Declan Carlile’s first goal of the season capped a four-goal first-period eruption as the host Tampa Bay Lightning routed the Calgary Flames 5-1 on Wednesday.
Brandon Hagel, Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Zemgus Girgensons all found the net before Carlile found the target. Carlile was playing in his fifth game of the campaign, and he has two career goals in nine games.
Hagel and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist while Jake Guentzel produced two helpers as the Lightning crafted their second five-game winning streak in a month.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots to lift his club to a 13-3-0 mark in the past 16 games.
Joel Farabee scored short-handed for Calgary, which had its season-best three-game winning streak end. Goalie Dustin Wolf surrendered three markers on four shots and was pulled for Devin Cooley, who made 17 saves on 19 shots.
Hagel scored for the eighth time in nine games inside the game’s first minute. Just 47 seconds later, D’Astous lifted a long shot that beat Wolf high for a 2-0 lead. Girgensons’ goal at 5:52 — his 200th NHL point — beat Wolf for a third time, sending the Flames’ No. 1 goalie to the bench.
Carlile scored when his shot from the left circle trickled through Cooley’s pads for a 4-0 lead at the opening frame’s midpoint.
The second period was filled with power-play chances, but the Flames failed to produce after Kucherov committed a double-minor high-sticking infraction. The Lightning could not score on their four man-advantage opportunities in the period.
Tampa Bay’s Nick Paul had a potential goal overturned for goaltender interference after he clipped and took down Cooley with his skates.
On the home side’s man advantage to open the third, Farabee netted career goal No. 99 at 1:04, spoiling Vasilevskiy’s shutout bid.
Kucherov created the final 5-1 margin at 14:23 on an assist from Hagel.
Lightning center Brayden Point (undisclosed) missed his second consecutive contest.
–Field Level Media
