Avalanche Beat Lightning 6-3 as Nikita Kucherov Stays Tied With Steven Stamkos for Franchise Points Record

Nikita Kucherov's wait for sole possession of the Tampa Bay Lightning's career points record will stretch at least one more night. Kucherov was held off the scoresheet Friday at Ball Arena in Denver as Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists in the Colorado Avalanche's 6-3 win, snapping Tampa Bay's three-game winning streak.

Kucherov entered the game with 1,137 career points, tied with former captain Steven Stamkos for the most in franchise history, and he left it with the same total. He tied the record Tuesday in Las Vegas with a goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. His next chance to pass Stamkos comes Saturday night, when the Lightning finish a back-to-back against the Utah Mammoth.

Jake Guentzel scored twice for Tampa Bay, and defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous had a goal and an assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves on 23 shots. The Lightning fell to 7-3-0, while the Avalanche improved to 6-4-1 and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Colorado's fast start

The Avalanche scored twice in the first 5:52 and never let Tampa Bay back to even. Devon Toews opened the scoring 1:08 into the game, finishing a crossing pass from Martin Necas into an open net after MacKinnon fed Necas in the slot, according to the NHL.com recap. Nazem Kadri then made it 2-0 on the power play, one-timing a pass from T.J. Hughes for his first goal of the season after Brandon Hagel was called for tripping.

Fedor Svechkov pushed the lead to 3-0 just 24 seconds into the second period, batting his own blocked pass out of the air and in after Vasilevskiy deflected it, NHL.com reported.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper pointed to the start. "When we've had some prolonged time off, for whatever reason, it's hurt our team. We were off," Cooper said, according to NHL.com. The Lightning had not played since Tuesday. "You go down 2-0 five minutes into the game, now you're chasing it," he added.

Guentzel keeps Tampa Bay within reach

Guentzel twice cut into the deficit in the second period. His power-play goal at 8:13 made it 3-1 after Brock Nelson blocked a D'Astous point shot and the puck bounced to Guentzel at the left post. Artturi Lehkonen answered at 13:57, his shot from the left circle going in off Erik Cernak's leg, to restore Colorado's three-goal lead.

Guentzel struck again with 43 seconds left in the period, finishing a backhand pass from Brayden Point at the right post to make it 4-2. Colorado challenged for a missed stoppage, but the goal stood on review, and the failed challenge sent the Lightning to another power play. They did not score on it.

MacKinnon ended the comeback threat 4:18 into the third period, beating Vasilevskiy's blocker short side after Lehkonen sprung him through the neutral zone. D'Astous made it 5-3 with a snap shot from the high slot at 15:13, but Necas scored into an empty net at 17:19.

The scoring summary:

Shots, blocks and a quiet power play

Tampa Bay outshot Colorado 34-24, won 59.4 percent of the faceoffs and outhit the Avalanche 30-16, but much of its volume never reached the net. Colorado blocked 20 shots, five of them by defenseman Brett Kulak, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves.

"Ultimately, we had like almost 80 shot attempts, and 45 of them were either blocked or we missed the net. That's an issue," Cooper said, according to NHL.com.

The Lightning also went 1 for 6 on the power play, even as Colorado spent long stretches of the second period short-handed. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said a run of penalties left him using only half his bench. Bednar called it "probably our most complete effort of the year," according to NHL.com.

Point, who had both assists on Guentzel's goals, said Tampa Bay's support and passing fell short. "We turned a lot of pucks over, and a team like that, they'll capitalize," he said, according to NHL.com. The Lightning were charged with 18 giveaways.

Kucherov's quiet night

Kucherov played 20:43, including 7:49 on the power play, and finished with two shots on goal and a minus-1 rating. He remains one point away from passing Stamkos. According to NHL.com, Kucherov has his 1,137 points (405 goals, 732 assists) in 888 games with Tampa Bay, while Stamkos, now with the Nashville Predators, reached the same total (555 goals, 582 assists) in 1,082 games with the Lightning.

The record chase follows a strong start for Tampa Bay. Before Friday, the Lightning had won three straight and seven of their previous eight games, according to NHL.com, and they remain second in the Atlantic Division with 14 points, three behind the Boston Bruins. The Florida Panthers are 5-4-2 with 12 points.

Victor Hedman played only 5:56 on eight shifts, and ESPN listed the veteran defenseman as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue after the game.

A coaching milestone matchup

The game paired the NHL's two longest-tenured coaches, according to The Associated Press. Cooper took over the Lightning in March 2013 and has won two Stanley Cups. Bednar was hired by Colorado in August 2016 and won the Cup in 2022, beating Tampa Bay in the Final.

What's next

The Lightning play the second half of a back-to-back Saturday night against a Utah team that sits atop the Central Division standings, then return home for the first time since Oct. 17:

A point in Salt Lake City would make Kucherov the Lightning's career scoring leader on his own. If the record is still shared by Oct. 31, he could claim it in Nashville with Stamkos in the opposing lineup. Colorado visits Nashville on Sunday.