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Lecavalier helps Lightning top Kings

Jan 13, 2009 - 6:59 AM By John Reger PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Captain Vincent Lecavalier had a goal and an assist on Monday as the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Evgeny Artyukhin and Mark Recchi also scored and Mike Smith made 29 saves for the Lightning, who earned their second straight win.

Defenseman Peter Harrold notched the lone tally for the Kings, who dropped their second consecutive contest.

"You can lose a game a lot of different ways," Los Angeles coach Terry Murray said. "You can lose where you play extremely well or you can lose where you play without the structure, without the system, and that seemed to be where we were at tonight. The puck management and the decisions with and without the puck really cost us."

Los Angeles goaltender Erik Ersberg allowed two goals in 41 seconds during the final two minutes of the first period and was pulled after surrendering his third tally 5:18 into the second session. He finished with only four saves.

Jonathan Quick replaced Ersberg and turned aside all 15 shots he faced.

Tampa Bay opened the scoring with 1:44 remaining in the first period when Kings defensemen Brian Boyle and Denis Gauthier collided along the right boards while going for the puck, which squirted down the right side. Artyukhin collected the puck at the blue line and snapped a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past the blocker of Ersberg.

"I try to play every game like that," Artyukhin said. "I got a good chance, good partners give me that chance to get the goal."

Recchi doubled the Lightning's advantage 41 seconds later when he picked up a loose puck in front of the net and backhanded it past the blocker of Ersberg.

Ersberg, who was making his first start in goal since a 3-1 loss last Tuesday to Anaheim, was pulled after Lecavalier slapped a one-timer past him from the left circle 5:18 into the second.

The game featured a unique match up between Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and the Los Angeles' Drew Doughty. Stamkos was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, while Doughty was selected second overall.

The last time the top two draft selections faced each other during the following regular season was October 22, 2003 when first overall pick goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal played against each other.

"Beginning of the game it was pretty fun playing against him," Stamkos said. "I played with him my whole junior career - it was definitely a special game for us.

This matchup was uneventful. The two were rarely on the ice at the same time and Doughty left with 9:17 remaining in the second period and did not return after suffering a right thigh contusion following a check into the boards by Artyukhin.

"I don't think it was a dirty hit from what I saw, but I thought it may have been a little bit of a late hit," said Kings' defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who was penalized for cross checking Artyukhin after the play.

"I didn't think I was avenging any cheap shot."

The only blemish in Smith's game came with 1:52 left in the second when the goalie allowed Harrold's one-timer from the high slot to get past him.

"He's been like that all year," Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet said of Smith.

"He's probably been our All-Star this year. He probably should have gone to the All-Star game for us."