NHL Game Summary - Winnipeg at Tampa Bay
(Friday, February 1st)
Final Score: Tampa Bay 8, Winnipeg 3
Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Cory Conacher scored twice and added an assist in
the Tampa Bay Lightning's 8-3 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets Friday at Tampa
Bay Times Forum.
Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier each tallied a goal and two assists,
while Teddy Purcell and Benoit Pouliot added a goal and an assist apiece for
the Lightning, who have won five straight and improved to 5-0 at home.
"Another good game for our team," Conacher remarked. "It's just one those
games where we had the lead and our power play was outstanding tonight and our
weapons came out to play."
Ryan Malone and Nate Thompson also lit the lamp for Tampa Bay, and Anders
Lindback added an assist while notching 26 saves in the victory.
Tobias Enstrom and Paul Postma each registered a goal and two assists, while
Andrew Ladd contributed a goal and an assist for the Jets, who have dropped
three straight.
Ondrej Pavelec allowed five goals on just 14 shots for Winnipeg before being
removed midway through the second period in favor of Al Montoya, who gave up
three goals on 11 shots in the setback.
Tampa Bay broke out for a trio of goals in the first and second periods to
build a comfortable 6-0 edge after 40 minutes.
All three first-period goals came on the power play, with Conacher opening the
scoring with a weak wrister from the left point that slipped under Pavelec's
pads at the 7:57 mark.
After Chris Thorburn was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct at
the 12:11 mark for a check from behind on Sami Salo, the Lightning were able
to capitalize on a pair of 5-on-3's to triple their advantage.
A delay of game penalty against Ron Hainsey less than a minute later set up
the first two-man advantage before Stamkos one-timed a shot from the left
circle that snuck past Pavelec for a 2-0 edge.
Mark Stuart's cross-checking penalty at the 16:04 mark resulted in another 5-
on-3 and Lecavalier was able to light the lamp with a one-timer from the right
circle to make it 3-0 with just over three minutes left in the frame.
Tampa Bay tacked on three more in the second to break the game open, with
Conacher starting another flurry when he tipped-in an Eric Brewer shot from
the point just 26 seconds into the period.
Thompson's wrister from outside the right circle at the 4:43 mark chased
Pavelec from the contest, but his replacement fared no better, as Montoya
watched the first shot he faced sail past him off the stick of Purcell to
make it 6-0 under six minutes into the second.
Winnipeg tallied a pair of goals just over a minute apart in the third to pull
within four, but Malone answered at the 8:46 mark to make it 7-2.
Ladd's power-play goal near the midpoint of the frame again brought the
visitors within four, but they would get no closer, as Pouliot netted his
second goal of the season at the 18:35 mark to account for the final margin.
"Obviously the game got out of hand," Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said. "We're
going to move forward and try to take some positives out of this thing. I'm
not going to dwell on that type of game."
Game Notes
The Lightning improved to 9-0-2 in their last 11 at home versus the
Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise ... Enstrom has a point in six straight games for
Winnipeg ... Stamkos has a point in all seven games this season ... Tampa Bay
went 3-for-5 on the power play, while Winnipeg finished 2-for-4.
02/02 00:02:58 ET

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