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Lecavalier, second-period surge give Lightning fourth straight win

Nov 15, 2007 - 4:57 AM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Vincent Lecavalier and the Tampa Bay Lightning officially have righted the ship.

Lecavalier recorded his fifth career hat trick and set up a pair of goals and Martin St. Louis netted his fourth tally in five games as the Lightning rode a five-goal outburst in the second period to a 6-1 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

St. Louis and rookie defenseman Mike Lundin each added two assists, blue-liner Paul Ranger had a goal and an assist and Johan Holmqvist made 28 saves for Tampa Bay, which has won four in a row following a six-game losing streak. The Lightning also improved to 7-1-1 at home.

"It's very nice to see," Holmqvist said of the offensive support he received. "We were flying in the second period offensively, and usually when we have that good of skating, we usually come back pretty good in our own end, too."

The reigning Maurice Richard Trophy winner, Lecavalier recorded the first four of his five points in the middle session, tying the franchise record for most in a single period. The 27-year-old center also extended his run of multi-point performances to six games.

"We really played well in the second period," Lecavalier said. "We came out and played better. ... Things were really going well in the second. It was one of the those games."

With Tampa Bay already ahead, 1-0, on Ranger's tally 87 seconds into the second, Lecavalier doubled the lead less than three minutes later.

Following a turnover, Lecavalier - who set up Ranger's goal - cruised across the slot before attempting to feed St. Louis on the doorstep. However, the puck caromed off the right skate of defenseman Frantisek Kaberle and past goaltender John Grahame at 4:12 for his 10th tally of the season.

"I was trying to pass it to Marty," Lecavalier said. "It went off one of their guy's skates, so it was just kind of back luck for Johnny."

Less than two minutes after St. Louis increased the Lightning's advantage to three at 12:32, Lecavalier skated down the left wing on a partial breakaway and shielded the puck from a pursuing defender before roofing a backhander past Grahame with 5:36 remaining in the period.

"It seems like they capitalize on their breaks," Carolina's Eric Staal said. "A couple breakaways and they seem to hit the back of the net. We've just got to be more aware of their best players, and their best players were their best players again tonight.

"Our best players gotta be better, and that's kind of what it boils down to."

A two-time All-Star, Lecavalier capped his hat trick with 5:09 remaining in the third, taking a feed from St. Louis at Carolina's blue line and depositing the puck between the pads of Grahame on a shorthanded breakaway. The goal gave Lecavalier five points, tying his career high set against Atlanta on December 7, when he also registered three tallies and two assists.

"It was some great plays from Marty and Lundin there in our zone on the PK," Lecavalier said. "Marty made a great pass to me on my last breakaway. I was kind of just waiting there and he just fired it, so it was a great play by him. I didn't think it was going to go in, it trickled in."

St. Louis gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead midway through the second. From the bottom of the left faceoff circle, he cut across the low slot and, after Grahame - a former member of the Lightning - failed on a poke-check attempt, lifted a backhander into the vacant net for his sixth of the campaign.

Vaclav Prospal finished off Tampa Bay's dominant session with 42 seconds remaining, receiving a pass at the blue line during a man advantage and walking toward the net on the left side before beating Grahame to the glove side for a 5-0 cushion. The tally extended Prospal's goal-scoring streak to three games.

"In the second period, we found a way," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "We found our way in the second period, and then our top guys took off a little bit."

Jeff Hamilton ended Holmqvist's shutout bid at 7:22 of the third. With Carolina on the power play, Hamilton wristed a shot from the left circle off the right goalpost and in for his fifth tally of the season.

Grahame stopped 22 shots and recorded an assist for the Hurricanes, who lost for just the second time in six games and fell to 6-3-2 on the road this campaign.

"We just have to play better defense," Carolina blue-liner Mike Commodore said. "(Tampa Bay) is a team where they keep it simple. They get the puck, they get it out of their end as quick as possible and they look for guys flying and they block shots."