Lightning mark Andrei Vasilevskiy's return with rout of Hurricanes

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves in his return and the Tampa Bay Lightning received a hat trick from Brayden Point in an 8-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night in Raleigh, N.C.

Nikita Kucherov scored two goals to go with four assists and Point had two assists for Tampa Bay, which has a five-game point streak.

Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel and Luke Glendening also scored. Hagel had two assists.

The Lightning had three power-play goals in the first six minutes of the second period on the way to exceeding six goals in a game for the first time this season.

Stefan Noesen and Michael Bunting had Carolina's goals, but the Hurricanes lost for just the second time in eight home games this season. Antti Raanta made only six saves on 14 just two nights after leaving after one period because of a health concern.

Vasilevskiy hadn't played an NHL game since April because of offseason back surgery. He got the call as Tampa Bay began a stretch of three straight road games. He's a two-time Stanley Cup winner and 2021 playoff MVP, with the Lightning announcing earlier in the day that he would be in the nets in Raleigh.

The Lightning put only one shot on Raanta in the first period. The tone changed quickly in the second.

Point's night gave him 11 goals for the season. He had two of Tampa Bay's three goals in the final 10 minutes of the game, with Kucherov scoring the other.

Kucherov has a team-high 15 goals.

Stamkos scored his ninth goal of the season off a pass from Point. Stamkos has a goal in four straight games, and he added an assist late.

Kucherov scored next at 5:40 of the second on a slap shot. Fourteen seconds later, Point had his first goal of the night.

Noesen's goal was his third in five games and his fifth of the season. He benefited from Jack Drury's pass from behind the net.

—Field Level Media