Aho scores in shootout as Hurricanes edge Lightning

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Sebastian Aho scored in the sixth round of the shootout, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Thursday night.

Brady Skjei, Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas scored in regulation for Carolina, which has won three straight — all in overtime or shootout. Frederik Andersen stopped 23 shots.

“We’re sticking with it all the way through the end,” Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said.

Nikita Kucherov extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, and Nicholas Paul and Ross Colton also scored for the Lightning, who had won three straight. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 53 saves — one shy of his career high.

“That’s the product of playing poorly, and that’s what happened,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of the one-sided shot totals. “The better team won tonight.”

Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton and the Hurricanes’ Teuvo Teravainen both scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker.

Vasilevskiy made several strong stops during an OT power play for Carolina, including shots by Aho and Brent Burns.

“Vasilevskiy is quite the goaltender,” Skjei said. “He made some big saves. You’re on the bench sometimes and it’s like, how did that not go in. He’s just a stud.”

Skjei tied it 3-3 when he scored a short-handed goal with 6:26 left in the third.

“We, obviously, generated a lot of pucks to the net,” Skjei said. “Sooner or later they will go in.”

Kucherov has scored in five or more games for the sixth time in his career. The only active players with more are Alex Ovechkin (12), Tampa Bay teammate Steven Stamkos (11), Sidney Crosby (nine) and Auston Matthews (eight).

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman missed his second consecutive game due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Undisciplined penalties cost Carolina as Tampa Bay scored three times in the second period to take a 3-2 lead.

Jalen Chatfield was called for tripping and then picked up a high-sticking call after the whistle that led to Colton’s goal that tied it 1-1 at 5:50 during a four-minute power play.

After Paul scored at 9:19 to put the Lightning ahead, Necas made it 2-2 with a power-play goal with just under 6 minutes remaining.

Tampa Bay got a 5-on-3 power play late in the second when Chatfield received a cross-checking penalty and Jordan Martinook was sent off for slashing Colton after the play was over.

Kucherov's power-play goal then gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead from the top of the right circle with one minute to go in the period.

Jarvis opened the scoring from the left circle five seconds after a Carolina power play ended 8:29 into the game. He is the sixth player in Carolina team history to reach 20 goals before turning 21.

NOTES: Kucherov also has a nine-point streak. He has a point streak of at least nine games in five of the last six seasons. ... Burns, who had an assist, and Necas both have five-game point streaks. ... Stamkos had an an assist but failed to score a goal in his sixth straight game. The Lightning captain scored seven times during a season-opening five-game goal streak.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host Buffalo on Friday night.

Lightning: Play the third of a four-game homestand Saturday night against Buffalo.

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