Los Angeles, United States—The Tampa Bay Lightning won their record-tying 62nd game to cap a dominating regular season that has put them in the conversation as one of the best regular season teams in NHL history.
The Lightning’s performance this season has established them as an offensive juggernaut and their individual accomplishments will net them a lion’s share of hardware at the NHL awards this summer.
But team captain Steven Stamkos said after a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday that they have their sights set on the ultimate playoff prize, the Stanley Cup.
“Yeah, we’ve said it all along, we’re just taking this thing in stride,” Stamkos said. “That’s a result of us playing the right way and winning games.
“It’s no easy feat in today’s NHL with the parity that we have that I think is the greatest in sports. To have a season like we did, but there’s no satisfaction in this group with the regular season.”
The Lightning tied the NHL record for wins in a season and locked up home ice advantage throughout the playoffs by beating the Bruins in the regular season finale.
Stamkos scored a shorthanded goal and Russian Nikita Kucherov notched an empty netter for the Lightning in front of a crowd of 17,600 at the Boston Garden arena.
The 62nd victory equaled the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, who were 62-13 with seven ties. The Lightning won six games in a shootout, which was introduced in 2005-06.
The Bruins won their 49th game and finished in second place behind the Lightning in the Atlantic Division.
Boston will have home ice advantage against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Tampa Bay forward Kucherov had a goal and an assist to reach 128 points and set the single-season NHL points record for a Russia-born player.
Kucherov, the NHL scoring leader, finished with 41 goals and 87 assists to pass former Buffalo Sabre Alexander Mogilny, who had 127 points in 1992-93. “‹