|
 The Lightning took a 3-0 lead into the final period Monday and
held on for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Tampa Bay
earned its third consecutive win to finish the homestand 3-1-2,
scoring at least three goals in each of the last five games.
"Great homestand," Cooper reiterated after the win. "A little loose
in the third, but we've gotten points in five straight games at a
time when we really need them. Hopefully it'll give us some good
momentum for us going on the road."
Tampa Bay (37-24-7) literally had the bounces go its way Monday,
twice collecting goals that went in off Canucks defenseman Ryan
Stanton. The first, which gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead with 13:06
left in the second period, was credited to left winger Ondrej Palat,
whose shot from the left side slid underneath Stanton as he went
down in front of the goal, redirecting it past goalie Eddie Lack.
With just eight seconds left in the period, Tampa Bay center
Valtteri Filppula sent a shot wide across the net that went past
Lack and caromed into the goal off Stanton's back skate for a 3-0
lead.
"A lot of those goals that have gone in against us that have cost us
games went in for us tonight," Cooper said. "I always believe you
work your way out of these things and you'll get those breaks. We
got them tonight."
Tampa Bay, hoping to build off a 3-0 win Saturday against the New
Jersey Devils, jumped out to a 1-0 lead with 2:04 left in the
opening period when center Steven Stamkos got his 16th goal of the
season on a power play. Palat sent a crossing pass that Stamkos
flicked home.
"We're battling like crazy out there, playing for each other,"
center Henrik Sedin said. "We have a lot of injuries, but we're
still battling, showing we're a team and we're playing for each
other. If we keep doing that, good things are going to happen."
Vancouver (31-30-10) spoiled the shutout on left wing Alexandre
Burrows' goal with 14:16 left in the third, but the Lightning
answered three minutes later. Center Tom Pyatt, getting a nice drop
pass from right wing J.T. Brown, fired a shot past Lack's shoulder
for a 4-1 lead.
Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, two nights after his fifth shutout of
the season, was in control again early, stopping all 15 shots he
faced in the first two periods.
[to top of second column] |
As the Lightning did Thursday against Florida, however, they made
mistakes with a three-goal lead late. Vancouver cut the margin to
4-2 on Burrows' second of the night with 8:15 left, then pulled
within one on a short-handed goal by right winger Jannik Hansen on a
rebound after a breakaway with 4:44 left.
"Points are slipping through our fingers, and we know where we
stand," Burrows said after the game, which left the Canucks three
points behind Phoenix and Dallas for the final playoff spot in the
Western Conference, with the Coyotes playing Los Angeles later
Monday. "At the same time, we have to keep our heads up. We have to
find ways to win these games."
Bishop finished with 25 saves, while Lack stopped 26 shots.
NOTES: The Lightning celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2004
Stanley Cup championship, a tribute carefully timed to allow the
presence of Canucks coach John Tortorella, who was Tampa Bay's coach
in its title run. ... ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale was
honored during the game as the Lightning's "Community Hero" for his
charity efforts, especially with the V Foundation for Cancer
Research. He received a $50,000 donation from the team. ...
Vancouver came in with 14 goals in its last four games, a
significant bump from scoring 11 goals in the previous 10 games.
More impressively, the 14 goals were scored by nine different
players. ... The Lightning play their next three games on the road,
starting Wednesday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Vancouver
returns home for two, starting with a visit by the Nashville
Predators on Wednesday. ... The teams meet only twice this season,
with the Lightning winning 4-2 at Vancouver on opening night.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
