Hagel ties NHL record with 4 assists in 1st period, Lightning beat Avalanche 8-2

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Hagel tied an NHL record with four assists in the opening period and finished with five as the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the Colorado Avalanche 8-2 on Monday.

Jake Guentzel scored twice while Mikey Eyssimont, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Nick Perbix, Anthony Cirelli and Luke Glendening also scored for Tampa Bay. Hagel tied a franchise record with five assists.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots.

Ivan Ivan scored both goals for Colorado, which had a three-game winning streak come to an end. Justus Annunen, who was pulled in the first period but returned for the third, allowed five goals on 16 shots. Alexandar Georgiev allowed three goals on 17 shots.

Avalanche: Colorado ended a four-game road trip with a record of 3-1. The Avalanche had won six of the previous seven games. … Ivan registered his first career multi-goal game.

Lightning: Cirelli scored for the sixth consecutive game to become the sixth player in franchise history to record a goal in at least six consecutive games, joining Steven Stamkos, Kucherov, Brian Bradley, Point and Vinny Lecavalier. … Zemgus Girgensons recorded his 100th career assist.

After the Lightning jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Guentzel's power-play goal 7:46 into the first, the Avalanche cut the deficit in half 70 seconds later. But Kucherov scored 1:07 later to regain the two-goal lead and chase Annunen, who allowed three goals on six shots in 10:03.

Tampa Bay’s five goals in the first period marked the fourth time in franchise history the Lightning have scored five goals in the opening period, done most recently on Feb. 23, 2011, against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Avalanche host Vegas on Wednesday and the Lightning welcome Washington on Wednesday to end a three-game homestand.

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