Pontus Holmberg's Career Night Lifts Lightning Past Jets 6-4

Pontus Holmberg posted a career-high four points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning stayed perfect on home ice with a 6-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Holmberg finished with a goal and three assists, sealing the result with an empty-net goal at 18:29 of the third period after Winnipeg had rallied from four goals down to within one.

The win moved Tampa Bay to 8-3-1 overall and 6-0-0 at home, matching the longest season-opening home winning streak in franchise history. The Lightning had also opened 6-0-0 at home in 2017-18 and 2020-21, according to NHL.com. Winnipeg fell to 4-6-3 and has lost seven straight games, going 0-5-2 over that stretch.

A four-goal second period decided it

Brayden Point opened the scoring at 2:20 of the first period, finishing a feed from Nikita Kucherov for a 1-0 lead. Neal Pionk answered for Winnipeg at 17:45, set up by Cole Perfetti, and the teams went to the first intermission tied 1-1.

The game turned in the second period. Conor Geekie put Tampa Bay back in front at 9:43, with Dominic James assisting. Anthony Cirelli made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 15:56. John Carlson pushed the lead to 4-1 at 18:07 on a play Holmberg set up, and Brandon Hagel made it 5-1 at 19:03, with Cirelli picking up the assist. That assist was the 200th of Cirelli's NHL career.

Three of those goals came in the final four minutes of the period, and the burst left Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel searching for answers afterward.

"It's pretty frustrating, a three-minute span late in the second period when we gave up the three goals," Arniel said, according to NHL.com. "We turned pucks over, we got beat on the rush. It's very frustrating."

Lightning coach Jon Cooper credited his top shutdown line for winning its matchup. "In the second period things rolled our way and guys made plays when they had to," Cooper said. "The Cirelli line had a big matchup and they came through."

Holmberg's breakout night

Holmberg entered the game with three goals and three assists through 11 games. He doubled most of that production in one night, skating on a line with Cirelli and Hagel, the two forwards who each finished with a goal and two assists.

Cooper was blunt in his praise. "Pontus had a hell of a game," he said. "He earned all his points tonight. I don't think that happens to him a ton, but he deserved it."

Hagel compared Holmberg's style to the two-way approach he and Cirelli have built their reputations on.

"He kind of plays exactly like us," Hagel said. "He's like a Swiss Army knife. You can almost compare him and Tony a little bit. I've always enjoyed his game."

Holmberg himself was more measured. "We were finishing today, but I think we can play a little better than this," he said.

That self-assessment fit the third period. After building the four-goal cushion, Tampa Bay was outscored 3-0 until the empty-netter, and the Jets turned a lopsided game into a tense finish.

Winnipeg's third-period push

Dylan Samberg scored at 7:00 of the third to make it 5-2, with Perfetti picking up his second assist. Pionk scored again at 8:50, set up by Dawson Mercer, to cut the deficit to 5-3. The two goals came in Pionk's 600th NHL game.

Winnipeg appeared to make it 5-4 at 15:38, but the goal did not count because Jets forward Adam Lowry had caused the net to be displaced. Kyle Connor did get the Jets within one at 17:12. With the Winnipeg goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Holmberg then hit the empty net at 18:29 to put it away.

Connor and Samberg each had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg, and Mark Scheifele had three assists. NHL.com noted that Scheifele and Connor factored on a goal together for the 303rd time.

Pionk did not hide from the result. "A lot of this is self-inflicted," he said. "They played well and they cashed in their chances, but a lot of those we can prevent." Connor looked for a positive in the comeback attempt, saying, "Maybe it's something we can build on."

In goal: Vasilevskiy steady, Skinner pulled

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves for Tampa Bay. At the other end, Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 21 shots and was replaced by Nico Daws to start the third period. Daws made nine saves in his Jets debut.

The game also came with a lineup quirk for the Lightning, who dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Here is how the scoring unfolded, period by period:

A night to honor Kucherov

Thursday's home game also marked a franchise milestone. Kucherov was honored with a video tribute after passing Steven Stamkos to become the Lightning's all-time points leader. He broke the record in a 5-4 overtime loss at the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 24 and now has 1,139 career points, with 405 goals and 734 assists, according to NHL.com.

Kucherov added another point on Thursday with the primary assist on Point's opening goal. He has long been productive against Winnipeg: entering the game, he led active Lightning players against the Jets with 30 points in 24 games, according to the team's pregame notes.

Series history and the home streak

Thursday's meeting was the first of two between the clubs this season. Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 54-42-13, including 33-16-6 at home, according to the Lightning. The teams split last season's two games, with Tampa Bay winning 4-1 at home on Jan. 29 and Winnipeg winning 4-1 in Winnipeg on March 5.

The home record has been the foundation of the Lightning's start. Six straight wins in Tampa account for most of the club's 17 points, and Thursday's game came after five days off following the overtime loss in Utah.

For Winnipeg, the losing streak has become the dominant storyline. Seven straight losses, five in regulation, have dropped the Jets well off the pace, and Thursday's game slipped away on turnovers and rush chances against, as Arniel noted. Pionk summed up the mood in the visiting dressing room: "We made a lot of mistakes and we're all guilty of it."

What's next

The Lightning go back on the road Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, with puck drop listed for 1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern. Tampa Bay then returns home to host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Nov. 5, with a chance to set a new franchise mark for consecutive home wins to open a season.

The Lightning and Jets meet again on Nov. 8 in Winnipeg.