Sports: Lightning grabs first place

Lightning grabs first place

Tampa Bay beats Montreal 3-1, pushing its winning streak to three and moving atop the Southeast.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

TAMPA -- The Lightning is in first place.

Savor it because, given the history of this team, who knows how long it will last. But with Tampa Bay's 3-1 victory over the Canadiens on Friday night before an announced 13,313 at the Ice Palace, the Lightning has sole possession of first in the Southeast Division.

It's not the most impressive first-place record you ever will see. Tampa Bay is 5-7-1-1 and has 12 points, one better than the Hurricanes and Capitals. On the other hand, the Lightning has won three straight for the first time since February.

And as it prepares to finish a four-game homestand tonight against the Flames, general manager Rick Dudley said the Lightning may have hit a turning point.

"This team is starting to know it can win," he said. "We're starting to understand that if we play well, we're going to win. That's an important transition for a hockey team."

Here's another transition. The Lightning, which hasn't won four straight since February 1997, didn't play particularly well in the first two periods and was outshot 22-6. In the past, that meant a long night. Against Montreal, sensational goaltending by Kevin Weekes preserved a 1-1 tie and gave the Lightning a chance to win.

It took advantage, outshooting Montreal 11-5 in the third with Fredrik Modin scoring the winner, his ninth goal of the season, two minutes in on a deflection of Bryan Muir's shot from the point. Stan Drulia's empty-netter with 16.7 seconds remaining finished things off.

"This is huge," said Weekes, who made 26 saves in his eighth consecutive start. "This is a big steppingstone considering the history of this franchise. We have to relish what it feels like and continue to stay where we are and get better. It's definitely fun."

"I'm happy for my guys," coach Steve Ludzik said. "They deserve it, but we have to keep going up the ladder."

The victory also came with Tom Wilson, president of Palace Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Lightning, in attendance. It was Wilson who said last week that Tampa Bay must show improvement on the homestand or an evaluation of the team -- players and coaches -- may take place.

"You had to go through the gantlet that was there," he said. "Everything was rachetted up. ... We feel better. ... I think everybody is playing hard and doing everything the coaches asked them to do. They're playing great and with confidence."

That's easier to do when a goaltender is laying a brick wall.

"He's a good anticipating goalie," Canadiens left wing Brian Savage said of Weekes. "He knows where the shots are going to be coming from and he's got some quick feet."

Weekes stopped Savage seven times. In the first, Weekes dove to the post and got most of Savage's shot, but not all as the puck trickled under Weekes' glove. He smothered it with his other hand as it drifted toward the goal.

He stopped Savage again on a one-timer early in the second period during a 1 minute, 41-second Montreal five-on-three that was part of a four-minute power play.

"Weekes played great," Ludzik said. "Those are the kinds of plays we know he can come up with."

"We just tried to weather the storm," Weekes said. "We knew if we could weather the storm, anything was possible."

Like first place.

Vinny Lecavalier, who put the Lightning ahead 1-0 at 3:48 of the first period on wraparound, and assisted on Modin's goal, couldn't help but smile when asked about it.

The 20-year-old captain's nose was plugged with cotton to stop the bleeding of a broken nose sustained from a high stick by Montreal's Martin Rucinsky.

"It makes it a lot easier to take," he said.