TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mark Stone scored the winner in the seventh round of a shootout and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period Saturday night.
Robin Lehner stopped 27 shots for the Golden Knights, including 18 combined in the third period and overtime. Brett Howden and William Carrier both had a goal and an assist.
Vegas won the shootout 4-3 and finished 2-1-1 on a challenging road trip. Before the game, coach Pete DeBoer said “we’re seeing the best of the best” on a trip also included stops at Washington, Carolina and Florida.
Ross Colton and Corey Perry scored in the third period for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves.
Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson and defenseman Dylan Coghlan were placed in COVID-19 protocols before the game. Stephenson has a team-best 38 points on 12 goals and 26 assists.
Colton scored at 13:12 of the third just after Tampa Bay's third power play of the period ended. Perry tied it at 2 with 2:48 left with Vasilevskiy on the bench for an extra skater. The veteran forward sent the puck from behind the net and it went off a Vegas player and past Lehner.
The Lightning outshot Vegas 17-1 in the third. Both teams had three shots on goal in overtime.
Howden opened the scoring on a low-slot rebound 5:25 into the game. Carrier made it 2-0 with 5:04 left in the second.
Lehner stopped Colton on a breakaway and made a post-to-post save on Steven Stamkos in the second.
Vasilevskiy made a number of strong saves during the first period as Tampa Bay was outshot 12-4. He also stymied Stone, who was left alone in the low slot in the second.
Vegas had a 23-9 shots advantage through two periods.
NIKITA NEWS
Lightning star right wing Nikita Kucherov (COVID-19 protocols) sat out his second consecutive game and it is unclear if he will return for the final game before the All-Star break on Tuesday night.
“Hope for Tuesday but again you never know with these situations what’s going to happen,” coach Jon Cooper said. “So, I can’t sit here and say anything definitive.”
SCARY SHOT
Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was OK after taking a shot off the side of his helmet by Vegas’ Reilly Smith midway through the second. Sergachev lost his stick behind the net but slid into the slot for the shot block.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Play at home against Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Lightning: Host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
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