Defenseman Ryan McDonagh helped ignite a fast and furious start for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the veteran defenseman’s 1,000th NHL game on Thursday, one that ended as a resounding 8-0 victory over Utah Hockey Club.

When it comes to getting into playoff position, the New York Islanders have done themselves no favors over their past three games and could be heading to Florida at the wrong time.

Point scored his 300th NHL goal and added an assist in an 8-0 win over Utah on Thursday.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay squanders an opportunity to move into first place in the Atlantic Division with a frustrating road loss.

The Dallas Stars host the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in overtime. Dallas is 43-21-3 overall and 25-7-1 in home games. The Stars rank fourth in the league with 227 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that defenseman Erik Cernak sustained an injury during Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and will not return to the game.