SEATTLE — Facing the league’s hottest team Monday afternoon, the Lightning continued to shore up their defensive game.
The second-year Kraken returned home after winning all seven games of their road trip — an NHL record — and eight straight overall. In the new year, they’ve been the NHL’s best team, scoring a league-best 41 goals and averaging 5.13 per game, also tops in the league.
But if the Lightning want anything from their five-game trip out west, it’s to return to Tampa as a better team in their own end.
Though the Seattle squad they faced Monday at Climate Pledge Arena was better than the one they overwhelmed a month ago in a four-goal win at Amalie Arena, the Lightning gave one of their finest defensive performances of the season in a 4-1 win, snapping the Kraken’s streak.
The Lightning (28-13-1, 57 points) have won four straight and opened their trip with wins in St. Louis and Seattle before heading through western Canada for games in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 of 23 shots, earning his fourth straight win and seventh in his last eight starts. Tampa Bay’s bottom two lines provided the offense, with goals from centers Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Nick Paul before two late empty-net goals.
The Lightning penalty kill, which entered the day boasting an 87.5% success rate over its past 19 games, again played well, holding Seattle scoreless on three power-play chances.
The Lightning struck with 2:17 left in the first period with a goal from their fourth line as Bellemare redirected Ian Cole’s puck on net from just inside the blue line.
Tampa Bay dominated play early, outshooting Seattle 15-6 in the first period. Four of those shots were by Steven Stamkos, who was set up often early while attempting to get his 500th career goal.
After defenseman Zach Bogosian went to the box for a tripping penalty with 6:47 left in the second, Vasilevskiy made a remarkable left pad save to stop Matty Beniers and, moments later, Cole blocked Andre Burakovsky’s open shot from the right circle.
After the Lightning killed of their third penalty, Paul recovered a turnover behind the net and scored at 6:44 of the third period, tying his career-high with his 16th goal of the season.
Vince Dunn, who turned the puck over to allow Paul’s goal, ended the Lightning’s shutout bid with 9:16 left, shooting a puck inside the blue line that hit Cole’s skate and went in the net.
Brandon Hagel’s empty-net goal made it a two-goal game again with 1:39 remaining, and Victor Hedman scored another empty-netter in the final minute.
