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Lecavalier Remains Red-Hot

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 2, 2007

Updated: 12/02/2007 12:22 am

TAMPA - Vinny Lecavalier dropped his stick, fell to his knees and went sprawling into the sideboards in front of the Tampa Bay bench early in the second period Saturday as a collective quiet engulfed the crowd.

A deflected pass at center ice hit Lecavalier flush in the face early in the second period, sending him to the ice. By the time he got back to his feet and back to the bench he was sporting a golf-ball sized welt under his right eye. He went back to get medical attention, but quickly returned carrying an ice pack.

Not even that was enough to cool off the league's leading scorer.

After going without a point in consecutive games, Lecavalier returned to the scoresheet with a vengeance factoring in on three goals in Tampa Bay's 4-1 victory against the Boston Bruins to give Lightning coach John Tortorella his 219th career victory, tying him with Herb Brooks for third-most among American-born coaches.

"The last two games weren't very good," said Lecavalier, who picked up career goals 250 and 251 while notching his 300th career assist in the victory. "It's not something I want to do go scoreless in consecutive games. ... If I don't produce, I'm not doing my job."

Lecavalier and the rest of his teammates did the job in snapping out of a five-game losing streak and a six-game winless streak. Marty St. Louis scored his ninth goal of the season while Mathieu Darche recorded his second goal in as many games. Johan Holmqvist stopped 28 shots to help Tampa Bay record its first home victory against the Bruins since Dec. 27, 2003. It is also the Lightning's second win against Boston in the past 11 meetings.

And offensively speaking, Lecavalier - who now has 41 points and holds a five-point lead in the race for the Art Ross Trophy - was a major contributor in ending Tampa Bay's losing streak.

"He's the best player in the game right now, that's for sure this year up to this point," Boston center Marc Savard said. "He's proven it on most nights."

For a brief period - about six minutes of game action - it appeared the Lightning might have to finish the night without Lecavalier after what initially looked like a scary moment that may have had some holding their breath.

"You could just see it was instantly swelling up," Lightning defenseman Shane O'Brien said. "Any time any guy gets hit in the face with the puck, especially a guy with his ability and importance to the club, there is a little bit of worry. And anytime somebody gets hit near the eye, it's scary.

"But I guess he's just going to have a nice goose egg and he'll be all right. He's a tough guy."

Lecavalier got things going when he picked off a Zdeno Chara pass in front of the Boston net and after being stopped by Tim Thomas, collected the rebound and scored his 250th career goal 5:45 into the game. Then with a two-man advantage he seemingly willed a one-timer from the right circle through Thomas with 4:17 left in the period. Boston cut the lead to one late in the second, but Darche deflected a Filip Kuba shot with 58.6 seconds left in the second period to regain a two-goal lead before Lecavalier finished off the night by parking behind the Boston net and feeding St. Louis into the third.

"We all know what he's about," Tortorella said of Lecavalier. "He does his own business when he needs to be physical, he does his own business when he needs to fight, and he's never a guy that's going to get into a prima donna-type mode, as some stars do occasionally. I'm never concerned about him and it doesn't surprise anybody on the bench" that he returned.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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