Thursday, December 13, 2018 07:30 PM (ET)

Vasilevskiy shines in return as Lightning beat Leafs

Field Level Media
Dec 13, 2018

Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made a career-best 48 saves in his first game since Nov. 10 and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 Thursday night.

Vasilevskiy, who was tested 23 times in the second period, made some spectacular saves in his return after missing 15 games with a broken foot.

Cirelli has scored in a career-best four straight games and has five goals in that span.

Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson also scored in the Lightning's eighth consecutive win. J.T. Miller added two assists.

Kasperi Kapanen scored a first-period goal for the Maple Leafs.

Frederik Andersen made 17 saves in the Toronto goal.

Kucherov made an errant pass in the Lightning zone that enabled Kapanen, unchecked in the slot, to score his 12th goal this season, unassisted, at 5:26 of the first period.

Tampa Bay tied the game on Cirelli's ninth goal this season -- and third short-handed -- with a backhander at 8:20 of the first when Ryan Callahan sprung him with a neutral-zone pass after a Toronto turnover. Cedric Paquette was off for high-sticking.

The Maple Leafs still had time with the man advantage after the Lightning goal and hit a post before the penalty expired.

The Lightning led 2-1 on Kucherov's 13th goal of the season on a power play at 5:31 of the second period when a video review showed that the puck was over the line in the air when Andersen caught it. Nazem Kadri was serving a penalty for closing his hand on the puck.

The Lightning took advantage of Maple Leafs lapses to score twice from the slot within 34 seconds near the end of the second period.

Killorn scored his seventh on a backhand at 19:24 of the second, and Johnson beat the buzzer to notch his 13th.

The Maple Leafs had a 23-12 edge in shots on goal in the second and led 33-19 in shots over the first 40 minutes.

--Field Level Media

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