Apr 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning proper wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates with the puck in opposition to the Detroit Crimson Wings in the course of the third interval at Amalie Enviornment. Necessary Credit score: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Photographs
The Tampa Bay Lightning have three necessary video games left on their schedule, however of their pursuit of the Atlantic Division’s high spot, they absolutely should have a way of giving freely an excessive amount of over the previous two matches.
The overall quantity of that giveaway? Two very essential factors.
Coach Jon Cooper’s squad, which trails the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs by 4 factors, will end its season collection with the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Sunday evening.
After opening the week with a stable 5-1 thumping of the New York Rangers on the Metropolitan Division membership’s world-famous enviornment, the Lightning (45-26-8, 98 factors) let two video games get away from them in time beyond regulation — outcomes that might vastly have an effect on their postseason.
They misplaced to Toronto on Matthew Knies’ time beyond regulation aim on Wednesday then blew a third-period lead and have been executed in by Detroit Crimson Wings rookie Marco Kasper on the tying and game-winning time beyond regulation objectives.
The Lightning are additionally tied with the Florida Panthers, who’ve one fewer match to play.
“Finally, you need to get the end result, the 2 factors, however what we’re doing now, our course of hasn’t been proper the final little bit,” mentioned Cooper after the Detroit loss. “It is unlucky as a result of we would put ourselves into a fairly good scenario.
“Seventy-plus video games and now it seems like we’re taking part in preseason video games.”
The Lightning will host the Panthers on Tuesday and go to the Rangers once more on Thursday to finish the season after Sunday’s recreation with the Sabres, who misplaced 3-2 Saturday in a shootout to the Stanley Cup champs in Dawn.
Except he plans in any other case, Cooper will possible have this season’s Artwork Ross Trophy winner to assist his workforce go the Leafs or a minimum of maintain off the Panthers — Nikita Kucherov.
Tied with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon with a league-high 116 factors, Kucherov will win the scoring title over one of many subsequent three video games with both a aim or an help because the Avalanche introduced that MacKinnon (relaxation) won’t play once more within the common season.
Kucherov has 34 objectives and 82 assists, whereas Brayden Level leads with 41 objectives.
In South Florida within the entrance finish of their back-to-back, the Sabres (35-37-7, 77 factors) led early however needed to rally within the third interval in opposition to a Florida membership that rested most of its top-six forwards, together with captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, plus star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, to power a shootout.
Nevertheless, Panthers backup Vitek Vanecek stuffed Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch to win the shootout 1-0.
The defeat left Buffalo, taking part in its finest stretch of hockey, 8-2-1 up to now 11 contests.
“Good particular groups, guys have been stepping up once we wanted,” mentioned captain Rasmus Dahlin, who scored considered one of Buffalo’s two power-play objectives. “On the highway, one level is at all times necessary. I’m comfortable we acquired that at this time.”
Peterka had a aim and an help within the loss, marking his fifteenth multi-point recreation. That places him second to solely Tage Thompson (16) amongst forwards with multi-point outings.
Owen Energy left the sport and didn’t return after an ungainly collision with fellow defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe.
–Discipline Stage Media
