Tampa Bay Lightning crush Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2: NHL Recap
Vincent Lecavalier and Simon Gagne both notched a goal and earned an assist, as the Tampa Bay Lightning held on for a 6-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes, at the RBC Centre on
Saturday night.
Martin St. Louis had a goal and two assists, while Steven Stamkos tallied a goal for Tampa Bay, which registered a club record with its 46th win and has won seven of eight games in this
season.
Dominic Moore and Brett Clark both also hit the net and Mike Smith turned away 42 shots for Tampa Bay, which is not at 5th place in the Eastern conference and went 21-14-6 on
the road this season. Teddy Purcell assisted twice to earn the victory.
"We're going in with confidence but we're playing a team that is tough and has won a Stanley Cup. It's gonna be tough but we have some ammunition and are ready to go at them." said the
Lightning's Head Coach, Guy Boucher.
Cory Stillman and Chad LaRose both found the back of the net for Carolina, which has won nine of 12 play-offs, while earning points in six consecutive games. Cam Ward was beaten for four
goals on 33 shots in the losing effort.
The Lightning got on the board first in the seventh minute of the first period, when Moore slipped a pass at the right point and Steve Downie ripped a shot on net that was stopped by goalie.
However, Moore tipped in the rebound for his 18th of the season.
Tampa Bay took a two-goal edge, 2-0, with more than eight minutes left in the first period, when Lecavalier rushed in on a breakaway and fired a back-hander between Ward’s pads for his
25th of the season.
The Lightning pushed the lead to 3-0 in less than two minutes. It happened so when Smith saved a flurry of shots in the Lightning end and Tampa Bay transitioned the other way. Purcell
then rushed down the left end and chipped a pass from the left boards to the front, where Stamkos jammed it home for his 45th goal of the season.
The Lightning struck again to extend the lead to 4-0 nearly nine minutes remaining in the middle session. The goal was set up by Lecavalier, who tipped a pass to the high slot where Clark
unleashed a wrist-shot that found its way to the net.
Stillman finally pulled the Hurricanes within a goal to make it 4-1 game with his 12th goal of the season on a 5-on-3 power play with six and a half minutes left in the second
period. Carolina cut the deficit by half, 4-2, just eight and a half minutes into the final period, as LaRose rushed in down the right-side and he blasted a shot from the low right circle that went into the top of the net.
The Hurricanes benched Ward for an extra attacker while on the power-play with three minutes left in the game, but Gagne and St. Louis each netted an empty-net goal within a 40 seconds
span to seal the win at 6-2.
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