Cernak had a secondary assist on Nikita Kucherov's first empty-netter. Offense has never been much of a component of Cernak's play -- he's a physical shutdown defenseman who can handle top-four ...

RALEIGH, N.C. — Nikita Kucherov had a third-period hat trick to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in the season opener for both teams. Kucherov had the go-ahead score ...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had a third-period hat trick to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in Friday night's season opener for both teams. Kucherov beat ...

A strong third period that included three goals — the go-ahead one-timer and two empty-netters — from Nikita Kucherov pushed the Lightning to victory. “I think everybody’s so locked in ...