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Richards' big night lifts Lightning over Canucks

Feb 1, 2008 - 5:35 AM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning turned up the attack and ended up with a rare home win.

Brad Richards recorded a goal and two assists and Karri Ramo stopped 23 shots to lead the Lightning to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Martin St. Louis collected three assists and fellow All-Star Vincent Lecavalier added his 31st goal of the season for Tampa Bay, which had won just one of its previous eight games at home.

For Richards, it was his first three-point performance since November 16 against Washington and just his second multi-goal game since December 13.

"It was a fun game to be a part of, a lot of emotion," Richards said. "We had to come from behind, we had to protect the lead, and it was a good overall team effort."

Facing one of the top goaltenders in the league in Roberto Luongo, the Lightning came out aggressive on offense, unleashing 10 shots on goal in the first period and 12 in the second.

"I felt good and I gave them 100 percent, so that's all I can ask out of myself on a nightly basis and that's what I'm going to do until the end of the season," said Luongo, who skipped the All-Star Game and missed Vancouver's contest against Dallas on Tuesday in order to be home with his pregnant wife. "The rest is out of my control."

But it was the Canucks who got on the board first just 2:41 into the contest. Defenseman Luc Bourdon, one of the team's top prospects, opened the scoring with a slap shot from the left point that sailed past Ramo's left shoulder and got stuck in the twine midway up the back of the net, giving the Canucks a 1-0 edge.

Ramo, who was making his first start since January 15, looked shaky while allowing a pair of first-period tallies before settling down.

"That's all we ask for," Lightning defenseman Shane O'Brien said of Ramo. "I give him credit. He answered the bell, and hopefully he can be consistent like that for us. We've got to play good defense in front of him, but when he makes saves and gives us a chance to win, that's all we can ask for."

Vaclav Prospal pulled Tampa Bay even at 7:56, when his power-play snap shot from the right side beat Luongo. Richards and St. Louis both recorded assists on the play.

Taylor Pyatt put Vancouver ahead with a wrister from five feet out with 3:36 left in the first, but Tampa Bay kept the pressure on Luongo in the second period.

Chris Gratton scored his eighth of the season to tie the game at 3:12 and Lecavalier tallied with 3:21 left after some creative passing by Richards and St. Louis.

After a turnover in the offensive zone, Richards controlled the puck on the left wing boards before firing it across the goalmouth to St. Louis, who touched a pass to Lecavalier. The All-Star wristed a shot past Luongo while drifting away from the net to give the Lightning a 3-2 lead.

"That's the way the game should be played, and to me, it's a mind set," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. "I hope our team sees, and they will with the clips I'm going to show them tomorrow, how effective we are when we play that way."

Richards' slap shot past Luongo's outstretched right leg at 8:34 of the third proved to be the game-winning goal, as Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler, who participated in the YoungStars Game during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta, tapped in a shorthander with 25 seconds remaining in the game.

Luongo stopped 23 shots for Vancouver.

"It was a really hard-fought game by both hockey teams," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said. "It was a physical kind of hockey and I liked our start. They took a 3-2 lead, and in the third period, we had some chances and we didn't give up much."