The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to eight games with a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Brandon Hagel scored the game-winner with his 20th goal of the season in the third period.
Jake Guentzel and Zemgus Girgensons also found the net for Tampa Bay, while Anthony Cirelli sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Nikita Kucherov continued his hot streak with two assists, giving him his seventh consecutive multipoint game.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves for his sixth straight victory.
The loss marked Colorado’s first back-to-back regulation defeats this season. The Avalanche entered Tuesday with just three regulation losses all year.
Parker Kelly and Brock Nelson scored for Colorado, while Scott Wedgewood stopped 24 shots in the losing effort.
Hagel Breaks Third-Period Tie
The game-winning sequence started with Kucherov protecting the puck near the left circle. He found Max Crozier, who cut down the slot before setting up Hagel for a sweeping one-timer at 8:31 of the third period.
Cirelli added insurance with an empty-net goal with 1:25 remaining.
Tampa Bay struck first when Guentzel scored on the power play with 12 seconds left in the opening period. Coming out of the corner, he found space in front and buried a shot in the top far corner.
Colorado’s Brief Lead
The Avalanche responded with two goals in a six-minute span during the second period.
Kelly capitalized on a loose puck in the paint at 3:22 to tie the game. Nelson then gave Colorado the lead at 9:31 when his shot from the left faceoff dot deflected off Erik Cernak’s stick and knuckled past Vasilevskiy.
Girgensons pulled Tampa Bay even late in the second period. He gained inside position on Cale Makar at the top of the crease and redirected Yanni Gourde’s pass at 17:22.
Injury Concerns for Colorado
The Avalanche played without captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Devon Toews, who both returned to Denver earlier Tuesday.
Landeskog was injured after running into the net during Sunday’s game against Florida. Toews was hurt Saturday against Carolina.
Head coach Jared Bednar said both players are expected to miss weeks, not days.
What’s Next
The Avalanche return home to host Ottawa on Thursday, looking to bounce back from their first regulation losing streak of the season.
Tampa Bay continues their road trip Saturday in Philadelphia, hoping to extend their winning streak to nine games.
