Kucherov's double propels Tampa to NHL victory over Vegas

The Tampa Bay Lightning edged past the Vegas Golden Knights in a closely contested NHL regular-season match. The game, held at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, concluded with a 4-3 victory for the hosts.

For the Lightning, Janis Moser opened the scoring at the 11th minute, with Brandon Hagel adding another at the 58th minute. Russian forward Nikita Kucherov was pivotal, scoring twice at the 20th and 60th minutes. In response, the visitors saw goals from Brayden McNabb (6th minute) and Russians Pavel Dorofeyev (16th, power play) and Ivan Barbashev (22nd).

Tampa's goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, was formidable between the posts, saving 22 of 25 shots.

This marks the third consecutive win for Tampa under the guidance of coach Jon Cooper, following victories against the Vancouver Canucks (4-1) and the Carolina Hurricanes (4-1).

Tampa Bay currently holds fourth place in the NHL Eastern Conference standings with six points, while Vegas, also with six points, is positioned sixth in the Western Conference.

Next up for the Lightning is an away game against the Ottawa Senators on October 19. The Golden Knights are set to face the Florida Panthers on the road on October 20.