TAMPA, Fla. — An emotional night and top-line production were key to the Lightning recording another 100-point season with Saturday night’s 7-4 win over Winnipeg at Amalie Arena.
The victory marked the seventh 100-point season for Tampa Bay, the first time reaching the mark since the 2018-19 season. Five of those 100-point milestones have come since Jon Cooper took over as coach in 2013.
With the win, the Lightning hold a three-point lead, 100-97, over Boston for third place in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay trails Toronto (102) for second place.
Fifty-four seconds into the game, Winnipeg’s Paul Stastny opened the scoring, tipping a shot from Nikolaj Ehlers past goaltender Brian Elliott (14 saves).
Jets forward Adam Lowry was later called for interference after hitting Nikita Kucherov. Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian — who returned to play after sitting as a healthy scratch the past two games — then went after Lowry and dropped the gloves. Both players received five-minute penalties for fighting, with Lowry getting an extra two (interference).
The ensuing power-play opportunity gave the Lightning some life as Alex Killorn netted the tying goal with 13:55 remaining in the period.
The momentum didn’t last long, however, as Jets forward Kyle Connor snagged the puck in the neutral zone on an up-ice pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois. Connor slipped past Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and slipped a backhander past Elliott for a 2-1 Jets lead.
With 1:42 remaining in the first, Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta sent a shot to the corner. The puck caromed into the left faceoff circle toward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who swung the puck on net to tie it at 2.
In the second period, Josh Morrissey and Blake Wheeler helped the Jets to a 4-2 lead before the halfway mark.
A fight between the Lightning’s Corey Perry and the Jets’ Zach Sanford sparked more emotion, prompting Lightning forwards Nick Paul and Kucherov to score two of the Lightning’s five unanswered goals.
Paul’s shot from the top of the right faceoff circle slipped past Connor Hellebuyck (25 saves) with 6:04 remaining in the period cut the Jets lead to 4-3.
Kucherov followed at the 18:03 mark, sending a quick shot past Hellebuyck on the right side of the crease on a feed from Victor Hedman for the tying goal. Hedman finished with four assists and has a career-tying 72 points this season.
Three minutes into the third, Steven Stamkos scored what turned out to be the winner, slipping the puck past Hellebuyck for the Lightning’s first lead of the game.
At the 6:50 mark, Kucherov added insurance with his second goal of the game. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev got in on the scoring-fest with 8:05 remaining.
