Vinny Lecavalier credits linemates Martin St. Louis and Ruslan Fedotenko for helping create scoring opportunities.
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MONTREAL - Vinny Lecavalier stood outside the Lightning locker room Wednesday with more than a few microphones in his face and note pads at the ready.
Lecavalier knows how to handle the media. So the Tampa Bay center had no problem asking for more questions about his team and teammates rather than about what he has done to the Canadiens in the East semifinals.
"You win as a team and lose as a team," he said. "It's about the Tampa Bay Lightning. We have a great opportunity here to get to the next series, and we'll do it as a team."
A nice sentiment, though Lecavalier is fighting a strong tide.
That's what happens when you return to your hometown and dominate the team you rooted for while growing up. It is what happens when you slough off criticism about a lack of production in the series with the Islanders (zero points, remember?) and respond with five goals and an assist in three games against Montreal.
And it is what happens when you score a dramatic between-the-legs goal with 16.5 seconds left in the third period of Tuesday's Game 3 to force overtime and set the stage for Brad Richards' winner.
"It was an unbelievable goal," said Lightning founder Phil Esposito, who scored 717 in his career. "You can't teach anybody to do that. For him to put his stick between his legs and tip that puck ... you have to have hockey sense out the gazoo to do that."
"A lucky goal," Lecavalier said.
Lucky?
"I tried it, and it worked. It's over with," he said. "It's yesterday. Now we have to focus on Game 4."
With a three games to none lead and Game 4 tonight at the Bell Centre, Tampa Bay has a chance to sweep the seven-game series and earn a spot in the conference final.
Only the 1942 Maple Leafs and '75 Islanders won after trailing 3-0. Nothing short will lessen the attention given Lecavalier.
Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has been almost impenetrable. Richards has two goals and an assist in the series, and Martin St. Louis has six assists.
But Lecavalier, 24, is in the forefront because of what his name means in this city and the timeliness and magnitude of his goals.
It will be difficult to top Game 3.
"That was a big-time player making a big-time play. And to do it at the time of the game and in such a huge game, that was a big one," defenseman Brad Lukowich said.
"The guys on our team have so much respect for him the way he answered the bell. He's not a very verbal guy, never has been. He just goes out and does it, and the guys are feeding off it."
Asked if it is a coincidence his game took off against the Canadiens, Lecavalier said, "Everybody goes through streaks." And he credited linemates St. Louis and Ruslan Fedotenko with helping create chances.
Still, Lecavalier is getting to the front of the net more than usual (he is most comfortable behind the net or in the corners), and he has 14 shots in the series. It is as if the pleas of the coaching staff all of a sudden made sense.
Lecavalier had help on Thursday's goal. Defenseman Pavel Kubina made a great play to keep the puck in the zone, and Dave Andreychuk got the puck to Lecavalier in front of the net.
Lecavalier took it from there, scoring through his legs while facing away from goalie Jose Theodore.
"We know he's crafty and he's a good player and can score goals like that," Canadiens center Steve Begin said. "He went to the net and was in the right position. It was a good goal."
"He's a very athletic player," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "The offensive instinct that he showed there, that's talent level. Vinny ended up getting it done with his talent and willingness to get there."
He has been that way the entire series.
"If you work hard, things will happen," he said. "If you want to win, you have to keep working as hard as you can."
