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Goals, goals, and more goals. For the second time this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning took care of business against the Carolina Hurricanes and skated off with victory. Propelled by a strong performance from Mathieu Garon, the Lightning were able to take the game by a 5-2 margin. In what can only be described as one of the better efforts this team has put forth in recent memory, the Lightning got key goals, at key times, from key sources.
Marc-Andre Bergeron’s first of the season opened the scoring, and ultimately deflated the Hurricanes. On an impressive rush, Bergeron fired a wrist shot from just inside the Hurricanes’ blue line that beat Dan Ellis. Whether Ellis was screened or not really is of no consequence; an NHL goaltender should be able to stop that shot. For the Lightning, Bergeron’s goal provided them with all the momentum and confidence they could possibly need on the road. It was a perfect storm (pun intended) that ultimately tilted the scales towards the Bolts.
Good saves from both Garon and Dan Ellis helped keep the score at 1-0 until early in the third period when Benoit Pouliot fired home his sixth of the season from right in the crease. The hard work, and strength of Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier was too much for the Hurricane defenders to handle as they were outmatched from start to finish on that shift. Stepping outside this contest for a moment, head coach Guy Boucher has got to be happy with the chemistry that has developed between Lecavalier, Pouliot, and St. Louis. They’ve played well together and, more importantly, they’ve produced together.
Only seconds later, Drayson Bowman fired home one of the harder shots that you’re ever going to see to cut the Lightning lead in half. He was setup beautifully by Riley Nash, and made no mistake once the puck hit his stick. For Mathieu Garon, there was little chance on the play. The Lightning defenders got caught watching the puck, and that left Bowman wide open to fire the one-timer past the Bolts’ tender.
From there, it was all Lightning. Richard Panik scored his first National Hockey League goal, Tom Pyatt scored his fourth of the season, and Steven Stamkos put the game away with his twelfth of the year. The Hurricanes couldn’t hold off the Lightning charge. While the Bolts did allow a goal to Chad LaRose prior to Stamkos scoring the Bolts’ fifth, it was incredibly refreshing to see the Lightning put their foot down and close out a game. For the first time in weeks, the Lightning showed the kind of killer instinct that playoff teams have.
To be blunt – the Bolts needed a performance like this one. With the win, the Lightning are now in sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division and the third playoff seed in the East that comes with that. While this season is far from over, it was refreshing to see the Lightning come through in a big game like this. The Lightning are right back at it tomorrow for a tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins; Anders Lindback is expected to get the start.
One final note - Steven Stamkos now leads the league in goals (12) and points (26), and Martin St. Louis leads the charge in assists (19). Congratulations, gentlemen!
Off to catch a late night flight. As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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