Cirelli nets hat trick, Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic with win over Penguins

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cirelli registered his second career hat trick, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning moved into first place in the Atlantic Division after a 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Zemgus Girgensons scored his 100th career goal and Brayden Point scored his second in 14 games for Tampa Bay, which improved to 7-1-2 in the past 10 games. Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves both had two assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves.

Egor Chinakov scored twice and Rickard Rackell also scored for Pittsburgh. Sam Girard and Kris Letang both had two assists and Stuart Skinner finished with 27 saves.

The Penguins remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the New York Islanders.

Cirelli scored Tampa Bay's first two goals and he added an empty-netter for his first hat trick since Jan. 17, 2020.

Cirelli and Rakell traded goals 1:55 apart in the opening seven minutes of the game before Chinakov gave the Penguins their first lead of the game with a backhander from the right circle at 16:10.

Cirelli notched his second of the game 11 seconds into the second, deflecting a puck away from Bryan Rust and racing up ice for a breakaway, lifting a backhand shot over Skinner for a shorthanded marker.

Point put the Lightning back in front at 14:08 on a rebound. Girgensons took a pass from Gourde behind the net, pulled the puck to his forehand as he reached the crease and tucked a backhander into the open part of the net with 54.7 seconds left in the second.

Kucherov made it 5-2 at 13:50 of the third.

Up next

Pittsburgh: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday

Tampa Bay: Host the Boston Bruins on Saturday

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