Lightning beat Golden Knights 6-2 as Nikita Kucherov ties Steven Stamkos' franchise points record

Nikita Kucherov now shares the top spot in Tampa Bay Lightning history.

Kucherov had a goal and two assists to reach 1,137 career points, tying former teammate Steven Stamkos for the franchise record, as the Lightning beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Anthony Cirelli scored twice for Tampa Bay, which is 7-2 and off to its best start since the 2020-21 season, when it repeated as Stanley Cup champion. Vegas had won seven of its previous eight games.

A big second period

Each team scored twice in the first period. Then the Lightning pulled away with three goals in the second.

Cirelli gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead 6:44 into the period on a pass from Kucherov. He scored again at 10:09 to make it 4-2. Victor Hedman's shot from the left point slipped past goalie Carter Hart late in the period for a 5-2 lead.

Kucherov finished the scoring with a breakaway goal early in the third.

Brandon Hagel and John Carlson also scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves.

Kucherov's Vegas streak

Kucherov has at least one point in all 15 games he has played against the Golden Knights. Only two players have longer streaks of scoring in every game against one opponent. Mario Lemieux had a 26-game run against Calgary. Tomas Sandstrom had 17 straight against Tampa Bay.

For Vegas, Ivan Barbashev scored his first goal of the season and Mark Stone scored for the fifth time in three games. Hart made 15 saves on 21 shots.

Golden Knights forward Brett Howden, a first-round pick by the Lightning in 2016, played in his 500th career game.

Tampa Bay visits the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Vegas plays at the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.