PITTSBURGH — The Tampa Bay Lightning triumphed over the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 victory on Sunday, propelled by Nikita Kucherov's stellar performance, which included two goals and an assist. Alongside Kucherov, Brandon Hagel contributed a goal, while Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul sealed the game with empty-net goals.

This marked Tampa Bay's first instance of recording points in both halves of back-to-back games this season, following a loss to New Jersey in overtime the previous day. Jake Guentzel, a former Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh, registered two assists, reaching a notable milestone as only the second player in Lightning history to achieve at least 20 goals and 40 points in his first 40 games.

For the Penguins, Rickard Rakell netted his 22nd goal of the season, and Kevin Hayes scored his third in just five games. Sidney Crosby achieved his 1,040th career assist, tying Marcel Dionne for 11th on the NHL’s all-time list. The Penguins played without star Evgeni Malkin, who was placed on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury.