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

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

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cirelli scored 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 over 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 over the last 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 added an empty-netter for his first hat trick since January 17, 2020.

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

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

Point gave the Lightning the lead again at 14:08 on a rebound. Girgensons received a pass from Gourde behind the net, fired the puck to his forehand as he reached the crease and put a backhand 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.