Kucherov ties Lightning record as Habs blow another lead – Atlantic Division roundup

Lightning close gap as Kucherov hits franchise milestone

The hottest story in the Atlantic comes from Tampa Bay, where the Lightning rolled over the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 to pull within one point of Boston for top spot in the division. According to Daily Faceoff, Nikita Kucherov’s goal in the win gave him 1,137 career points, tying the franchise’s all-time points record. Sportsnet’s highlight package shows Kucherov finishing with a goal and two assists, Anthony Cirelli scoring twice, and Andrei Vasilevskiy making 32 saves in a one-sided decision.

Canadiens cough up another two-goal lead

In Montreal, a recurring problem surfaced again. The Canadiens let a two-goal cushion slip away and fell 4-3 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks. La Presse underlines that the wasted lead cost Montreal a point in the standings; the Canadiens sit at 10 points (4-3-2), tied with Buffalo in the bottom half of the Atlantic. Sportsnet reports that Michael Misa and Tyler Toffoli scored in the third period to drag San Jose back into the game before Macklin Celebrini ended it at 2:13 of overtime with his second goal of the night.

The turning point came in overtime on a Montreal mistake. Sportsnet shows Jakub Dobes taking an interference penalty while trying to grab Colin Graf, putting the Sharks on a 4-on-3 power play that Celebrini finished with a one-timer. La Presse characterizes the game as a fiasco that could have been avoided, in spite of a dominant outing from Montreal’s top line and heavy shot volume.

Leafs cruise in Columbus as Bruins, Wings lose in extras

The Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed a comfortable night in Columbus, hammering the Blue Jackets 6-2 for their second road win of the season. Sportsnet notes that Toronto rode a four-goal second period, with Auston Matthews posting a goal and an assist in his 700th NHL game. William Nylander also scored, while Easton Cowan continued his strong start by burying a shorthanded marker off a long Oliver Ekman-Larsson pass, highlighted by Sportsnet. La Presse adds that Kirill Marchenko scored in his first game against his former team.

There was concern on the back end, though. Sportsnet reports that defenceman Jake McCabe left the game after taking a stick to the face from Kent Johnson and was officially ruled out during the second intermission. Daily Faceoff also highlights Zack MacEwen stepping in to fight Erik Gudbranson after a hit on Teddy Blueger.

Elsewhere, the Boston Bruins remain first in the Atlantic with 15 points (7-2-1) despite a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. Sportsnet details how Mikko Rantanen completed a hat trick with the OT winner, with Jason Robertson adding two assists. The Detroit Red Wings stayed last in the division with 9 points (3-3-3) after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken, where Sportsnet notes Mackie Samoskevich opened the scoring and Bobby McMann buried the shootout winner for Seattle.

Off the ice, Daily Faceoff reports that Dylan Larkin has expanded his trade list from three teams to 10, potentially opening the door to more possibilities if the Red Wings pursue a move.