TORONTO

Bishop makes 25 saves and Lightning double up Maple Leafs 4-2

Bob Bellone The Associated Press
Published Thursday, March 5, 2015 10:55PM EST

New Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Eric Brewer (2) waits for a face-off during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday, March 5, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Text:

TAMPA, Fla. -- Ben Bishop made 25 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning earned a 4-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

Nikita Kucherov, Ryan Callahan, Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Killorn scored for Tampa Bay. Steven Stamkos added two assists.

David Booth and Richard Panik scored for the Leafs.

Kucherov opened the scoring at 4:25 of the first, snapping a wrist shot past Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier into the upper-left corner of the net.

Callahan added a first-period goal on a deflection off the stick of defenceman Eric Brewer for his 21st of the season.

Booth made it 2-1 early in the second period, redirecting a backhand pass from Peter Holland. The goal spoiled Tampa Bay's bid for a third consecutive shutout on home ice. Panik closed out the scoring with 2:18 left in the game.

Leading 2-1 after two periods, Namestnikov and Killorn scored in the third against Bernier, who finished with 27 saves.

Bishop played for the first time since a lower-body injury after getting hit by a puck during Tuesday's morning skate. Rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy notched his first NHL shutout that night, a 3-0 home victory against Buffalo.

Tampa Bay has won 14 of its past 16 home games to match a single-season record for home victories with 25.

Toronto has won only once on the road since New Year's Eve. The Leafs broke through Tuesday with a 3-2 triumph against the Florida Panthers, whose top two goaltenders were injured in the game.

NOTES: The Lightning have won five of their past six home games against the Maple Leafs. .... Recently acquired Toronto players Tim Erixon and Joakim Lindstrom are from the same small city in Sweden. Erixon and Brandon Kozun were scratched. ... Tampa Bay is 29-0-2 in games it led after two periods.