Kucherov gets 4 points to take NHL scoring lead, helps Lightning top Oilers

EDMONTON -- Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Kucherov has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his past three games to give him 118 points (40 goals, 78 assists) on the season and take over the NHL scoring lead from Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who has 116 (38 goals, 78 assists).

“I think it’s a whole team effort,” Kucherov said. “The team’s been playing well, and we follow the game plan and we execute plays, and that is paying off.”

Anthony Cirelli scored twice, and Brandon Hagel had two assists for the Lightning (43-21-4), who have won three in a row and four of five. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves.

Tampa Bay is second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Buffalo Sabres but with two games in hand.

McDavid scored his 399th NHL goal for the Oilers (34-28-9), who had points in three of their previous four (2-1-1). Connor Ingram made 22 saves.

"Absolutely, special teams were a big part of the story,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We had an opportunity to tie the game on the 5-on-3 with a minute-plus, two really good chances, one going off the goal post, then we can't give up that short-handed goal for the two-goal lead against the best defensive team in the League.

“Pretty tough to come back from that."

The Oilers are second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Anaheim Ducks, who have two games in hand.

“We’re fortunate to play in this division,” McDavid said. “A lot of teams are fortunate to play in this division. It’s a bit of a pillow fight right now but we’re thankful not to have lost any ground.

“That being said, we have to find a way to win some games here on the road. We have to make up some ground.”

McDavid gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with 23 seconds left in the first period, tipping a wrist shot from the point by Evan Bouchard five-hole past Vasilevskiy.

Cirelli tied it 1-1 at 1:37 of the second period. After Hagel deflected a wrist shot from the point by J.J. Moser. Kucherov collected the rebound and slid the puck to the top of the crease to Cirelli, who took a couple of whacks with his backhand before stuffing it between Ingram’s legs.

“I thought we showed a good reaction after the first period,” Moser said. “We weren’t happy with the first and we showed a reaction and started playing the right way, and it turned our way.”

Jake Guentzel gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead on the power play at 12:13, taking a pass at the right of the net from Kucherov, before skating out front and raising the puck high stick side past Ingram.

Kucherov scored his first short-handed goal in the NHL to make it 3-1 at 16:58, taking a long lead pass from Moser to get sprung on a breakaway and going high stick side. The forward had just come out of the penalty box after the Lightning killed a 5-on-3.

“That was a hell of a pass by ‘Mo’,” Kucherov said. “I’m happy to play PK if needed. I think I proved it today that I can play, and we’ll see.”

Josh Samanski closed it to 3-2 at 7:16 of the third period, as the last Oilers player to touch the puck before Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand dug the puck out of a crowd in the corner with a backhand that bounced past Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Lilleberg and Vasilevskiy on its way into the net.

It was Samanski’s first NHL goal.

“We faced some adversity, obviously a flukey one that went in and we were able to straighten it out,” Hagel said. “It’s another step in the right direction to get us out of this little funk, and one more on the road and we go back home.”

Kucherov made it 4-2 at 15:32, taking a pass from behind the net from Hagel and snapping it far post past Ingram’s blocker.

Cirelli added his second of the game into an empty net for the 5-2 final with 32 seconds remaining.

“I’d say our chances against, the ones they scored on, were just too Grade-A of chances to give up,”  Oilers defenseman Connor Murphy said. “Unfortunately, that’s what cost us. And then at the other end when we got some chances, they kind of eliminated those second and third rebounds that sometimes we can get off them.

“The goaltender played well, and we just didn’t get enough quality on ours and gave up quality on theirs.”