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Lightning finally hit the road to battle Rangers

Feb 27, 2011 - 3:26 PM (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have played streak killer in their past two games, a role they would love to continue Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Set to play on the road for the first time in over a month, the Lightning aim to deny the New York Rangers a third straight victory this afternoon and sweep the season series between the clubs for the first time in 14 years.

The Lightning are leaving Tampa for the first time since Jan. 21 after wrapping up an NHL record-tying 12-game homestand on Friday. Two days after ending Phoenix's eight-game win streak with an 8-3 victory, Tampa Bay denied New Jersey a ninth victory in a row with a tight 2-1 triumph to end its homestand at 7-3-2.

Martin St. Louis and Simon Gagne scored less than a minute apart in the second period and Dwayne Roloson made 19 stops.

"We just beat two of the hottest teams in the NHL," said Tampa forward Steven Stamkos. "It's a good way to end this homestand."

St. Louis has three goals and eight assists over an eight-game point streak for Tampa Bay, which leads Washington by three points for first place in the Southeast Division.

The Lightning had lost seven of eight to the Rangers before taking the first three meetings of 2010-11, including the last two past regulation. Tampa snapped a three-game slide at Madison Square Garden with a 4-3, 11-round shootout win on Dec. 23 for just its third victory in its last 10 trips to the Big Apple.

Tampa Bay will try to prevent New York from getting on a roll after the Rangers picked up a second straight road victory on Friday, a 6-0 triumph over the Capitals.

With defenseman Marc Staal missing his first game since Feb. 17, 2008 due to a knee injury and forward Marian Gaborik out with a concussion, Henrik Lundqvist logged his NHL-leading eighth shutout with 35 stops and Erik Christensen had a career-best four points off two goals and two assists.

"By the third goal you could feel they were getting frustrated," said Lundqvist, who recorded his 32nd career shutout. "It was a big win for us against a good team and when our guys feel good they can play great."

Christensen scored his first goal since Dec. 15 and first in nine games since coming back from injury, while Vinny Prospal, Brian Boyle and Derek Stepan had a goal and an assist each in New York's fourth victory in its last six games.

The Rangers, who last won three straight from Jan. 5-8, will likely be without Staal again today and also lost Ruslan Fedotenko on Friday to an undisclosed. The forward was playing for the first time since Jan. 19 after missing time with a separated shoulder and appendectomy.

New York made a move to bolster its blue line on Saturday, acquiring Bryan McCabe from the Panthers for forward Tim Kennedy and a future third-round draft pick.

A veteran of over 1,000 NHL games, the 35-year-old McCabe had five goals and 22 points in 48 games with Florida this season.

The Lightning could be without a defenseman tonight after Mattias Ohlund sat out the last game due to a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.

New York begins a three-game homestand tonight seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points back of Montreal and three up on Carolina.