TAMPA, Fla. _ Four of the league's top six scorers shared the same sheet of ice Saturday night. But none of them were the star of the Lightning's win over Colorado.
Avalanche forwards Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon came into the game one and two in scoring. Nikita Kucherov was No. 3 and Brayden Point No. 6. Steven Stamkos was 47th in the league. And yet, he was the one with big night.
Stamkos' four-point night led the Lightning to a 7-1 win over the Avalanche.
It was the captain's 13th career four-(plus)-point game, three more than both Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
He started the Lightning off, scoring the game's first two goals.
Kucherov set up the first goal, three minutes into the game. He was in his sweet spot, the right dot, and sent a no-look pass to Stamkos, all alone in the opposite circle. Stamkos one-timed the shot into the open net.
He struck again 10 minutes later, picking up a fumbled Avalanche pass at the defensive blue line and skating in on goalie Semyon Varlamov in a breakaway. He made a slight move on the forehand and then switched to the backhand and tucked the puck around Varlamov's skate.
Stamkos set up two more goals in the second period. He started a sequence of nice passes sending the puck to Yanni Gourde even as he went to the ice. Gourde then passed to Alex Killorn, who beat Varlamov with a wrist shot, giving the Lightning a 4-1 lead two minutes into the second period.
A few minutes later, Stamkos picked the puck up off the boards high in the zone, and drew everyone to him as he back tracked to the blue line. As everyone followed him up high, Stamkos found Ondrej Palat at the far dot. Palat wristed a shot past Varlamov for his first goal of the season.
Even with seven goals, Stamkos was one of two Lightning players with multi-point games (the other being Palat). Tampa Bay had five goal scorers on the night.
Tyler Johnson scored late in the first period, on a rebound. Dan Girardi took the initial shot from the point and Brayden Point tipped it in the slot. Johnson was there to bang home the rebound and put the Lightning up 4-1.
After Killorn and Palat's goals in the second period, Anthony Cirelli got on the board, also off a rebound. Again it was a defenseman with the first shot, this time Braydon Coburn pinching low along the boards. The puck bounced off Philip Grubauer's chest (who replaced Varlamov after Palat's goal) and landed right in front of Cirelli who flipped it in.
Palat added his second of the season early in the third period. Johnson passed the puck through crease, post-to-post, and Palat one-timed the shot past Grubauer.
Louis Domingue had another good night, making 29 saves and allowing just one goal. He was tested and came up with a few big saves, with an assist from Girardi on one. After Domingue stretched out to make a toe-save and his momentum carried him out of the crease, Girardi was there to bat away the puck with his hand.
The Lightning held the league's most potent duo to a single goal. Rantanen flipped the puck to Gabriel Landeskog, who quickly sent it to MacKinnon. He then found a five-hole opening from the bottom of the left circle to beat Domingue.
It was a nice goal, but it was the only goal.
