Nikita Kucherov tallies twice as Lightning rout Blues

[December 20, 2023]  NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov scored twice as the Tampa Bay Lightning opened a two-game homestand with a 6-1 thrashing of the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.
 
Kucherov, who has 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists), netted markers in Tampa Bay's three-goal first period and two-goal second period. The Lightning improved to 9-3-3 on home ice, where it will play four of their next five games. 

Dec 19, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Nicholas Paul (20) passes the puck as St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy (4) defends during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Nicholas Paul had a goal and two assists while Haydn Fleury managed a goal and a helper for the Lightning. Michael Eyssimont and Tyler Motte also scored, and Steven Stamkos recorded three assists.

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots but lost his shutout bid late in the third on Justin Faulk's power-play goal.

St. Louis backstop Jordan Binnington surrendered five goals on 23 shots in 32:13 before being replaced by Joel Hofer, who denied 9 of 10 shots.

Blues interim coach Drew Bannister lost for the first time (2-1-0) since taking over for Craig Berube, who was fired on Dec. 12.

St. Louis fell to 6-10-1 on the road.

Having lost 5-0 against Binnington and the Blues in St. Louis on Nov. 14, the Lightning took little time to finally tally against the former Stanley Cup-winning netminder.

Binnington's misplay of a puck behind the net went to Tanner Jeannot, who flipped a shot into the crease that struck the stick of Eyssimont and went in at 2:23 of the first for his fifth tally of the season.

Tampa Bay pushed its advantage to 2-0 on a wild frenzy around Binnington. Motte found a way to jam in his second goal of the campaign at 17:10.

With just 14 seconds left in the period and shortly after the Blues' Brayden Schenn hit the post, Kucherov fired a long shot to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead at the end of the first.

Early in the second, Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix, playing in his 100th NHL contest, fed Kucherov from the right circle just 96 seconds into the period for a 4-0 advantage.

Fleury's first goal with the Lightning -- a long blast at 12:13 -- sent Binnington to the bench and brought in Hofer in the five-goal blowout.

It was the defenseman's first marker in over two years, having previously scored twice against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 28, 2021, while playing for the Seattle Kraken.

Paul and Faulk potted power-play goals in the third to cap the scoring.

--Field Level Media

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