Wednesday, 4 a.m.
It’s a stars’ town, Vegas. You don’t show up unless you have a little sparkle. You don’t stand out unless you shine.
Tuesday night, it was the perfect spot for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The hot Lighting won their fourth straight game, beating back the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 5-3. In their last two games, the Bolts have beaten both of last season’s Stanley Cup finalists in the Florida Panthers and the Knights.
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You want glitz?
How about two third period goals by Brayden Point, bringing his total to 38 on the season.
How about Nikita Kucherov, who had four points to retake the NHL lead in points.
How about Anthony Cirelli, who scored his 12th career shorthanded goal?
How about Anthony Duclair, who scored his third goal in four games since joining the Bolts?
How about Andrei Vasilevskiy, who won his fifth game in six starts? It was his 25th win of the year; the seventh straight season he has reached that plateau.
The Bolts have been hot since the trade deadline, when deals brought in Duclair and Matt Dumba. Since then, the Bolts have beaten the Flyers, the Rangers, the Panthers and the Knights. In those four games, the Bolts have outscored their opponents 23-9.
The Bolts killed all three penalties.
“In the end, it was special teams’ night,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “We got the shorty and the power play goal. If you can win that battle, it gives you a chance to win the game.”
Tampa Bay visits San Jose Thursday night for a 10:30 p.m. game.