Lightning dismantle Knights 6-2 as Cirelli scores twice

The Tampa Bay Lightning secured a decisive 6-2 victory over the host Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena. The visitors dominated the scoring with a balanced attack, while Anthony Cirelli emerged as the standout performer with two goals. Nikita Kucherov contributed three points, including two assists, to help drive Tampa Bay’s offense.

The final score reflected a comprehensive win for the Lightning, who improved their standing against the Knights in this regular-season matchup.

The game opened with a competitive first period that ended in a 2-2 tie. Brandon Hagel gave Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead with a tip-in, assisted by Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Kucherov. Vegas responded quickly through Ivan Barbashev, who scored on an assist from Mitch Marner to equalize.

John Carlson restored the Lightning lead with an unassisted wrist shot, but Mark Stone tied the game again with a snap shot assisted by Braeden Bowman. The period score was 2-2, setting the stage for the second period.

Tampa Bay surged ahead in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead. Anthony Cirelli broke the deadlock with a wrist shot, assisted by Kucherov. Cirelli added his second goal of the game with an unassisted snap shot, extending the Lightning’s advantage.

Victor Hedman then capitalized on a chance to score with an unassisted wrist shot, capping a strong offensive effort from the visitors. Vegas was held scoreless for the remainder of the period, leaving them trailing by three goals heading into the third.

The Lightning maintained their composure in the final period, adding one more goal to seal the victory. Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winning goal with a snap shot, unassisted, to make it 6-2. The scoring plays confirmed the Lightning's dominance, with all six goals credited to Tampa Bay players.

Mark Stone and Braeden Bowman were the only Vegas players to record points, with Stone earning a goal and Bowman an assist. After the game, the Golden Knights remain at 8-3-0 with 16 points, while the Lightning sit at 7-2-0 with 14 points. The attendance at T-Mobile Arena was 17,017.

Sources

ESPN