Steven Stamkos, Lightning overwhelm Canadiens

Steven Stamkos scored two goals and had an assist and Nikita Kucherov added a goal and two assists to lead the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to a 7-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

It was the 21st three-point game of the season and second in two nights for Kucherov, who leads the NHL with 133 points.

Nicholas Paul also scored twice, Michael Eyssimont had a goal and an assist and Brandon Hagel added another goal for Tampa Bay (43-26-7, 93 points), which moved to within two points of third-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division. Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point each had two assists for the Lightning, who improved to 10-1-1 over their last 12 games.

Matt Tomkins, an emergency recall from AHL Syracuse with backup Jonas Johansson sidelined with a lower-body injury, made 26 saves for his second career NHL win.

Joel Armia scored twice, Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist and Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal (29-34-12, 70 points). Alex Newhook and Brendan Gallagher each added two assists and Cayden Primeau finished with 28 saves for the Canadiens.

Montreal jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 2:37 mark of the first period when Armia knocked in a mid-air rebound of a Gallagher shot into the right corner of the net.

Tampa Bay bounced back to take a 2-1 lead later in the period on a power-play goal by Paul, who put in a rebound of a Point shot, and a score from Eyssimont, who made a power rush down the right wing and then cut in front on the net and drove a shot past Primeau.

Armia tied it, 2-2, early in the second period when he snapped a low wrist shot from the right circle past Tomkins blocker side for his 16th goal, tying his career-high.

But the Lightning then answered with four goals in a span of 9:47 to go up 6-2.

Stamkos started the spurt at the 7:58 mark when he roofed a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle. Paul made it 4-2 just 74 seconds later when he picked up a loose puck at the top of the right circle and then whipped a wrist shot into the top right corner for his 22nd goal.

Hagel extended the lead to 5-2 with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that caromed in off Primeau's blocker for his 24th goal. Kucherov followed with his 43rd goal on the power play when he ripped a one-timer from the right circle inside the far post.

Montreal cut the lead to 6-4 midway through the third period on goals by Slafkovsky, who redirected an Arber Xhekaj point shot, and Caufield.

The Canadiens pulled Primeau for an extra attacker with 2:35 to go and Stamkos sealed the win with an empty-netter off a Kucherov assist with 53.6 seconds left.