Lightning snap Kraken's 8-game win streak with 4-1 victory

Updated Jan. 16, 2023 6:54 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored in the first period, Nicholas Paul had a goal in the third and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat Seattle 4-1 on Monday, snapping the Kraken’s eight-game winning streak.

Brandon Hagel and Victor Hedman each added an empty-netter as Tampa Bay extended its win streak to four games and cooled off the hottest team in the NHL.

Bellemare redirected Ian Cole’s shot from the point late in the first period for his second goal of the season and just his third point in the past month. Early in the third period, Paul took advantage of a turnover by Vince Dunn behind Seattle’s net and whipped a wrist shot over the shoulder of goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

Hagel’s 17th of the season and Hedman’s second came in the final two minutes after Seattle pulled Grubauer.

Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos remained stuck on 499 career goals, trying to become the third active player to reach 500.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy appeared in line for his first shutout in more than a year until Dunn’s shot from the point sneaked through to pull Seattle within 2-1 with 9:16 remaining. Dunn’s goal was his eighth of the season and gave him a point in his seventh straight game, a career high.

Vasilevskiy finished with 22 saves and won his fourth consecutive start. He’s allowed three goals or fewer in 16 of his past 17 starts.

Seattle played its first home game in more than two weeks, coming off a franchise-altering road trip that vaulted the Kraken into the Pacific Division race. Seattle was the first team in league history to sweep a seven-game road trip and it was largely done with offense. The Kraken scored a staggering 37 goals in the seven games, and their 3-0 win in Boston was the only time Seattle scored fewer than four goals on the trip.

But that kind of offense was far more difficult to come by against the disciplined Lightning and Vasilevskiy. Seattle managed just 23 shots on goal.

Grubauer made 27 saves.

NOTES: Seattle F Jaden Schwartz (undisclosed) was scratched and missed his second straight game. ... Tampa Bay D Nick Perbix (undisclosed) was scratched after he played just 8:38 on Saturday against St. Louis and left late in the second period after a big hit. ... Kraken G Martin Jones was named the NHL’s First Star of the week after going 3-0 with two shutouts and a 1.67 goals-against average last week. ... Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was selected Third Star of the week after recording seven points in three games.

UP NEXT

Lightning: At Vancouver on Wednesday.

Kraken: At Edmonton on Tuesday.

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