A powerful step forward for offense

LIGHTNING 4, CAPS 2: Vinny Lecavalier breaks the stigma of the man advantage to start the year's first win streak.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published October 29, 2005

TAMPA - Vinny Lecavalier wasn't apologizing for anything.

Sure, his goal Friday night against the Capitals came off a shot that was sailing wide of the net. And it got a lot of directional assistance from the hip of Washington defenseman Shaone Morrisonn.

But a goal is a goal is a goal, the center said, especially when it is the winner in a 4-2 victory before a crowd of 20,772 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

"It still counts," Lecavalier said.

Lecavalier's seventh goal with 5:07 left in the third period snapped a 2-2 tie, gave the Lightning its first back-to-back wins and third in its past four games.

It also came on a power play. A nice touch considering Tampa Bay entered the game with the league's second-worst power play and worst at home.

Lecavalier also had two assists. Vinny Prospal had an empty-net goal, Dan Boyle scored and Marty St. Louis's goal with 1:43 left in the second period on a sizzler past the glove of goalie Olaf Kolzig tied the game at 2.

The goal helped negate an impressive display by Washington rookie Alex Ovechkin, who had two first-period goals, both on breakaways and one shorthanded.

It also might signal a line change as St. Louis in the second period came off a line with Brad Richards and Fredrik Modin and played with Lecavalier and Prospal. The line showed some jump, and Prospal took a big hit as he passed to St. Louis on the tying goal.

"The biggest point was that we stayed with it," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "We didn't get frustrated. We maintained ourselves and stayed within ourselves and found a way to get it done."

Tortorella spoke generally but could have been talking about the power play whose inefficiency has been one of the season's great mysteries.

Tampa Bay has converted just three of 39 chances at home, a 7.7 percent success rate, and went 1-for-8 against the Capitals.

"Right now it's just not going," Prospal said. "We're not consistently able to get the puck in the zone and get the right play up."

"And with the new rules and with all the penalties, we have to be more consistent," Lecavalier said. "We've definitely had our ups and downs. But we won this game with a power play and it was welcome."

What was welcome was how the Lightning worked to make its final power play click. It set up smartly and worked hard along the boards. The deflection occurred, in part, because Prospal drew Morrisonn to the slot by standing in front of the net.

And the timing was perfect.

"I'm not too concerned about the numbers. It's when you score the goal," Tortorella said. "The power play struggled and had a tough time coming up the ice and entering, but we scored a big goal. That sort of erases some of the negatives prior to that."

Other positives:

The league's best penalty kill was 5-for-5 and did not allow a goal for the seventh straight game.

The team had 18 blocks and held the Capitals to 14 shots at goalie Sean Burke, tying a season low also against Washington. In two games, the Lightning has outshot the Capitals 68-28.

And don't overlook the gritty work of defenseman Cory Sarich during a Capitals power play that began with 8:31 left in the third period. The reach-around poke check on Ovechkin, accomplished without drawing a penalty, was textbook.

Twelve seconds after Washington's power play, the Lightning got the deciding man advantage. And Lecavalier scored with his first shot of the game.

"I just couldn't hit the net," he said.

So he gladly played along when someone asked if hitting Morrisonn was the plan. Morrisonn wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"I tried to get out of the way at the last second," he said. "I hate to lose that way. We just got a bad break."

No apologies necessary.

[Last modified October 29, 2005, 01:46:07]