Kucherov hat trick leads Lightning past Coyotes

[October 29, 2014]  TAMPA, Fla. -- Nikita Kucherov had never scored two goals in a game in his young NHL career, let alone three, so when the hats came flying from fans at Amelie Arena during the Tampa Bay Lightning's 7-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes, the Russian right winger enjoyed the moment.

"That was amazing," said Kucherov, 21, who got his first NHL hat trick with a third-period goal as the Lightning returned home for the first time in two weeks. "That was my first time, when the fans throw the hats on the ice."

Tampa Bay (6-3-1) jumped out early and stayed in control of Arizona (3-4-1), which allowed two goals before it had its fourth shot.

For a Lightning team that lost right winger Ryan Callahan and defenseman Victor Hedman to injuries on a five-game road trip, Kucherov gave a welcome scoring spark, keeping it an easy night for goalie Ben Bishop (22 saves).

Kucherov, a second-round pick in 2011, had scored just one goal in Tampa Bay's first nine goals, but Lightning coach Jon Cooper wasn't surprised at Tuesday' outburst.

"He's a gifted scorer. When that kid's on and he's hot, stuff like what happened tonight happens," Cooper said.
 

Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson had four assists, giving him 11 on the season. No other NHL player went into the night with more than nine assists. The young Lightning line of Johnson, Kucherov and left winger Ondrej Palat have clicked well, quickly learning each other's instincts on the ice.

"He's a dynamic player. He's fun to play with," Johnson said. "He's always in the right spot, and he got rewarded for it tonight. It's fun to be a part of."

Arizona is still seeking its first road win of the season, while the Lightning improved to 3-1-1 at home with two hat tricks in the past three home games. Center Steven Stamkos registered one on Oct. 13.

The Lightning dominated the opening period, jumping out to a 2-0 lead and outshooting the Coyotes 12-3. Kucherov got the first goal, deflecting a long shot by defenseman Radko Gudas past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith with 12:14 left in the first.

Less than five minutes later, Tampa Bay struck again on forward Valterri Filppula's second goal of the year, putting in the rebound on a miss by Stamkos with 7:42 remaining.

"They dictated early. We were playing catchup, and that's the way the game continued to go," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Turnovers will hurt you, and when you have a team as skilled as that, if you turn the puck over, they're going to come back at you."

Kucherov got his second goal of the night early in the second, backhanding in a rebound off a shot by Johnson with 16:40 left.

Bishop stopped Arizona's first 15 shots until right winger Shane Doan scored his first goal of the season with 5:53 left in the second to make it 3-1. The Lightning built the lead back to three goals when center Brian Boyle scored an unassisted goal with 2:28 left in the second, flicking a shot to the top right corner of the net.

Arizona answered again with 1:08 left in the second, as right winger Martin Erat scored from behind the goal, shooting the puck off a Lightning skate and Bishop into the goal to cut the lead to 4-2 entering the final period.

Smith exited after allowing six goals on 33 shots. Devan Dubnyk stopped one of the two shots he faced in the third period.

"Just a lot of poor decisions with the puck. Not executing at the level we needed to execute at. Simple as that," Tippett said. "It's just not good enough is what it is. It's the whole group, not (Smith). There are no excuses. We didn't play well."

NOTES: Lightning RW Ryan Callahan, out since Oct. 20 with a lower-body injury, skated with the team Tuesday morning and could return this week, either Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers or Saturday against the Washington Capitals. ... The Coyotes continue a Southeast swing with games Thursday at Florida and Saturday at Carolina before finishing the road trip Sunday at Washington. ... Arizona was tough against Eastern Conference teams on the road last season, going 8-4-4. ... Tampa Bay returned home for a four-game stretch after going 3-2 on a road swing out west. ... A moment of silence was held before the game as the Lightning participated in the Hockey Fights Cancer Night campaign.

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