteristic of six straight playoff runs.

Key moment Kucherov pushed the Lightning ahead for good, taking a feed from Hedman to blast a one-timer on the right side past Andersen just six seconds into the power play.

Key stat The Hurricanes spent too much time in the penalty box for a tightly-contested game. They were sent to the box six times, with the Lightning twice scoring in the first 15 seconds of the man advantage after faceoff wins by Nick Paul.

Up next The teams were originally slated to play again in Florida on Saturday, though that game was postponed due to Milton recovery. Both teams now return to action Tuesday, with Carolina hosting New Jersey and Tampa Bay hosting Vancouver.

Regular Season Series

TB leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 14:32 Jordan Staal Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: William Carrier (1)
Goal 2nd Period 2:33 Brayden Point Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Nikita Kucherov (1), Victor Hedman (1)
Goal 3rd Period 11:06 Nikita Kucherov Goal (1) Slap Shot, assists: Victor Hedman (2), Nicholas Paul (1)
Goal 3rd Period 17:53 Nikita Kucherov Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Jake Guentzel (1), Erik Cernak (1)
Goal 3rd Period 19:44 Nikita Kucherov Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Jake Guentzel (2), Victor Hedman (3)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/tb.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTB https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/car.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCAR
19 Blocked Shots 11
19 Hits 17
3 Takeaways 1
23 Shots 21
2 Power Play Goals 0
6 Power Play Opportunities 4
33.3 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
31 Faceoffs Won 35
47.0 Faceoff Win Percent 53.0
18 Giveaways 17
4 Total Penalties 6
8 Penalty Minutes 12

Game Information

Lenovo Center

Location: Raleigh, NC
Attendance: 18,817 | Capacity:

2024-25 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Toronto 12 6 26 2
Florida 12 6 25 1
Tampa Bay 10 6 21 1
Buffalo 9 9 19 1
Boston 8 9 19 3
Ottawa 8 9 17 1
Detroit 7 9 16 2
Montreal 7 10 16 2

2024-25 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 14 4 28 0
Washington 13 4 27 1
New Jersey 12 7 26 2
NY Rangers 12 4 25 1
NY Islanders 7 7 19 5
Philadelphia 8 10 18 2
Pittsburgh 7 10 18 4
Columbus 7 9 16 2
Full Standings