Kucherov Ties Lightning Scoring Record in 6-2 Win Over Vegas

Tampa Bay Lightning strengthened their early-season form with a 6-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, October 20, 2026. Nikita Kucherov recorded a goal and two assists to reach 1,137 career points, matching Steven Stamkos for the franchise scoring record, while Anthony Cirelli scored twice.

According to NHL.com, Kucherov reached the milestone in his 888th game with Tampa Bay, collecting 405 goals and 732 assists. Stamkos accumulated the same 1,137 points through 555 goals and 582 assists across 1,082 games before leaving the Lightning for the Nashville Predators.

The victory improved Tampa Bay's record to 7-2-0 and extended its winning streak to three games. ESPN reported that the Lightning had opened a season this strongly for the first time since beginning the 2020-21 campaign at 7-1-1, when they went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Kucherov also extended an unusual streak against Vegas, recording at least one point in all 15 games he has played against the Golden Knights. ESPN noted that this ranked behind only Mario Lemieux, who scored in 26 consecutive games against Calgary, and Tomas Sandstrom, who recorded points in 17 straight games against Tampa Bay. Connor McDavid also had a 17-game scoring streak against New Jersey before it ended in January.

Cirelli supplied the decisive push in the second period, scoring twice to help Tampa Bay turn a 2-2 tie into a commanding advantage. He put the Lightning ahead 3-2 at 6:44 with a one-timer from the slot after Kucherov recovered a rebound below the goal line and delivered the pass.

Cirelli added his second goal at 10:09 after Vegas forward Jack Eichel turned over the puck. Victor Hedman then scored at 17:56, sending a shot from along the left boards past goaltender Carter Hart to make it 5-2.

The teams traded goals throughout an open first period. Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for Tampa Bay at 4:11 on a power play, redirecting Charle-Edouard D'Astous' shot from the point.

Ivan Barbashev tied the game at 13:16 by converting a rebound for his first goal of the season. John Carlson restored Tampa Bay's lead at 14:04 after collecting his own rebound and shooting into an open net.

Vegas captain Mark Stone equalized again at 18:30 with a short-handed goal. Braeden Bowman intercepted a pass from Andrei Vasilevskiy and fed Stone, who scored from the left circle to make it 2-2.

Kucherov completed the scoring at 5:16 of the third period, stealing the puck from Jeremy Lauzon near the blue line before finishing a breakaway. Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots for Tampa Bay, while Hart made 15 saves on 21 shots for Vegas, according to the game reports.

The result ended a three-game winning streak for the Golden Knights, who fell to 8-3-0, according to NHL.com. Vegas had won seven of its previous eight games, as reported by ESPN.

Vegas forward Brett Howden also reached a career milestone, appearing in his 500th NHL game. Drafted 27th overall by Tampa Bay in 2016, Howden had played 322 games for the Golden Knights by the time of Tuesday's matchup, ESPN reported.