TAMPA, FLORIDA - Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards scored 1:59 apart in the third period and John Grahame made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Atlanta Thrashers 2-0 Wednesday night.
St. Louis picked up a loose puck in the right circle after a faceoff and scored his 28th goal at 6:28. It was his first goal in eight games.
Richards scored from the low slot off a pass from behind the net by St. Louis at 8:27. Richards also assisted on St. Louis' goal and has two goals and eight assists during a seven-game point streak.
Grahame made a glove on Marc Savard's shot from the slot and stopped an in-close chance by Dan Snyder in the second.
The Lightning moved within two points of Southeast Division-leading Washington. Tampa Bay, which has not made the playoffs since 1996, has played one fewer game than the Capitals.
Atlanta's Milan Hnilicka made a glove save on Vincent Lecavalier's backhand penalty shot with 52.9 seconds left in the first period. Hnilicka was called for throwing his stick as Lecavalier skated near the goal post from behind the net.
Hnilicka has faced five penalty shots in his 112-game NHL career, making three saves. He was recalled from Chicago of the AHL for the third time this season on Tuesday and made his first appearance since Jan. 2.
Tampa Bay has failed to convert its last 11 penalty shots, dating to Jan. 11, 1997, when Rob Zamuner scored on New York Islanders goalie Tommy Salo. The Lightning are just 2-for-16 on penalty shots in team history.
Notes: Hnilicka made 34 saves. ... Tampa Bay LW Fredrik Modin had two assists. ... Lightning D Pavel Kubina, hurt in Monday's game with Washington, sat out with a sore neck and headache. He skated briefly during the morning skate. ... Atlanta coach Bob Hartley is 8-6-2 since being hired Jan. 14. ... Tampa Bay LW Andre Roy returned after a three-game suspension for shoving an official. ... The home team is 12-2-4-1 in the series.
Monday
January 20th, 2025
12:33AM
