TAMPA (WDAE) -- Nikita Kucherov scored a pair of goal, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Tampa Bay Lightning earned their ninth straight victory with a 4-0 whitewashing of the Arizona Coyotes.
The third line for the Lightning got things started late in the first period, as Alex Killorn opened the scoring with just under five minutes to play in the frame, as Coyotes goalie Adin Hill couldn't control the rebound of a Pat Maroon shot and Alex Killorn stuffed it home for his team-leading 18th goal of the year.
Just three minutes later, the same line struck again, as Mikhail Sergachev's crossing pass went off an Arizona defender and past Hill for the defenseman's seventh goal of the year, giving the Lightning a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Kucherov took control of the game in the second period, as the reigning league MVP scored twice in a span of 2:37, first with a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Hill up high, then one-timing a pass from Steven Stamkos to set the score at 4-0.
The Lightning captain earned an assist on both of Kucherov's goals, his 399th and 400th assists of his NHL career.
Tampa Bay saw both Maroon and Ondrej Palat leave the game with injuries, though head coach Jon Cooper said after the game he did not believe either was serious.
The Lightning head out on the road for a back-to-back this weekend, beginning Saturday when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Faceoff from the Wells Fargo Center is set for 7:00 and can be heard on NewsRadio WFLA.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Period
- TBL: GOAL - Alex Killorn (18). ASSISTS - Maroon, Paquette. TIME - 15:06
- TBL: GOAL - Mikhail Sergachev (7). ASSISTS - Paquette, Maroon. TIME - 18:24
2nd Period
- TBL: GOAL - Nikita Kucherov (16). ASSISTS - Point, Stamkos. TIME - 6:15.
- TBL: GOAL - Nikita Kucherov (17). ASSISTS - Stamkos, Rutta. TIME - 8:52.
3rd Period
NONE