Tampa Bay Lightning edge past St. Louis Blues 4-3
Vincent Lecavalier tallied a power-play goal in overtime, as the Tampa Bay Lightning held on for a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues, at St. Pete Times Forum on Sunday night.
Dominic Moore and Steve Downie also lit the lamp for Tampa Bay, who have won seven of their last eight contests. Steven Stamkos netted a goal and earned three assists, while Dan Ellis turned aside 29 shots in the win for Tampa Bay, who are 12-3-0 in their
past 15 games as hosts.
Patrik Berglund and David Backes both potted goals for St. Louis, who have lost five of their previous six contests. Nikita Nikitin netted his first NHL goal in the losing effort, while Ty Conklin was dented for four goals on 40 shots in the loss for the
Blues.
The hosts opened the scoring to take a 1-0 lead with one and a half minutes remaining in the first period. Martin St. Louis set up the play with some stick-handling moves just above the right circle and sent the puck to Brett Clarke, who let go a shot that
Conklin blocked. Stamkos gathered the rebound and lifted it over goalie and into the net from in-close.
However, the Blues pulled the scoring even at 1-1 just 30 seconds into the middle period, when Berglund grabbed the rebound off an Alex Steen shot and buried it past Ellis from the slot.
Two minutes later, Tampa Bay restored their lead again at 2-1 when Marc-Andre Bergeron slipped a pass from the left corner into the slot for Stamkos, who blasted a shot toward the net which Moore redirected past Conklin.
The visitors knotted the game again at 2-2 with just nine minutes left in the second period. During a power-play, Steen ripped a shot from between the circles to the net and Backes deflected it into the net.
The teams then traded goals inside 30 seconds to round off a five-goal period.
St. Louis then notched their first lead at 3-2 just two minutes later, when Nikitin hammered a slap shot past Ellis from the right point. However, the lead was short-lived, as the Lightning tied the game at 3-3 when Stamkos chipped a back-handed pass in
the slot to Downie, who skated right and tucked the puck past a prone Conklin.
After a goalless final session, the teams went into overtime. The Lightning had the better opportunities to score in the early going but Conklin was equal to the task, making great saves on numerous shots from close range.
Eric Brewer was called for holding with over a minute left in overtime to give Tampa Bay the man advantage.
Conklin then stopped a couple of Stamkos shots from the left circle, but the Lightning finally found a way through. Stamkos threw the puck to the right face-off dot from where Bergeron banged a one-timer that Conklin blocked with his pad. Lecavalier took
the rebound and whizzed a backhander between the goalie’s legs for just his second goal in his last 17 play-offs.
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