Nikita Kucherov had two points, and Andrei Vasilevskiy dominated in goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning downed the St. Louis Blues, 3-1. Tampa Bay continued to show brilliance in the opening frame of games by scoring early to set the tone.
Five minutes into the opening period, Conor Geekie fed a pass to Anthony Cirelli to start the scoring. Cirelli fought off the quick pads of Blues netminder Jordon Binnington and lifted a backhander into the goal.
The Bolts could have easily scored four goals in the first period if not for Binnington’s resilient start. He denied Geekie and Brayden Point on several shots in the period with finesse and strength. Cirelli had to tough out Binnington’s sprawling pad saves to get his goal past the veteran.
However, Bennington’s good fortune would run out in the second period. Despite the Blues’ effort to crash down on players entering the offensive zone, the Lightning got creative with their passing game. Point brought a puck into the zone and forced a breakup of the defensive pinch with a cross-ice pass to Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov immediately found Nick Perbix streaking through the slot, and Perbix nailed a wrister past Binnington.
A beauty in front 🤩 pic.twitter.com/MCRRDAebLG
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 20, 2024
Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich put St. Louis on the scoreboard with a slapshot past Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Tampa Bay answered less than a minute later. St. Louis began to pinch on Kucherov as he entered the offensive zone, and the all-star forward kicked it out to rookie Gage Goncalves. Goncalves snapped one past Binnington for his first NHL goal.
Just like that, Binnington’s night was over as he was pulled for Joel Hofer.
Vasilevskiy and the Defense Hold
St. Louis pressed most of the evening, dominating the shot count, 32-18. With the lingering thought of Tuesday night’s poor third period effort against Columbus, Vasilevskiy put on a clinic to shut down the Blues’ offensive push and avoid a repeat. The star goalie stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced.
However, Vasilevskiy was helped by a strong defensive showing, as well. Head Jon Cooper discussed the defensive performance after the game.
“(St. Louis) really puck possessed,” Cooper said. “They were big. They were heavy on the puck, but we stayed to the inside.”
“We defended our way to a win. They pushed and we bent, but we didn’t break.”
Kucherov’s Point Streak Continues While Another Streak Ends
Kucherov’s two points tonight brought him to 20 in the past nine games. He now has 47 points on the season, putting him tied for third total in the NHL.
Unfortunately, another streak ended tonight as Jake Guentzel was held scoreless for the first time in eight games. His seven-game scoring streak was the longest running in the league before ending this evening.
Guentzel had several looks throughout the night, and just could not find the back of the net. There were other opportunities for the new Bolts forward, but selflessly he made passes to help put the team in better position to score rather than try to take the shot himself.
Goncalves Gets His First
Goncalves admits he never saw his first NHL goal go in, but he knew from the reaction of Brandon Hagel and other teammates that his shot went true. The rookie grabbed the pass from Kucherov and slung in over the shoulder of Binnington as he spun.
“(Goncalves) has the skill set to play in this league,” Cooper praised. ” He can skate with everybody in this league. He’s getting a better feel for everything.”
“Everybody knew the puck went in, but I don’t think he did. He definitely has an offensive skill set that can keep up with this league.”
Three Stars of the Game
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped 31 of 32 shots and shut down a very strong St. Louis offensive strategy.
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay. With assists on two of three goals, Kucherov continues to climb the points leaderboard.
3. Gage Goncalves, Tampa Bay. Scores his first NHL goal on a great shot that he didn’t even see go in, but the team and crowd let him know.
Up Next
The home stand wraps up on Sunday afternoon when the Lightning host the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is at 5 pm.
