The Tampa Bay Lightning refused to let a late Evgeni Malkin equalizer derail them, winning 2-1 in a shootout to stretch their win streak to 11 games and seize first place in the Atlantic Division.
Lightning surge past Penguins in skills contest
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 27 before denying all three Pittsburgh shooters, and Nikita Kucherov ripped the clincher through Arturs Silovs as Tampa Bay claimed a 2-1 shootout victory at PPG Paints Arena. The win is the club’s 11th in a row, matching the second-longest run in franchise history and pushing the Bolts one point clear of Detroit atop the Atlantic.
Late drama sets stage for Kucherov heroics
Defenseman J.J. Moser broke a scoreless deadlock with 5:47 left in regulation, cashing in a rebound after Yanni Gourde’s wraparound popped loose. The Penguins answered when Malkin wired his 10th of the season from the right circle with 2:16 remaining, forcing overtime and eventually the shootout where Kucherov’s lethal forehand-backhand move sealed the extra point.
Historic heater mirrors 2019 Cup blueprint
Three of the 11 victories have come past regulation, mirroring the 2019 team that ripped off 10 straight en route to 62 wins and a Presidents’ Trophy. The current streak began Dec. 20 vs. Anaheim and includes comeback wins over Toronto, Vegas and now Pittsburgh, reinforcing Tampa’s reputation for third-period resolve.
- 11-0-0 record since Dec. 18 home loss to Los Angeles
- Plus-21 goal differential (40-19) during the streak
- Top-ranked penalty kill (91.3%) and fourth-ranked power play (29.7%) in that span
Standings shake-up: Lightning leapfrog Detroit
Tampa Bay (26-12-4, 56 points) moved into first place when the Bruins blanked Detroit 3-0 earlier Tuesday. The Red Wings (25-11-5, 55 points) still own three games in hand, but the Lightning own the regulation-wins tiebreaker 24-22, giving them control of the division for the first time since opening night.
Penguins’ slide continues
Pittsburgh has dropped three straight (0-2-1) since a season-best six-game win streak. The Pens sit six points out of the final wild-card spot with 38 games remaining, and their 2-6 shootout record is already the worst in the East.
What’s next
The Lightning close a three-game road trip Thursday in Washington before returning home for a heavyweight bout with Boston on Saturday. A 12th consecutive win would tie the franchise record set during the 2019-20 banner season.
Stay locked on onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest post-game film breakdown and live divisional odds as Tampa Bay chases history.
