TAMPA, Fla – After 3 consecutive shootout wins, the Tampa Lightning seemed to be on their way to another nail-biter against division rival Atlanta. Both Dwayne Roloson and Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec were flawless in a scoreless first period.
But center Nate Thompson broke free 14 seconds into the second period and stunned Pavelec with a blast from just above the circle. It was the first shorthanded goal for the Lightning and it triggered a five-goal spree for the Bolts in the second period.
“It’s nice, and I think it’s a little overdue for us,” Thompson told TSN, “The last couple of games have all been really close games.”
The night ended for Pavelec five minutes later as Dana Tyrell and Steven Stamkos scored just over three minutes apart and the rout was on.
“We lost our composure after they scored that short-handed goal. That just turned everything. … We just imploded from there,” Atlanta coach Craig Ramsay told TSN.
For Stamkos it was his seventh goal in the the last six games and pushed him past Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring lead.
Simone Gagne was the only Bolt to score twice as six different Lightning players had goals.
“I think we had a great work ethic from the start,” Tampa coach Guy Boucher told TampaBayLightning.com. “I think we were very solid offensively in the first period and we just needed to keep pushing.”
Dwayne Roloson lost his shutout bid when Rich Peverley scored at 15:57 of the third period.
“I don’t really care about that one,” Roloson told the Lightning website. “The puck dropped on me. As long as we get the two points, that’s all that matters.”
The win kicked off a crucial 12 game home stand for the Lightning who do not play away from the St. Pete Times Arena again until March 2nd.
It was also the 11th straight win for the Lightning over the Thrashers as the two teams closed out the season series.
“Sometimes that’s the way it is,” Gagne said on NHL.com. “For us this year, we’ve had their number. … These are not easy games to win, but tonight I think we took advantage of their schedule.”
Atlanta was coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
Tampa is now three points ahead of Washington for the Southeast Division lead and moved ten better than the Thrashers who sit third in the division and more importantly eighth overall in the east.
Contact Joe.Malta@prohockeynews.com
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