Vegas Golden Knights vs Tampa Bay Lightning - NHL Game 11 - 2026 | Kucherov Ties Stamkos as Lightning Snap Golden Knights' Streak

Game Summary: Vegas Golden Knights vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Vegas Answers Early

Tampa Bay opened the scoring at 4:11 of the first period when Brandon Hagel scored on the power play. Vegas responded at 13:16, as Barbashev finished a chance created by Mitch Marner to tie the game.

The Lightning quickly regained the lead through John Carlson, but Stone delivered a timely response. With just 1:30 remaining in the period, he scored short-handed to even the score at 2-2 and energize the home crowd.

Vegas had answered every early challenge, setting up a competitive second period. Unfortunately for the Golden Knights, Tampa Bay had other plans.

The Second Period Changes Everything

The Lightning came out firing after the intermission. At 6:44, Anthony Cirelli scored off a setup from Kucherov to put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2. Cirelli struck again just 3:25 later, extending the lead and putting Vegas under pressure.

The Golden Knights struggled to slow the visitors’ momentum, and Tampa Bay made them pay again when Victor Hedman scored at 17:56. Three goals in the period transformed a tied game into a 5-2 deficit for Vegas.

Despite outshooting Tampa Bay 34-21 overall, the Golden Knights couldn’t convert enough opportunities. The Lightning were more productive when their chances arrived, while goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy repeatedly denied Vegas.

Kucherov Makes History

Kucherov delivered the final blow at 5:16 of the third period, scoring to make it 6-2. His goal capped a three-point performance and brought him to 1,137 career points with Tampa Bay, matching Stamkos for the most in franchise history.

Vasilevskiy finished with 32 saves, while Vegas goalie Carter Hart made 15. The difference came down to execution. Tampa Bay capitalized on key opportunities, while Vegas couldn’t find the finishing touch needed to get back into the game.

Stone Keeps It Real

Stone acknowledged that Vegas had opportunities to regain momentum but failed to take advantage.

“There were chances in the game where we could have got the momentum back, for sure,” Stone said. “We had a couple good looks to start the second period, some 2-on-1s on the 4-on-4, decent chances on the power play, but you turn the puck over against those top guys and they make you pay.”

The captain’s assessment summed up the night. Vegas showed fight early, but costly mistakes and missed chances allowed a dangerous Tampa Bay team to snatch control.

Looking Ahead

The loss dropped Vegas to 8-3-0, while Tampa Bay improved to 7-2-0 and extended its winning streak to three games. Although the result ended the Golden Knights’ successful run, it also offered a clear lesson that generating shots matters, but finishing chances and protecting the puck matter just as much.

Vegas now turns its attention to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, beginning a two-game road trip. The Golden Knights have the talent to respond, but they’ll need better defensive play and more consistent execution to get back on track.

One loss doesn’t define a season. How Vegas responds will tell the bigger story.

Post-Game

Head coach Ryan Craig said Vegas never found the rhythm that had carried it through the previous stretch. “Some of the situations we probably put ourselves in didn’t help ourselves. I thought we were a little bit out of our rhythm, a little bit out of our execution that we maybe had been in for the last nine games. But give them credit, they did a lot of that probably to influence that as well.”

Stone walked through the short-handed goal that tied it 2-2 late in the first period. “I kind of took a look, and I didn’t have anybody coming back, so I tried to forecheck, and Howden made a great read as well” (Quotes via NHL.com and Yahoo Sports/The Hockey News.)

Catch up on the run this loss snapped with the Golden Knights cruising past the Penguins for a third straight win and Stone’s third-period hat trick against the Flames, and find all our coverage on the FSM Vegas Golden Knights hub.

TOP PERFORMERS

TEAM STATS

Goals: Barbashev, Stone (SH) | Attendance: 17,017 at T-Mobile Arena

Next up: The Golden Knights visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is 5 p.m. PT on Scripps Sports.

Franchise Sports Media. Las Vegas sports news about Las Vegas Sports teams.

– Jordan Vega – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Jordan on Instagram: @jordantvegas

Photography by David Cook (@axion_shotz) for Franchise Sports Media

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