Lightning Win Big Over Sharks, Extend Win Streak to Seven

By Ernie Norquist | Thunderstruck Sports

Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports

The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up their California road trip Saturday afternoon with a matinee win at SAP Center in San Jose, 7-3. The game marked the first of two meetings between the clubs this season and Tampa Bay’s first look at second-year phenom Macklin Celebrini, recently named to Canada’s Olympic roster.

The Tampa Bay Lightning did not treat Saturday’s matinee in San Jose like a formality. They treated it like a statement.

Games like this often carry the familiar warning signs of a trap game, but the Lightning have been one of the NHL’s strongest first-period teams and showed it early. Just 2:37 into the contest, Brayden Point continued his torrid pace, opening the scoring with his 10th goal of the season. Nikita Kucherov and Max Crozier picked up the assists.

Less than two minutes later, at 4:08, Darren Raddysh doubled the lead with a slap shot for his 10th goal of the season, with Kucherov and Gage Goncalves recording the assists. San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky immediately called a timeout in an attempt to settle his youthful lineup.

The pause offered little relief. Less than three minutes later, Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel connected on a crisp give-and-go, with Hagel finishing for his 19th goal of the season. The goal ended the afternoon for Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, who surrendered three goals on eight shots.

With Alex Nedeljkovic taking over in net, San Jose steadied its play. At 10:50, Erik Cernak was whistled for tripping, putting Tampa Bay’s penalty kill to the test. The Sharks’ power play generated sustained pressure, but Andrei Vasilevskiy held firm. He turned aside a point-blank chance from Pavol Regenda before Regenda later redirected a shot past him to put San Jose on the scoreboard.

The second period followed a similar script. San Jose showed brief pushback early, but Tampa Bay continued to control the flow of play. When Regenda was called for tripping at 1:21, the Lightning needed just over a minute to capitalize. Raddysh struck again at 2:49, hammering a slap shot through traffic for his second goal of the afternoon and restoring Tampa Bay’s three-goal cushion.

Tampa Bay pressed the advantage. At 3:55, depth again made the difference as Dominic James finished a backhand chance from the slot, extending the lead to 5-2. San Jose struggled to exit its zone cleanly, and the Lightning forecheck repeatedly forced turnovers that tilted the ice.

The game’s emotional temperature rose midway through the period as frustration finally boiled over for the Sharks. Ryan Reaves brought his unique NHL talents into the moment, sending a clear message that No. 71 would be protected at all costs. While JJ Moser’s hit was clean and delivered within the rules, teams rarely welcome any contact involving a generational talent, legal or otherwise. What followed was less about the hit itself and more about the score and the situation. San Jose was chasing the game, Tampa Bay was dictating it, and patience gave way to emotion. A series of roughing penalties culminated in a multi-player scrum at 15:39 that sent several players to the box and earned Barclay Goodrow a 10-minute misconduct.

For the Lightning, it has become a defining feature of this season rather than a coincidence. There is a clear understanding within this group that teammates will be protected, regardless of the cost. Tampa Bay has not hesitated to absorb penalties in moments like this, choosing unity over optics and response over restraint. It is a noticeable shift in posture. When opponents push the line or target core pieces, the Lightning respond collectively. Games that slip out of reach no longer drift quietly to the finish. They carry a message. This year’s group has shown it is willing to pay the price to take care of each other, every time.

Tampa Bay responded the way it had all afternoon, staying composed and letting its skill do the talking. On the ensuing power play, Kucherov snapped home his 20th goal of the season at 14:08, pushing the lead to 6-2 and effectively ending any thought of a comeback.

Raddysh completed the scoring moments later. At 16:53, he unloaded another slap shot on the power play to secure the hat trick and put the game fully out of reach. The goal capped a dominant special-teams performance for the Lightning, who finished the afternoon 2-for-2 with the man advantage and closed their road trip with a complete, disciplined performance from start to finish.

The third period became more about pride than points. San Jose came out with urgency, led by Macklin Celebrini, who generated two early looks in the opening minute as the Sharks tried to salvage something from a difficult afternoon. Tampa Bay absorbed the push without chasing the game, answering with steady shifts and a pair of close-range chances from Zemgus Girgensons.

Dmitry Orlov pulled one back at 3:17, but the Lightning never lost their shape. A brief power-play opportunity midway through the period came up empty, and Tampa Bay continued to manage the game rather than open it up. San Jose pressed late, but the outcome had long been settled. The Lightning closed the afternoon the same way they built it, with structure, patience, and a lead that never truly felt in danger.

The win did more than finish a road trip. It put the Lightning atop the Eastern Conference and sent a message the league may not be ready to hear. This group is not hanging on to past success. It is setting terms again with speed, skill, and a willingness to make games uncomfortable when required. Tampa Bay scored, controlled, and answered physically when lines were crossed.

3 Stars of the Game

1.     Darren Raddysh – Recorded his first career hat trick, becoming just the third defenseman in Lightning history to accomplish the feat.

2.     Nikita Kucherov – Another five-point night, setting a new franchise record and driving Tampa Bay’s power play.

3.     Pavol Regenda – Scored his first career hat trick in a losing effort and was San Jose’s most consistent offensive threat.