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Backup bounces Lightning

Ottawa's Jani Hurme is 5-0 vs. Tampa Bay after a 5-2 win.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 9, 2001

OTTAWA -- At least Vinny Lecavalier scored.

The Lightning's scoring woes continued Saturday night against a goaltender who has made a career of holding Tampa Bay down.

After a 5-2 loss to the Senators at the Corel Center, Tampa Bay had scored four goals in its past five games.

Zdeno Chara, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher, Radek Bonk and Marian Hossa had goals for the Senators, who scored twice on the power play. Curtis Leschyshyn had three assists. And Jani Hurme, 5-0 against Tampa Bay, had 25 saves as Ottawa outshot the Lightning 44-27.

Brad Richards scored for Tampa Bay. Lecavalier, who earlier was told he will not be traded, broke a 12-game streak without a goal with his fourth of the season.

Kevin Weekes, making his first start since Dec. 1, came up big 9:50 into the game, when Todd White redirected a shot from in close. Weekes took the puck off his chest.

The Senators broke through when Chara scored on the power play from in close 7:57 into the second period.

Leschyshyn kept the puck from dribbling out of the Lightning zone. His diagonal pass from near the point to Shawn McEachern was pinpoint. And McEachern's one-touch push to Chara, who got behind Lightning defenseman Stan Neckar, was deft.

Ottawa made it 2-0 when Alfredsson cranked a wrist shot for his 16th goal.

Tampa Bay's Jassen Cullimore checked Alfredsson into the boards at the Tampa Bay blue line, but the Senators captain kept going. White picked up the loose puck and dropped it for Alfredsson, who scored at 13:04.

Alfredsson, feeling the effects of the check, missed the third period with a hip injury.

It was 3-0 with 29.9 seconds left in the second. Fisher scored through Weekes' legs after stealing the puck from Ben Clymer along the side boards.

The Lightning closed to 3-1, 44 seconds into the third period, when Richards wristed his sixth goal from the slot. The assists went to Martin St. Louis and Fredrik Modin, who stripped Chris Phillips of the puck at the blue line and raised his career-high scoring streak to eight games (four goals, four assists).

Bonk's power-play goal at 7:22 came with Lyschyshyn's third assist. Lecavalier's goal with 5:04 left was on the power play. Hossa scored for Ottawa in the final minute.

NOTES: Matthew Barnaby got a game misconduct at 12:10 of the third period for instigating a fight with Chara. ... Lightning forward Brian Holzinger will be out another 1-2 weeks with a slightly torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. ... The team recalled right wing Nikita Alexeev from AHL Springfield. He was scratched.

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