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Coyotes finish road trip against Lightning

Feb 13, 2007 - 4:08 PM Phoenix (25-29-2) at Tampa Bay (31-24-2) 7:30 pm EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Coyotes may be starting to look toward next season.

The Coyotes conclude a four-game road trip Tuesday when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Lightning have won the last five meetings between the teams.

Mired in 12th place in the Western Conference and 14 points behind both Minnesota and Calgary for the final playoff spot, Phoenix made a move for the future on Monday.

The Coyotes traded leading scorer Ladislav Nagy to the Dallas Stars for fellow left wing Mathias Tjarnqvist and a first-round pick in 2007. Nagy had eight goals and 33 assists in 55 games this season.

After opening their road trip with a win, the Coyotes have lost their last two games, including a 5-2 setback to Florida on Saturday.

Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Ballard scored but goaltender Curtis Joseph turned in a sub-par performance, allowing four goals on 29 shots. Joseph has surrendered eight goals in losing his last two starts.

Tampa Bay, which is 5-1-0 in its last six games, is tied with Montreal for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 64 points.

Vincent Lecavalier scored his league-leading 35th goal of the season in the Lightning's 4-1 victory at New Jersey on Sunday. The veteran center has been on a roll, registering 14 goals and 24 points in his last 17 games.