Tampa Bay Lightning at Vegas Golden Knights
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct 20, 2026. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 6 |
| Vegas Golden Knights score | 2 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nikita Kucherov | R | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18:19 | 0.26 | 1.90 |
| 2nd | Victor Hedman | D | 1 | 0 | 2 | 16:52 | 0.04 | 1.55 |
| 3rd | Anthony Cirelli | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10:30 | 0.53 | 1.45 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–Vegas Golden Knights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:11 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Nikita Kucherov | 4v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 13:16 | VGK | Ivan Barbashev | Mitch Marner | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 14:04 | TBL | John Carlson | — | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 1st 18:30 | VGK | Mark Stone | Braeden Bowman | 4v5 | 2–2 |
| 2nd 06:44 | TBL | Anthony Cirelli | Nikita Kucherov | 5v5 | 3–2 |
| 2nd 10:09 | TBL | Anthony Cirelli | — | 5v5 | 4–2 |
| 2nd 17:56 | TBL | Victor Hedman | — | 5v5 | 5–2 |
| 3rd 05:16 | TBL | Nikita Kucherov | — | 5v5 | 6–2 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Vegas Golden Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 6 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 21 | 34 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.72 | 4.12 |
| High-danger shots | 24 | 22 |
| Corsi % | 47.5% | 52.5% |
| Power play | 1/3 | 0/4 |
| Faceoff % | 56.9% | 43.1% |
| Hits | 13 | 24 |
| Blocks | 13 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 22 | 18 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 3 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 18:19 | 0.26 | 1.90 |
| Victor Hedman | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16:52 | 0.04 | 1.55 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10:30 | 0.53 | 1.45 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:30 | 0.02 | 1.35 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:21 | 0.15 | 1.01 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18:55 | 0.73 | 1.00 |
| John Carlson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17:46 | 0.25 | 0.97 |
| Ilya Mikheyev | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:37 | 0.10 | 0.96 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:42 | 0.10 | 0.75 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:40 | 0.03 | 0.66 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:05 | 0.01 | 0.57 |
| Jeffrey Viel | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:56 | 0.06 | 0.50 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:16 | 0.17 | 0.35 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:39 | 0.22 | 0.13 |
| Conor Geekie | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:33 | 0.06 | 0.12 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:27 | 0.00 | -0.09 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:52 | 0.00 | -0.28 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:03 | 0.00 | -0.29 |
Vegas Golden Knights Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Barbashev | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16:07 | 0.40 | 1.05 |
| Mark Stone | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 18:29 | 0.35 | 0.72 |
| Mitch Marner | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17:27 | 0.45 | 0.48 |
| Jeremy Lauzon | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:52 | 0.10 | 0.48 |
| Braeden Bowman | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12:05 | 0.51 | 0.27 |
| Nic Dowd | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:13 | 0.00 | 0.27 |
| Marc Gatcomb | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:46 | 0.16 | 0.10 |
| Brett Howden | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:50 | 0.25 | 0.06 |
| William Karlsson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:00 | 0.48 | 0.03 |
| Shea Theodore | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:36 | 0.20 | -0.05 |
| Jack Eichel | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:33 | 0.08 | -0.07 |
| Rasmus Andersson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:25 | 0.31 | -0.16 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:46 | 0.09 | -0.21 |
| Raphael Lavoie | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:57 | 0.03 | -0.40 |
| Tomas Hertl | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 17:13 | 0.53 | -0.55 |
| Trevor Connelly | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:17 | 0.13 | -0.74 |
| Noah Hanifin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:16 | 0.03 | -1.02 |
| Dylan Coghlan | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:43 | 0.01 | -1.41 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 32 | 34 | 94.1% | 2.12 | W |
| Carter Hart | Vegas Golden Knights | 15 | 21 | 71.4% | -3.28 | L |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 6–2 on Oct 20, 2026, a decisive 4-goal win.
Vegas Golden Knights generated 4.12 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 2.72 — Vegas Golden Knights owned the better of the chances but Tampa Bay Lightning took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Nikita Kucherov led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.9 on 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 of 34, worth 2.12 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Vegas Golden Knights game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6–2 on Oct 20, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Nikita Kucherov led all skaters at 1.9, on 1G, 2A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Vegas Golden Knights generated 4.12 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 2.72, so Vegas Golden Knights created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 21 shots on goal and Vegas Golden Knights put 34. High-danger chances went 24 to 22.