Oilers collapse in third period, get zapped by Lightning

Nikita Kucherov scored two goals and added an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-4 win.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Steven Stamkos and Luke Glendening scored 39 seconds apart midway through the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.

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Stamkos tied it on his 197th career power-play goal, which tied Jarome Iginla for 21st place all-time before Glendening put Tampa Bay up 5-4. Mikhail Sergachev added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and Tanner Jeannot also scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 39 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 1-5-2 when trailing after two periods.

“I just like the way the guys dug in,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “There was a lot of responses. I think maybe earlier in the year we might find a way to only get that to overtime or actually lose the game.”

Sergachev also had two assists.

“Everyone stepped in,” Johansson said. “We got some big goals from our big players. Power play was huge, PK was huge. A great effort from the team overall.”

Tampa Bay went 2 for 4 on the power play, while Edmonton failed on five chances.

Derek Ryan had two goals, and James Hamblin and Evan Bouchard also scored for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner stopped 18 shots. Kris Knoblauch dropped to 2-1 as Edmonton coach since replacing the fired Jay Woodcroft.

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Johansson is filling in for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who hasn’t played this season following back surgery. Cooper said Vasilevskiy, who is practicing, won’t play before Thanksgiving.

Edmonton star Connor McDavid took a high stick to the face from Sergachev late in the first period but stayed in the game. McDavid was held pointless.

Hamblin, an Edmonton native, scored his first NHL goal in his 16th career game to make it 2-0 midway through the first.

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Hamblin pointed toward the sky after scoring to honour his mother Gina, who died from cancer in 2017.

“Obviously, a very exciting moment,” Hamblin said. “My initial thoughts are straight to my mom. A celebration in the the bank for a few years now. I think it was a weight off my shoulders to finally score the first one. The first thoughts were straight to her.”

Hamblin is the third Edmonton-born player, joining Tyler Benson and Matt Benning, to get his first NHL goals with the Oilers in the past 10 years.

Ryan opened the scoring on a short-handed goal and put the Oilers up 3-2 in the second after Kucherov scored twice. Ryan ended a 17-game goal drought.

Oilers right wing Connor Brown returned after missing six games with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Play Monday night at Florida.

Lightning: Host Boston on Monday night.

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