Kucherov and Goncalves Power Lightning to 5-4 Shootout Win over Canadiens.

TAMPA, Fla. — Nikita Kucherov scored twice and Gage Goncalves contributed two assists, including the game-winning goal in the shootout, as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Sunday (The Associated Press). Oliver Bjorkstrand added two assists for Tampa Bay, while Nick Paul and Pontus Holmberg each scored a goal. Goaltender Jonas Johansson stopped 32 shots and both shootout attempts, helping the Lightning capture their fourth consecutive victory. For Montreal, Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice, including a tying goal with just 3.8 seconds left in regulation, and also assisted on a third goal. Noah Dobson and Ivan Demidov each contributed a goal and an assist, and Jacob Fowler made 18 saves in the Canadiens’ first game since the Christmas break.

Kucherov’s two goals came in the second period. Goncalves set up Kucherov for a breakaway at 2:28, and later Kucherov scored again after Brayden Point collected a rebound from a missed two-on-one pass by Goncalves. Paul scored at 14:49 to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. Demidov scored early in the third period, but Holmberg quickly responded, deflecting a Bjorkstrand pass. Montreal then scored three times in the final 10:44 to force overtime. In other NHL action, Columbus rallied to a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders with two third-period goals from Kirill Marchenko and an empty-net goal from Cole Sillinger. Denton Mateychuk and Sean Monahan each recorded two assists, and goalie Jet Greaves made 24 saves. New York’s Max Shabanov and Bo Horvat scored, while David Rittich stopped 31 shots.

Detroit defeated Toronto 3-2 in overtime, with Simon Edvinsson scoring the game-winning backhand. Moritz Seider and Mason Appleton scored in regulation for the Red Wings, while Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots. Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson scored for the Maple Leafs, with John Tavares assisting both goals. The Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Chicago Blackhawks 7-3, highlighted by Justin Brazeau’s first career hat trick and two goals from Bryan Rust. Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari also scored, and Ryan Shea had three assists. Arturs Silovs made 21 saves. For Chicago, Nick Foligno returned from injury to score, and Wyatt Kaiser and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1, with Eeli Tolvanen scoring twice in the third period. Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson also scored, while Philipp Grubauer stopped 31 shots. Carl Grundstrom scored for Philadelphia, which failed to convert three power-play chances.