Lightning Beat Golden Knights 6-2 as Kucherov Ties Points Record

Tampa Bay overcame Vegas in a 6-2 NHL victory Tuesday night, Oct. 20, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as Anthony Cirelli scored twice and Nikita Kucherov collected three points to match the Lightning's career scoring record. The win improved Tampa Bay's record to 7-2 and marked its strongest start since the 2020-21 season.

According to the game report published by Newsday, Kucherov scored one goal and added two assists to reach 1,137 career points. He pulled even with former Lightning teammate Steven Stamkos for the franchise record.

Kucherov also extended his scoring streak against Vegas, recording at least one point in all 15 games he has played against the Golden Knights. The report noted that only Mario Lemieux, with a 26-game streak against Calgary, and Tomas Sandstrom, with a 17-game streak against Tampa Bay, had longer runs of scoring in every game against a particular opponent among the players cited.

Cirelli put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2 at 6:44 of the second period after receiving a pass from Kucherov. He scored again unassisted at 10:09, increasing the Lightning's lead to 4-2.

Brandon Hagel, John Carlson and Victor Hedman also scored for Tampa Bay. Hedman's goal came from the left point late in the second period, helping the Lightning establish a 5-2 advantage. Tampa Bay scored three times in the period on 14 shots, according to Newsday.

Kucherov completed the scoring with a breakaway goal early in the third period, making it 6-2. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots to help secure the road victory.

The teams had traded goals during an open first period, with each scoring twice before Tampa Bay pulled away. The victory extended the Lightning's strong opening stretch, while Vegas suffered a setback after winning seven of its previous eight games, according to the game report.

For Vegas, Ivan Barbashev scored his first goal of the season, while Mark Stone recorded his fifth goal in three games. Goaltender Carter Hart made 15 saves on 21 shots as the Golden Knights conceded six goals.

The game also marked a career milestone for Vegas forward Brett Howden, who appeared in his 500th NHL game. Howden was selected 27th overall by Tampa Bay in the 2016 draft and had played 322 games for Vegas, according to Newsday.

Tampa Bay will continue its road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Vegas is scheduled to visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.