Lightning Sweep Devils In Road Trip Win, 5-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to three games after a win in New Jersey on Monday night.

The Lightning (20-7) reign atop the Eastern Conference, while the Devils (9-12) sit dead last. The Lightning became the first team in the NHL to reach 20 wins this season, and leave the season series against the Devils victorious.

How the Lightning Got It Done

The Lightning relied on duo Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point on offense. Kucherov played a major role, scoring a goal and earning three assists, while Point supplied a goal of his own and two assists. Point earned his lone goal for the evening off of an intense power play in the last minute of the first period, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

For Brayden Point? The sky is the limit.#TBLvsNJD | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/BD92YDCeXX

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 4, 2018

Tampa Bay’s defense proved monumental, especially on Louis Domingue’s end. The guard stopped 26 shots for the evening, putting a major dent in any momentum from the Devils.

Tyler Johnson, Steven Stamkos and Yanni Gourde all logged individual goals for the evening. The vast amount of depth the Lightning have offensively has proved effective in their mission to return to the post-season after a brutal Atlantic Conference Finals loss against the Washington Capitals.

The Devils’ Response

It looked as if the Devils had a decent chance of overtaking the Lightning within the first ten minutes of the game. The home team was able to outshoot the Lightning 7-1, but crumbled quickly.

The Devils struggled to put anything on the board until the second period, where rookie Egor Yakovlev scored his first career goal for the Devils. The loss added to the team’s 6-game losing streak.

New Jersey has had trouble finding consistency so far this season. Veteran Cory Schneider’s return from offseason hip surgery hasn’t shown him at his best, with his presence at a minimum.

Up Next

Tampa Bay will continue their road campaign against the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night. The Devils will take a west coast trip to visit the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday Night.