Kucherov's Hat Trick Sinks Kraken in Tuesday Night Blowout at Climate Pledge Arena
Nikita Kucherov picked the wrong night to visit the Emerald City. The Lightning's six-time All-Star went absolutely nuclear on Tuesday night, lighting the lamp three times and dropping two more assists as Tampa Bay steamrolled the Kraken 6-2 at Climate Pledge Arena. It was Kucherov's sixth career hat trick, and honestly, the Kraken never had a chance once he got rolling.
Kucherov Takes Over Early
The floodgates opened fast. Kucherov scored with 1:11 left in the first period to get the Lightning on the board, then made it 3-0 before a minute had even ticked off the second. For a team that had just won back-to-back games last weekend, this was a brutal way to come back to reality. The Kraken looked completely overwhelmed early, and Kucherov wasn't finished. His third goal of the night came with 2:44 left in the third, tucked into an empty net. It was his seventh multigoal game of the season and his second one this month. The guy is tied for 10th in the NHL in goals, and he's just adding to the pile.
McCann and McMann Make It Interesting
The Kraken got some goals back. Bobby McMann, who came over from Toronto at the deadline, scored his fourth goal in three games with the team. He hadn't played yet because of a visa issue that finally got sorted on Friday, and he's been making an impact. Jared McCann also found the back of the net, showing some slick hands and beating Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy over his left shoulder to cut the deficit to 3-2 during the second period. Both came within 90 seconds of each other, which suddenly made it a game. For a moment, anyway.
Lightning Seal the Deal in the Third
Any comeback hopes died fast in the third. Anthony Cirelli wrapped one around the net early in the period to make it 4-2, and Brandon Hagel scored on the power play at 16:54 to put this one completely out of reach. Hagel finished with a goal and three assists on the night. Vasilevskiy made 16 saves for the Lightning, who stayed four points behind first-place Buffalo in the Atlantic Division. Philipp Grubauer stopped 19 shots for Seattle, who sits tied with LA at 71 points for the final playoff spot in the West. The Kraken's only playoff appearance came way back in 2023, and nights like this make you wonder how far away that feels.
The Kraken are heading to Nashville on Thursday night for another crucial matchup in what's shaping up to be a tight playoff race.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.