• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Amid distractions, Lecavalier looks to lead Lightning

Jan 17, 2009 - 11:28 AM Florida (20-16-7) at Tampa Bay (14-20-10), 7:30 p.m. EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The swirling trade rumors have been loud and clear to Vincent Lecavalier. At this point, the Tampa Bay Lightning's captain is more concerned that his team has made more noise than it has in quite some time.

Amid the distractions, Lecavalier hopes to lead the Lightning to their fourth victory in five contests when they take on the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Tampa Bay has already tied a season-high for wins in a month with four in January, and its surge has come at a rather puzzling time as it has been rumored to be shopping Lecavalier to a contender such as the Montreal Canadiens.

"We're all teammates," Lightning center Ryan Craig told the St. Petersburg Times. "We don't want to see anyone from our group go, especially our leader and captain. Winning solves a lot of problems."

Lecavalier, who signed an 11-year, $86.5 million extension this past summer, helped the Lightning do just that on Thursday, converting a penalty shot during the third period of a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

A three-time All-Star and Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2004, Lecavalier has 11 goals and 26 points in his last 26 games.

The Panthers, meanwhile, had their three-game winning steak halted on Friday, when they fell, 3-2, in a shootout to the Flyers.

Florida has gained at least one point in its last six games (4-0-2) and picked up 10 points since dropping three straight in late December.