Tampa Bay Lightning Triumph Over New Jersey Devils
In a commanding performance at home, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New Jersey Devils with a score of 5-1 on Tuesday evening. Star player Jake Guentzel showcased his skills, netting a hat trick, his eighth in the NHL. Contributing to the Lightning’s victory were Darren Raddysh, who scored once and assisted on two goals, and Nikita Kucherov, who notched a goal and an assist himself. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was solid in net, making 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved its record to an impressive 9-3-0 following a rocky start of only 1-4-2.
New Jersey Devils’ Struggles
For New Jersey, Nico Hischier was the lone scorer, while the team welcomed back key players Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, and Evgeni Dadanov from injury. Goaltender Jakob Markstrom faced 29 shots, stopping 24 of them, but the Devils suffered their first regulation loss since November 2, ending a five-game point streak (4-0-1).
Coaching Changes
The Lightning were without their head coach Jon Cooper, who missed the match due to personal reasons. Jeff Halpern stepped in as the acting coach for the game. Cooper had last missed a game in December 2021 when he was sidelined due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Game Highlights
Guentzel wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, finding the net on a breakaway just shy of the twelve-minute mark in the first period. He increased the ante on a power play during the second period, converting a setup from Raddysh. Guentzel completed his hat trick in the third, capitalizing on a cross-ice pass from Kucherov. Kucherov also etched his name in Tampa Bay’s history books by scoring his 366th career goal, positioning him third in franchise history with 22 seconds left in the initial period.
Hischier’s late goal in the second period provided a brief glimmer of hope for the Devils as he made it 3-1, marking his 435th career point and surpassing Mark Streit for the fifth-most points by a player from Switzerland.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, the Devils are set to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday, while the Lightning will host the Edmonton Oilers the same evening.
