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TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning made it to 10 and the New Jersey Devils got back to 100. Vincent Lecavalier scored a power-play goal with 5:25 left in regulation as the Lightning extended their team-record unbeaten streak to 10 games with a 2-2 tie with the Devils, who reached the 100-point mark for the seventh time. Tampa Bay failed to convert a 33-second, two-man advantage but was still on the power play when Lecavalier got a pass from defenseman Pavel Kubina at the right faceoff dot and blasted a one-timer between the left arm of goaltender Martin Brodeur and the near goalpost. "Against a great goalie, you're not going to get many chances," said Lecavalier, who has five goals in his last three games. "I saw an opening and I felt like I was due for one." "It went through me," said Brodeur, who made 31 saves. "It went through my glove and my pads. He hit it extremely hard. But he had a lot of chances tonight. He was due for one." Nikolai Khabibulin helped the Lightning kill a power play in overtime after Kubina was penalized for holding at the 36-second mark. Brad Richards scored the other goal for Tampa Bay, which is 7-0-3 since March 5 and moved four points ahead of second-place Washington in the Southeast Division. "Tonight was another example of how far this team has come and how legitimate we really are," Richards said. "We had chance after chance and never quit. We kept up the battle. And that's the mind-set of this team. That's why it's exciting for everyone in this organization." New Jersey had a four-game winning streak snapped but remained three points in front of second-place Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division. "That was a little uncharacteristic for us to lose the lead like we did," Devils captain Scott Stevens said. "Of course, you never want to, especially with a division title on the line and getting ready for the playoffs." New Jersey grabbed the lead 2:41 into the first period when Patrik Elias put a rebound past Khabibulin on his second try for his team-best 23rd goal of the season and fifth in seven games. "We've been playing some great hockey and I'm seeing the puck much better. And my timing is better," Elias said. "I think this team is getting stronger and stronger and an intense game like tonight will only help us." Tampa Bay needed just 1:43 to tie it. Martin St. Louis backhanded a pass from behind the net to Richards, who put a wrist shot from the left circle past Brodeur's glove side for his 17th goal. The Devils reclaimed the lead on a fluke goal by Pascal Rheaume with 14:46 to go in the second period. Stevens fired a dump-in off the end boards that Khabibulin unsuccessfully tried to scoop up with his glove. But it dropped between his pads and Rheaume jabbed it in for his eighth goal. "We've proven how to hold onto leads, and that has been a real strength for this team," Stevens said. "Tonight, we let one slip away. It's better to get it out of the way now instead of the playoffs." |
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