Brayden Point scored twice and earned an assist as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning dispatched the St. Louis Blues 4-2 Saturday.
Nick Perbix and Alex Killorn also scored for the Lightning, who have won seven of their last nine games. Steven Stamkos earned an assist, but just missed on several bids to score his 500th career goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves to earn the victory.
Tyler Pitlick and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves.
The Blues struck first when Pitlick took Alexey Toropchenko’s outlet pass and scored on a breakaway 2:39 into the game.
Point tied the game 1-1 with 7:38 left in the first period. Perbix pinched in along the right wall, then slid the puck to Point in the low slot.
Point put the Lightning up 2-1 with 3:17 left in the period. Stamkos curled in the left circle and fired a diagonal pass to Point stationed outside the right post for a redirection goal.
Stamkos nearly scored early in the second period when he barged down the middle for a point-blank shot on goal. He got another point-blank shot on a power play, but again Binnington denied him.
Perbix boosted the Tampa Bay lead to 3-1 at 12:44 of the second period by blasting a slap shot from the right point that popped off Binnington’s glove and landed in the net.
But 71 seconds later, Buchnevich cut that margin to 3-2 by stepping into the slot and converting Jordan Kyrou’s drop pass.
Stamkos just missed another opportunity when he rang a shot off the post late in the second period.
Killorn made it 4-2 with 1:38 left in the period after Brandon Hagel found him in front of the net with a backhand pass from the end boards.
Stamkos had two looks at an empty net with Binnington pulled for an extra attacker, but he had his stick lifted on one chance and Justin Faulk blocked his other shot attempt.
–Field Level Media
