Stralman, Lightning overcome Landeskog’s hat trick for Avs

DENVER (AP) – Anton Stralman scored twice to help Tampa Bay overcame a hat trick by Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog and the Lightning beat the Avalanche 6-5 Saturday night for their seventh straight win.

Mikhal Sergachev, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Yanni Gourde also scored for the Lightning, who have two wins against the Avalanche during the streak.

Trailing 5-2, the Avalanche pulled within two on Landeskog’s third goal of the night, a power-play score at 6:27 of the third in which he used his stick to change the direction of Tyson Barrie’s slap shot past goalie Peter Budaj and into the net. Landeskog’s third goal snapped Colorado’s 0-for-20 streak on the power play, a drought that had spanned six games.

Colorado pulled to 5-4 when Nathan MacKinnon scored on a wrist shot at 9:22 of the third but Tampa Bay answered with a goal by Sergachev at 11:32, putting his stick on the puck amid heavy traffic in front of the goal and knocking it through Landeskog’s legs and into the net.

MacKinnon scored again to pull the Avalanche within one again with 5:46 remaining. Colorado pulled the goalie for an extra skater for the last 90 seconds but couldn’t tie it.

The teams battled through a scoreless first period before Tampa Bay scored four in the second period, including the first two 19 seconds apart.

Kucherov started the flurry at 9:11, gathering in a lead pass from Hedman and skating between the circles before lifting a shot over goalie Jonathan Bernier’s stick-side and into the net.

At 9:30, Stralman corraled a loose puck in front of the net by going airborne over the fallen Bernier and tapping the puck into an empty net.

The Lightning made it 3-0 at 11:22 of the second on a goal by Hedman, who hit a backhander past Bernier, and added another by Gourde at 13:21 to cap the outburst that covered a span of 4:10.

The Avalanche got on the board with 5:44 left in the middle period when Landeskog finished off a breakaway with his 11th of the season, beating Budaj with a wrist shot over his glove side.

The Avs missed a chance to score later in the second when Hedman used his hand to swat away a loose puck in the crease after it trickled away from Budaj, who had saved a shot from Nathan MacKinnon.

Tampa Bay went up 5-1 on Stralman’s second goal of the night at 2:29 of the third. Landeskog got his second of the night when he deflected in a shot from the slot by Barrie at 4:58.

NOTES: Lightning F Ryan Callahan is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury suffered Thursday at Phoenix. … Avalanche C Alexander Kerfoot remains sidelined by a foot injury. He has missed three straight games. … Landeskog is one point shy of 300 for his career. … Colorado D Erik Johnson drew a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Vladislav Namestnikov at 15:57 of the second. … Landeskog had his first career hat trick on Nov. 16 against Washington. … The Lightning’s 12-1-0 record against Western COnference teams is the best by an East team against the West.

UP NEXT

Tampa Bay: At Vegas on Tuesday night to wrap up a four-game trip.

Colorado: Host Pittsburgh on Monday night to close a three-game homestand.

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, left, of Russia, celebrates his goal with defenseman Victor Hedman, right, and center Steven Stamkos, front, against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, front, of Russia, celebrates with Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, back, after scoring a goal as Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog, left, of Sweden, looks on in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Denver. The Lightning won 6-5. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche right wing Nail Yakupov, front, of Russia, picks up the puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, left, hits Tampa Bay Lightning center Cory Conacher on the face as he drives to the net in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson, back, drives to the net as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard drops back to defend in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)