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Vinny's Hat Trick Sparks Bolts

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 15, 2007

TAMPA - Nights like Wednesday don't come around very often in the National Hockey League. Not for All-Star players. Not for players who have their named etched on the Stanley Cup. And not for former overall No. 1 draft picks.

But for the second time in his career, Vinny Lecavalier reached that level when it seems no matter what happens, the puck is just bouncing the right way and the red light takes on a double-life as a lighthouse signaling safe passage for the puck to enter the net.

Lecavalier registered his fifth career hat trick and tied a career-high with five points as Tampa Bay won its season-best fourth consecutive game in a 6-1 win against division-leading Carolina, the Lightning's sixth consecutive victory against the Hurricanes. The five points in a game are one shy of Doug Crossman's franchise record.
Johan Holmqvist won his fourth consecutive and has allowed five goals during the winning streak while stopping 113 of 118 shots (.958 save percentage) he has faced.

But it was the point production of Tampa Bay's former overall top draft pick that garnered top star status.

Also adding to Lecavalier's grand night was a franchise record with his sixth consecutive multi-point game, a franchise-tying four points in the second period and tying the team record - along with Marty St. Louis - with a plus-five rating. Lecavalier also leaped over five players to assume the league-lead with 29 points, two ahead of Henrik Zetterberg and Sidney Crosby.

"Things were really going in in the second period, it was one of those games," Lecavalier said. "Sometimes you can play well and don't produce at all, sometimes you play mediocre or really bad in the first period and then you score that first goal and it just starts rolling, so it was kind of one of those games."

It was one of those nights and it started early in the second period on Paul Ranger's third goal of the season when Lecavalier one-touched a cross-ice pass from the top of the right point to a streaking Ranger, who skated along the crease and backhanded a shot glove-side high on former Lightning goaltender John Grahame 1:27 into the second. Lecavalier then had an intended pass bank in off the skate of Carolina defenseman Frank Kaberle at 4:12.

Lecavalier then faked a slap shot from the top of the left circle, only to dish a pass to St. Louis, who skated untouched through the crease and lifted another backhander glove-high at 12:32. The fourth point of the period, and second goal, came on a breakaway at the end of a shift and shielded Mike Commodore before another backhand shot high to Grahame's glove.

The night for Lecavalier was completed when he raced up on the ice on another breakaway to score his 12th career short-handed goal with 5:09 left in the game to send the hats raining down onto the ice.

And though these type of nights happen only so often - if ever - during a player's career, Lecavalier did remember the other times that hats rained down in his honor - twice against Pittsburgh, once against Phoenix and the other coming in his previous five-point effort last December against Atlanta.

But just because he remembers them, it's not something to savor for too long.

"It's over now," Lecavalier said. "It feels good. It was some great line chemistry and a great team effort for sure, but it's over with now. We won the game and got the two points. Now we have to think about our next opponent."

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

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