Devils 5 - 4 Lightning
Final
  for this game

Devils keep Lightning on skids

Dec 13, 2011 - 6:11 AM Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Zach Parise and rookie Adam Henrique both posted a goal and two assists, as the New Jersey Devils extended Tampa Bay's woes with a 5-4 victory at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus also scored for New Jersey, which has won three of its last four games. Johan Hedberg earned his ninth win of the season with a 32-save performance.

Steven Stamkos scored two third-period goals for the Lightning, who are mired in a 1-7-0 slump.

"We're finding ways to lose games right now," Stamkos said. "We never quit, but we dug ourselves a hole and it was too big to climb out."

Dwayne Roloson was pulled after allowing three New Jersey goals on 12 shots. Mathieu Garon made eight saves in relief.

Stamkos snapped a shot over Hedberg's glove on a power play midway through the third period to trim Tampa Bay's deficit to 5-3. Pavel Kubina fed Stamkos for a one-timer with 34 seconds to play and Garon on the bench for an extra skater.

Sykora backhanded home the rebound of Bryce Salvador's point shot 28 seconds into the contest. Zubrus then deflected a Matt Taormina wrister late on a power play at the 5:38 mark of the first period.

New Jersey squandered the two-goal lead as Tampa Bay drew even behind tallies by Steve Downie and Blair Jones in a 1:20 span late in the first. Downie accepted a Matt Gilroy cross-ice pass and fired a shot past Hedberg. Jones then drove to the net to tie the game at 18:54.

Just as they did in the first, the Devils scored in the opening minute of the middle stanza to regain the lead.

Parise emerged from behind the net and chipped a stoppable shot past Roloson. Later in the second period, the New Jersey captain set up Kovalchuk and Henrique on a pair of 2-on-0 rushes. Henrique's goal at 13:23 was shorthanded.

Game Notes

The Devils acquired defenseman Kurtis Foster from the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in exchange for forward Rod Pelley, defenseman Mark Fraser and a seventh-round draft pick in 2012...Tampa Bay agreed to terms with free agent forward Antti Miettinen to a two-year contract.






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