In Tampa Saturday night, the Lightning showed their strength and depth as Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat each struck twice in a 7-1 thumping of the Colorado Avalanche.
The win moved the Bolts to 23-7-1 with their sixth straight win.
Louis Domingue got the win for Tampa Saturday over Colorado -file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“I thought we set the tone right from the first shift,” Stamkos said. “[Nikita Kucherov] went out and got a big hit behind their net. The bench responded, and it was game on from there. Special teams kind of propelled us early, and we just never looked back. It was a fun to be a part of.”
Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli also scored for Tampa.
“We took a couple of early [penalties] and it gives them life,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. “We just have to be more disciplined. It’s a team thing for sure. We just weren’t ready to play and compete the way we normally are. It showed from the start.”
Louis Domingue made 29 saves.
“It’s disappointing,” Avalanche center Tyson Jost said. “We needed to be a lot better than we were tonight. Everyone knows that.”
Nathan MacKinnon scored the lone Avs goal.
“[Tampa Bay] is number one in the League right now I think. They proved why tonight,” Bednar said.
[WATCH:Â All Avalanche vs. Lightning highlights]
Semyon Varlamov was the starter for the Abs in net but was given the hook in the middle frame after yielding five goals on 23 shots.
Philipp Grubauer, who made 13 saves for the balance of the match..
“I think we made it real easy for them,” Grubauer said. “Best team in the League. Best home ice (13-4-0). We didn’t live up to the challenge tonight. I don’t think there’s any positive we could take out of this game.”
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