A statement first period leads to Bolts' emphatic win
I originally planned to kick things off with Nikita Kucherov’s apparent personal vendetta against the Avalanche—after all, he had already racked up two points in the first 11 minutes and looked primed for his second dominant performance against Colorado this season. In fact, I did, but as the game wore on, Brandon Hagel made sure I had to rewrite the narrative. What a statement win that was.
This matchup featured two streaking teams: the Avs entered on a three-game winning streak, while the Lightning had dropped their last two. Tampa Bay’s defense had been abysmal, surrendering seven goals to Columbus and four to Dallas. Facing the reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, the best offensive defenseman in hockey in Cale Makar, and white hot Mikko Rantanen, the Bolts knew they’d need to tighten up. They did just that.
Tampa Bay struck first, as they often do, with Nick Perbix opening the scoring early in the first period. The Avs soon took a holding penalty, and the struggling Lightning power play took advantage: just 18 seconds into the man advantage, Jake Guentzel beat Colorado goalie Justus Annunen five-hole to make it 2-0.
However, just 70 seconds later, Ivan Ivan scored on a rebound, cutting the lead to 2-1. It’s been a recurring theme lately: the Bolts let up defensively as soon as they gain a lead. Luckily, this was the only time such a thing would happen this game. Kucherov answered a minute later with a beautiful one-timer for his 12th goal of the season, forcing Avs coach Jared Bednar to pull Annunen in favor of Alexandar Georgiev.
With just under nine minutes to go in the opening frame, JJ Moser committed an interference penalty that gave the Avs a man advantage, something they knew they'd need to avoid as Colorado's power play has been the third most successful in the NHL thus far. Fortunately for the Lightning, Brandon Hagel sports a Tampa Bay Lighting uniform. As he has several times this season, Hagel created a shorthanded breakaway, and though his shot missed, the rebound found Luke Glendening, who scored his first goal of the season to extend Tampa Bay's lead to 4-1.
At this point, Bednar and the Avalanche were probably just hoping to make it to the locker room without giving up another goal. But Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli had different plans. Cirelli, already riding a five-game goal streak coming into this one, extended it to six as the first period wound down. The goal came off a setup from Cernak and Hagel, who recorded his fourth assist of the frame which marked the most by any Lightning player in a single period. Heading into the first break in action, the Bolts held a commanding lead, outscoring Colorado five to one.
Offense pours it on; defense looks much improved
The Lightning weren’t done scoring yet. Midway through the second period, Brayden Point scored Tampa Bay’s second power-play goal of the game, assisted by - guess who? - Brandon Hagel who picked up his fifth assist of the night. This one tied the Lightning single game assists record and positioned Hagel just one point shy of the franchise record for points in a game - six - which hasn't been touched since the 1970s.
That happened to be the only goal of the period, as the Lightning seemed content to play solid defense and maintain a strong lead. However, that doesn't mean the Bolts went without scoring chances. Kucherov almost found Hagel for his sixth point of the night on an up-ice pass, but Georgiev made a key save. For me, the highlight of the second period came on the penalty kill. Despite their struggles this season, Tampa Bay killed off two penalties against Colorado’s potent power play - an impressive feat that helped maintain the lead.
Colorado came out quickly in the final frame, as Ivan Ivan scored his second goal of the night just a minute into the period, bringing the Avs within four. The puck deflected off the post and hit Brayden Point’s skate, which fooled Vasy. But the Lightning quickly scored, answering right back.
Jake Guentzel tallied his second goal of the night on another breakaway when he went five hole again. Less than a minute later, Eyssimont netted his first of the season against Justus Annunen. Yes, you read that right. After being benched earlier in the night, the Avs basically conceded, putting Annunen back in as they decided to let Georgiev rest.
Unfortunately, this would be the last of the scoring and Hagel wouldn't tie the Lightning points record - six - that has stood for over four decades. However, he tied the assists record and we got to watch our favorite hockey team win by a touchdown which is always fun.
Does Kucherov hold a grudge against the Avs?
Now that we've covered the entirety of the game and Brandon Hagel's historic performance, I'd like to at least briefly revisit my original thought. I am fairly confident that Nikita Kucherov hates the Colorado Avalanche.
After being snubbed in last season’s Hart Trophy voting, Kuch has made his presence felt against Nathan MacKinnon - the man who robbed him - and the Avs in both matchups this season. Whether it's the sting of that loss or the memory of their Stanley Cup Final defeat, Kuch has risen to the occasion when Colorado has been the opponent. Less than a month ago, the Lightning beat the Avs 5-2 as Kucherov recorded a goal and two assists. Tonight, he was at it again, notching another one goal, two assists game against the Avs.
Is this just a coincidence? A grudge fueled by the Lightning’s storied history with the Avalanche? Or is this just another typical Kucherov performance? You could make a case for any of the three, but personally, I’m drawn to the drama of the second option. Many already view Kuch as one of the NHL’s villains, and when he faces off against Colorado, it’s hard not to see him playing with a chip on his shoulder that’s tailor-made for the role.