Lightning score 8, cruise past Utah Hockey Club to gain in Atlantic

TAMPA -- Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for the Tampa Bay Lightning in an 8-0 win against the Utah Hockey Club at Amalie Arena on Thursday.

The shutout was Vasilevskiy’s sixth of the season and 40th in the NHL.

Victor Hedman had a goal and two assists, and Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jake Guentzel each scored twice for the Lightning (42-25-5), who have outscored their opponents 14-1 in the past two games and have won five of seven. Brayden Point scored his 300th NHL goal, and Ryan McDonagh had two assists in his 1,000th NHL game.

"It was an awesome game from start to finish," McDonagh said. "It was a great recipe for us. We're capable of some special things when we're committed like that. You remember your first game and you remember your 1,000th game, and a big win like that helps."

Point said of McDonagh: "He's such a leader for us. He's been through so much. He works hard every day and continues sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team. He's an awesome guy and we're all really happy for him."

Tampa Bay is tied with the Florida Panthers for second place in the Atlantic Division and pulled within one point of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lost at the San Jose Sharks 6-5 in a shootout on Thursday. Florida has a game in hand on both teams.

"These games, the last couple we've had here, this doesn't happen very often," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "You have to have some breaks ... but we're doing the right thing and when you're doing that constantly on repeat, good things are going to happen for you."

Karel Vejmelka allowed four goals on 11 shots before being pulled at 9:14 of the second period for Utah (32-29-11), which lost its second in a row and has been outscored 13-1 since defeating the Lightning 6-4 last Saturday. Jaxson Stauber allowed four goals on 10 shots in relief.

"It was really disappointing the way we came out, didn't win enough battles, didn't get on the inside," Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. "Everybody's in the same boat, coaches, players ... we all have to look ourselves in the mirror. The good thing is we're playing tomorrow."

Guentzel gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 1:30 of the first period when he chipped the puck past Vejmelka from the low slot.

Hedman made it 2-0 at 4:20 with a wrist shot from the right circle that deflected in off Vejmelka's glove.

"We were patient in our game, managed the puck well and obviously took advantage of our chances," Hedman said. "Obviously we've scored a lot of goals, but giving up one in two games is a recipe for success. We're focusing on playing good 'D' because we know we're going to get our chance and we're going to score on those."

Gage Goncalves extended it to 3-0 at 5:05 of the second period on a redirect off a shot by Emil Lilleberg.

Kucherov made it 4-0 at 9:14, a backhand to finish off a rush after Point delivered a pass through two Utah defensemen.

"That was terrible, from the start to the finish, we didn't play nearly the style of game that we wanted to play and it showed," Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. "We have to make a decision if we want to be in the playoffs or not. This is kind of a punch in the face."

Guentzel scored on the power play for his second goal of the game, pushing it to 5-0 at 17:54 on a snap shot from the low slot.

Oliver Bjorkstrand made it 6-0 at 19:36 on a one-timer from the hash marks off a pass by Yanni Gourde.

Point made it 7-0 at 8:59 when he knocked in a rebound after Stauber saved the initial shot from Kucherov. Bjorkstrand scored his second goal at 14:54 for the 8-0 final.

Sergachev played his first game at Amalie Arena since being traded from the Lightning last offseason and was honored with a video tribute during the first period. He had 48 goals and 209 assists over seven seasons (2017-2024) with Tampa Bay, helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

"It's tough to talk about it right now honestly, after a game like that," Sergachev said. "But I said in between periods that I really appreciated it. It was great...thanks for the warm reception. The fans are great, everybody's great. It was supposed to be a special night."

NOTES: Vasilevskiy (534 games) became the third-fastest active goaltender to record 40 career shutouts, behind only Jonathan Quick (436) and Connor Hellebuyck (516). ... Kucherov has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) during a seven-game streak. … Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, who had an assist, set a new career high with 34 points this season (five goals, 29 assists). … McDonagh will receive his commemorative silver stick for his 1,000th NHL game in a ceremony before Saturday's game against the New York Islanders.