Lightning, Canucks meet boasting high-powered offenses

Both the Tampa Bay Lightning and host Vancouver Canucks are coming off exciting victories as they meet in a clash of high-scoring clubs on Tuesday night.

The Canucks are the league’s most prolific offensive squad but will have their hands full against a Lightning team that has elevated its game since starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy returned to form following back surgery.

Tampa Bay has won three of its past four games, with the latest Saturday’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Seattle Kraken. The Lightning saw a two-goal lead become a 3-2 deficit before tying it 7:09 into the third period and winning on Nikita Kucherov’s goal.

“When adversity hits us, what do we do? Do we rise to the occasion or do we fold?” Tampa Bay forward Nick Paul said. “That’s huge for our team when adversity hits to come up big like that.”

Kucherov, who scored twice and added an assist in Seattle, has especially been a force. The league leader in goals (19) and points (47) heading into Monday’s action has recorded 13 goals and 36 points in his past 18 games.

“Even the year he was the MVP, he’s been better this year,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “His attentiveness at both ends of the ice. I don’t know, he’s just a hell of a player.”

Vasilevskiy has surrendered four goals in his past three games after allowing 14 in his first four outings upon returning from surgery.

The Lightning also have more good news with captain Steven Stamkos expected to return after missing the Seattle game due to illness.

The Canucks also won a back-and-forth 4-3 game on Saturday. They saw a 3-1 lead slip away against the Hurricanes, as Carolina tied things early in the third period. However, Elias Pettersson provided the game-winner shortly after.

Vancouver also believes overcoming adversity was important.

“We’re trying to build for something long-term obviously and every game is different,” Pettersson said. “It was a very tough game, almost like a playoff game, and we’re happy with it.”

The Canucks had a dynamite 12-3-1 start before a middling three-week stretch in which they won only four of 10 games. Saturday’s victory gave them consecutive wins for the first time since Nov. 12-15.

While Brock Boeser (18 goals, 32 points) is Vancouver’s hottest player, having collected five goals and five assists during a seven-game point streak, Vancouver has been explosive all season thanks to J.T. Miller — who was second in the league’s points race (15 goals, 40 points) entering Monday — and Quinn Hughes (27 assists, 36 points).

Pettersson (11 goals, 37 points) had his struggles, especially during a nine-game stretch in which he scored only one goal, but the addition of Sam Lafferty to his line, which also includes Ilya Mikheyev, has reignited his output.

“We’re starting to get a little more familiar with each other,” said Lafferty, who was moved onto the line in place of Andrei Kuzmenko. “We can anticipate where the puck’s going to be so we can be a bit faster.”