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A Long Time Coming

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

ST. LOUIS - For the better part of the past 16 years, Tampa Bay would sing the blues when visiting St. Louis.

Not since the Lightning's first trip to the Gateway of the West on Oct. 13, 1992, had Tampa Bay left town with a victory.

But the Lightning's new-found road success continued Tuesday with a fifth consecutive win away from home following a 5-4 victory against the Blues. Tampa Bay had been 0-9-1 in its past 10 trips to St. Louis.

Johan Holmqvist won his fourth consecutive road game, stopping 21 shots, including 12 of 13 in the first period.

Marty St. Louis led the way offensively with a goal and two assists while Tampa Bay got two goals from Paul Ranger, along with goals from Nick Tarnasky and Jason Ward. Vinny Lecavalier added a pair of assists. The victory was the 230th for Lightning coach John Tortorella, moving alone into second place among American-born head coaches, four wins behind Bob Johnson.

But picking up the victory certainly wasn't going to come easy for a team that is trying to hold off the Los Angeles Kings to stay out of the basement in the league standings.

Third-period goals by Ward, MacDonald and Tarnasky, the later coming with 5:05 left to play that should have been the icing on the cake, should have been enough as Tampa Bay built a 5-2 lead. Jamal Mayers scored nine seconds after Tarnasky, however, to cut the lead to two before rookie David Perron made it a one-goal game with 22.1 seconds left to give some drama for the final ticks.

It took a Craig MacDonald block on an Eric Brewer shot with four seconds left to ensure that Tampa Bay held on for the victory, the eighth road victory on the season for the Lightning, who last lost on the road in overtime at Ottawa on Jan. 5.

"It's kind of desperation there. I knew I had to get in front of it," MacDonald said. "Who knows what happens if it gets to the net."

Tortorella was not happy with the late-game breakdowns. "There's no pride in the details of the game, there's no pride in the goals-against," he said. "You can't even enjoy a win. It's just awful."

Ranger got the Lightning on the board 6:01 into the opening period on a busted play. Dan Boyle attempted to hit Ranger with a pass just as his defensive partner was cutting toward the slot area. Ranger managed to get a skate on the puck and push it toward St. Louis, who fumbled a pass back to Ranger who promptly beat All-Star goaltender Manny Legace with a wrist shot.

The lead didn't last to the next line change as Brad Boyes answered 21 seconds later when he was left unchecked at the left circle following a cross-ice pass from Andy McDonald. The goal snapped Holmqvist's road shutout streak at 127 minutes, 51 seconds after posting consecutive road shutouts on Jan. 18-19.

Tampa Bay regained the lead at 6:55 of the second period when Lecavalier fired a wrist shot, which St. Louis got a stick on from in front of the crease for a power-play goal, just the Lightning's fourth goal with the man advantage in the past nine road games. The goal was the 20th of the season for St. Louis, marking the fifth consecutive season in which he has reached the 20-goal mark.

The Blues answered with a power-play marker of their own with 5:58 left in the period when a Brewer shot from the right point hit Keith Tkachuk in front, popped into the air and landed inside the goal.

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

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