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Cirelli gets 2nd career hat trick and Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic after beating Penguins 6-3

Cirelli gets 2nd career hat trick and Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic after beating Penguins 6-3 | iNFOnews.ca
Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (71) scores against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cirelli registered his second career hat trick, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning moved into first place in the Atlantic Division after a 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Zemgus Girgensons scored his 100th career goal and Brayden Point scored his second in 14 games for Tampa Bay, which improved to 7-1-2 in the past 10 games. Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves both had two assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves.

Egor Chinakov scored twice and Rickard Rackell also scored for Pittsburgh. Sam Girard and Kris Letang both had two assists and Stuart Skinner finished with 27 saves.

The Penguins remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the New York Islanders.

Cirelli scored Tampa Bay’s first two goals and he added an empty-netter for his first hat trick since Jan. 17, 2020.

Cirelli and Rakell traded goals 1:55 apart in the opening seven minutes of the game before Chinakov gave the Penguins their first lead of the game with a backhander from the right circle at 16:10.

Cirelli notched his second of the game 11 seconds into the second, deflecting a puck away from Bryan Rust and racing up ice for a breakaway, lifting a backhand shot over Skinner for a shorthanded marker.

Point put the Lightning back in front at 14:08 on a rebound. Girgensons took a pass from Gourde behind the net, pulled the puck to his forehand as he reached the crease and tucked a backhander into the open part of the net with 54.7 seconds left in the second.

Kucherov made it 5-2 at 13:50 of the third.

Up next

Pittsburgh: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday

Tampa Bay: Host the Boston Bruins on Saturday

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

Cirelli gets 2nd career hat trick and Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic after beating Penguins 6-3 | iNFOnews.ca
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Samuel Girard (49) and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Cirelli gets 2nd career hat trick and Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic after beating Penguins 6-3 | iNFOnews.ca
Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) and center Brayden Point (21) celebrate Point’s goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

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The Associated Press

Erik Erlendsson

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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