Nikita Kucherov scores twice, Lightning shut out Coyotes 4-0 for 9th consecutive win

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-0 Thursday night for their ninth consecutive victory.

Alex Killorn and Mikhail Sergachev also scored for the Lightning, who are one win from tying the franchise record of 10 straight set in February 2019.

Arizona’s Adin Hill, making his fourth appearance this season, stopped 30 shots as the Coyotes’ four-game winning streak ended. Arizona’s top two goalies, Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta, are out with lower-body injuries.

Kucherov scored a pair of second-period goals, coming at 6:15 and 8:52, to make it 4-0. Steven Stamkos assisted on both, with the second one giving him 400 career assists.

Kucherov has four goals and nine points during a six-game point streak. He has nine goals and 11 points in 10 games against Arizona.

Vasilevskiy, who is 11-1-1 over his last 13 starts, made a right pad save against Taylor Hall on a breakaway midway through the first. It was his 19th career shutout and first since Feb. 16.

Killorn opened the scoring at 15:06 of the first off a nifty backhand pass from along the goal line by Pat Maroon.

Tampa Bay went up 2-0 with 1:36 left in the first when Sergachev sent the puck into the slot on a 3-on-2 rush and it went into the net off Arizona’s Jordan Oesterle.

NOTES: The Coyotes have snapped an opponent’s winning streak of at least five games an NHL-leading four times this season. … Raanta (two games missed) is day to day. Kuemper (nine games) is on injured reserve. … Maroon had two assists but left in the second period after taking an elbow to the head from Carl Soderberg. There was no penalty called on the play. … Tampa Bay LW Ondrej Palat appeared to favor his leg and exited after a hit by Hall in the third. Hall was given an interference penalty. … Lightning C Brayden Point picked up an assist and has a seven-game point streak (six assists, 10 points).

UP NEXT

Coyotes: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Lightning: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.