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Lightning Wake Up, Notch 3rd Straight Win

The Associated Press

Tampa Bay Lightning's Jussi Jokinen and Steven Stamkos celebrate with teammate Steve Downie.

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2009

TAMPA - Through the opening 20 minutes Tuesday, Tampa Bay looked to still be in hibernation mode coming out of the All-Star break.

But the Lightning woke up and picked up their third consecutive victory, knocking off Montreal 5-3. Mike Smith stopped 31 shots, including 18 in the opening period, while Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier each notched a goal and assist.

Tampa Bay improved to 6-2 in its past eight games and 10-5-1 in the past 16 to move to within eight points of a playoff spot. The Lightning also closed out a five-game homestand with a 4-1 record and head into a key game Thursday in Carolina.

After the first period Tuesday, however, Tampa Bay looked like a team about to be knocked off its perch by a streaking Canadiens team that fired 20 shots on goal while limiting Tampa Bay to seven. Goals by Maxim Lapierre and Alex Kovalev 51 seconds apart erased an early Lightning lead and Montreal looked to build on it with a two-man advantage for more than a minute.

Smith, however, kept the team in the game - even after his giveaway to Kovalev on the second Montreal goal - with some big saves, including stopping Robert Lang on a three-on-one break with 66 seconds left in the period, allowing Tampa Bay to regroup and come out focused for the final two periods.

"We were a little sleepy," Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet said of the first period. "But we got things righted, adjusted going into the second and they responded. To me, that's a sign of a team coming together and I'm proud of the guys."

The Lightning limited the Canadiens to 14 shots in the final two periods while Tampa Bay scored four consecutive goals, including a power-play goal by Lecavalier 2:49 into the second to spark the comeback and another by St. Louis on a two-on-one break with 8:56 left to play.

"They had a pair of power plays and a five-on-three to start the game, they get some momentum and we don't, they move their feet and we're not and that's a tough way to get into a game," St. Louis said of the slow start. "But I thought our big guys came up with plays at key times, Smitty kept us in the game, and then we played with the lead and I think we've been a pretty tough team to play against of late."

Tampa Bay will have to be even tougher in the days to come.

"We're a long way away from where we want to be," Tocchet said, "but there's some light at the end of the tunnel."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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