Lightning rally from 2-goal deficit to beat Canucks

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Oct 17, 2026

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning shouldn’t have needed any reminder not to underestimate the Vancouver Canucks.

Yes, they were playing a road-weary, beaten-up team Saturday that was at the end of a six-game trip on which it had not won a game.

But asked about playing a struggling team beforehand, coach Jon Cooper quickly brought up last season’s home game against the Canucks, which stood out as one of the Lightning’s worst outings of the season.

“They scored, what was it last year, five in the third on us?” Cooper said of a 6-2 loss last November. “That was a tough one for us. These games are the same amount of points as a Panthers game or Montreal game. You hope your leadership group and everybody’s on board and knows what we’re doing.”

It looked like a familiar script would play out Saturday at Benchmark International Arena, with Vancouver taking an early two-goal lead.

But Nikita Kucherov scored twice in a 4-minute, 53-second span of the second period to bring the Lightning back, and Jake Guentzel put them ahead early in the third of a 4-2 win, their sixth in their past seven games.

With two points, Kucherov is three away from Steven Stamkos’ career franchise scoring record as Tampa Bay hits the road for a three-game trip out West starting Tuesday in Vegas, followed by back-to-back games in Colorado and Utah.

Guentzel’s winning goal came 2:04 into the third. He rifled a one-timer from just inside the blue line off a feed from Charle-Edouard D’Astous. The puck hit Vancouver forward Liam Ohgren’s stick and lifted over goaltender Kevin Lankinen.

Pontus Holmberg provided an insurance goal with 4:03 left, driving to the net after scooping up Zemgus Girgensons’ faceoff win.

Kucherov’s first goal was a much-needed boost to the Lightning’s beleaguered power play, which entered the night ranked last in the league at 7.4% (2 for 27). Kucherov scored on a play that he and Brandon Hagel repeat over and over during every pregame warmup, with Hagel feeding Kucherov across the slot for a one-timer.

Kucherov’s initial shot was stopped by Lankinen, but the rebound rolled back to him by the right dot and he wristed his put-back into the back of the net.