The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Sunday, extending their point streak to 13 games. Jake Guentzel and Dominic James each recorded a goal and an assist in the victory at American Airlines Center. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves to secure his 20th win of the season.
The Lightning improved to 30-13-4 with the win, completing a five-game road trip with a 4-0-1 record. Dallas struck first at 4:00 of the first period when Oskar Bäck tapped in a loose puck after a point shot trickled behind Vasilevskiy, assisted by Justin Hryckowian and Mavrick Bourque.
Tampa Bay responded quickly, tying the game at 8:04 on a rush by Dominic James. He completed a give-and-go with Jake Guentzel before scoring from below the left circle, with assists from Guentzel and Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Lightning coach Jon Cooper called it "a huge goal by James," noting the momentum shift on the road after Dallas scored first.
In the second period, Brandon Hagel gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead at 11:04, tucking home a pass from Nikita Kucherov near the right post, with Darren Raddysh assisting. Guentzel extended the advantage to 3-1 at 18:50, converting a rebound of James's shot on a two-on-one, assisted by James and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Lightning clamped down defensively in the third, limiting Dallas to two shots on goal. Pontus Holmberg sealed the 4-1 victory with an empty-net goal at 17:59, assisted by Yanni Gourde—his eighth of the season, a career high.
Vasilevskiy's performance marked his 10th straight season with at least 20 wins, joining an elite group including Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur. For Dallas (27-13-9), the loss dropped them to 1-3-1 in their last five games. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Tampa Bay "won more battles" and "stayed with their game longer."
James highlighted the team's depth: "We had four lines going, so that’s usually the recipe for success." The Lightning return home to face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
