Two key plays by the Tampa Bay Lightning rookies, combined with a tough and tight defensive performance, allowed Tampa Bay to extend its winning streak to a season-high four games Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues .

Lightning fans at AMALIE Arena were treated to another fast start Thursday with help from rookie Conor Geekie.

Teammate Brandon Hagel gained the offensive zone before releasing a pass to the 20-year-old forward on the left side of the blue line, and Geekie sent a pass to Anthony Cirelli flying in the slot. Cirelli played on his backhand before burying his 13th goal of the year for a 1-0 lead five minutes and 14 seconds into the game.

Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead on a second-period goal from defenseman Nick Perbix, and rookie Gage Goncalves’ first NHL goal provided the insurance needed to give the Lightning a 3-1 victory .

The Lightning have held opponents to two goals or less in five of seven games this month while posting a 6-1-0 record in December.

“Guys are sacrificing their bodies, being in the right spots, trying to protect the middle, Vasy has been there to make the saves when we needed them,” Cirelli said. “It feels good to string together a few wins here.”

After Thursday’s 3-1 win over St. Louis, the Tampa Bay Lightning are officially off to their most potent offensive start in franchise history: In 30 games, the Lightning have scored 120 goals, the most in history. during the first 30 games of any season of the season. 32 years of team history.

However, it was Tampa Bay’s defense that stole the show on Thursday as Tampa Bay held the Blues to just one goal and improved to 18-10-2 on the season. The Lightning protected their own net while preventing St. Louis from reaching dangerous areas on offense.

“I thought they really had the puck,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of the Blues. “They were big, they were heavy. We stayed inside. The most important thing for us is that we took the lead, and sometimes that can It’s going to be a tough league to come back from. We have in some ways Kind defended our way to a victory.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves to earn his 15th victory of the season.

Cirelli’s goal came just over five minutes into the match. Perbix made it 2-0 for the home team at 3:42 of the second period when he went on a rush after Brayden Point gained the offensive blue line. Nikita Kucherov passed to Perbix in the high slot, and the latter beat Binnington with a shot from the blocker side.

St. Louis’ Pavel Buchnevich cut Tampa Bay’s lead in half with 7:45 left in the middle period, sneaking out the back door and burying a shot at the right post. A minute and 18 seconds later, Tampa Bay received a response from another young player.

Goncalves accepted a pass from Nikita Kucherov at the top of the left faceoff circle, reaching the faceoff dot before firing a shot into the upper right corner of the net for his first career goal in his 20th NHL game .

The rookie didn’t know he’d scored until moments after the puck hit the back of the net.

“As soon as I shot it, I kind of took off to the side,” a smiling Goncalves said of the postgame play. “So I had no idea it had gone in until I met (Ryan) McDonagh’s eyes, and he was like, ‘It’s gone! It’s gone!’ So yeah, it took me a little by surprise.

Kucherov finished Thursday with two assists to lead all Lightning players and now has points in his last nine games played. Kucherov’s 49 points (14-35-49) in 28 games lead the Lightning this season and place them third in the NHL scoring race after Thursday’s games.

Goncalves said Kucherov’s assist added a nice bonus to his first career goal.

“Growing up watching him and seeing what he does in the league every year, with how skilled he is and how much pride he takes in his craft, yeah, it’s definitely, I’m happy to have from him.”

Goncalves, who has played on a line with forwards Mitchell Chaffee and Nick Paul in recent weeks, has played in a career-high 18 NHL games this season. His coach appreciated the young forward’s contribution to the Lightning, saying Goncalves has an NHL skill set.

“I think he’s gradually getting better. He has a better feel for everything and he definitely has an offensive skill set that he can follow in this league. I think everyone knew the puck went in, I don’t think he knew, Cooper said. “He had a bit of a late reaction before he knew it was happening, but it was good for him. I’m surprised it took this long. He had some really good chances but they just didn’t take it, and hopefully this will break the dam.”

Another young player took center stage Thursday night, as 23-year-old defenseman Emil Lilleberg finished with two hits and battled veteran forward Brayden Schenn late in the second period.

Lilleberg has seen more ice time in recent games due to a rash of defensive injuries for Tampa Bay. He and his recent defensive partner, Perbix, played a crucial role on Thursday.

“Lilly takes on a really big kid, Schenn, and comes up the bench, gets the guys going. So give him credit for standing there and fighting a guy like that. And then Perby with the goal, it’s huge,” Cirelli said. “Jumping into the game, the scoring depth is huge, and I think over the last winning streak here, a lot of guys have intensified their efforts.”

Tampa Bay will look to extend its winning streak to five games on Sunday when it hosts the Florida Panthers for the first time this season. The teams will also play in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday before the NHL holiday.

Overall, the Lightning like the direction their game is heading as 2024 comes to a close, especially in their own zone.

“I think that’s why our wins are up a little bit from the beginning of the year,” Cooper said, “because those (goals against) numbers were three and four. And when you defend as we have done, usually good things can happen and usually victories will follow.”

Ben’s three stars:

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (31 saves, W)

2. Gage Goncalves, TBL (first NHL goal)

3. Nikita Kucherov, TBL (two assists)