LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brayden Point scored two third-period goals and Nikita Kucherov had a four-point night to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday in a battle of teams fighting for playoff positioning.

With his 37th and 38th goals, Point has eight points against the Knights over the past three meetings. Kucherov had a goal and three assists to extend his point streak to 11 games and overtake Colorado’s Nathan McKinnon with an NHL-best 118 points.

Anthony Cirelli and Anthony Duclair scored the other goals for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves. Steven Stamkos had two assists, giving him a six-game point streak.

Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden and Ben Hutton each scored for Vegas. Marchessault’s goal was his team-best 38th, also a career high, that came in his 500th career game for the Knights. Keegan Kolesar had two assists, Shea Theodore expanded his point streak to five games with an assist and Adin Hill stopped 16 shots.

In the meeting between teams that have captured three of the previous four Stanley Cup championships, Tampa Bay took another step in solidifying a wild-card spot. The Lightning have won four in a row and five of six.

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Vegas, which had won three of four games, maintained its four-point lead over St. Louis for the final Western Conference wild card. The Blues also lost Tuesday, falling 4-3 to Colorado.

Both teams scored off rushes in the first period, Marchessault on a 3-on-1 for the Knights and Cirelli a short-hander on a 2-on-0 for the Lightning. Duclair put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1 on a goal from in front of the net midway through the period.

The Knights tied the game with 3:08 left in the second period when Kolesar sprung Howden free on a long pass. Howden buried the 2-on-1 from the left circle.

Behind the NHL’s top power play, the Lightning retook the lead 4:52 into the third period when Point scored from the right circle. The advantage didn’t last long. Vegas’ Hutton scored from the slot 3:24 later to once again even the score.

Point put Tampa Bay ahead for good at 12:14 and Kucherov scored an empty netter with 1:09 remaining. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the last goal for a high stick, but it was upheld.

UP NEXT

Lightning: At San Jose on Thursday.

Golden Knights: Host Seattle on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL