TAMPA, FLORIDA - Ilya Kovalchuk scored his NHL-leading 41st goal and the Atlanta Thrashers tallied twice in the third period in a 2-1 victory Saturday night over the Tampa Bay Lightning.<br>
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Kovalchuk tied it at 1 with a breakaway goal 4:11 into the third. Shawn McEachern put the Thrashers ahead 2-1 with his first goal in 10 games, scored from the left circle at 7:04.<br>
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It was the regular-season finale for both teams. The Lightning enter the playoffs as the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has not reached the postseason in its five NHL seasons.<br>
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Kovalchuk and Rick Nash of Columbus, who scored in the Blue Jackets' 4-1 victory over Detroit, wound up with 41 goals. Jarome Ingila has 40 for Calgary, which finishes regular-season play Sunday in Anaheim.<br>
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Kari Lehtonen has won all four starts with the Thrashers since being recalled from the minors March 12. He made 29 saves in tying Pasi Nurminen's team-record of four straight wins set Nov. 16-23, 2003.<br>
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Martin St. Louis earned his NHL-leading 94th point on a second-period goal for the Lightning.<br>
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St. Louis put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0 when he scored from the right circle during a three-on-one 4:42 into the second period. The goal came one second after Tampa Bay killed off a penalty.<br>
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While short-handed, the Lightning had several scoring chances, including a penalty shot.<br>
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Lehtonen stopped Vincent Lecavalier's breakaway when the Tampa Bay forward was hooked on the play at 2:55. On the penalty shot, Lecavalier sent a backhander wide.<br>
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Cory Stillman also had a breakaway, but lost control of the puck.<br>
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The Thrashers, who finished with a franchise-best 78 points, won seven games this season when trailing after two periods (7-29-3-2).<br>
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Tampa Bay's Nikolai Khabibulin had 21 saves.<br>
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Notes:@ Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk is Tampa Bay's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded to a player who demonstrates perseverance and dedication to hockey. ... Atlanta RW J.P. Vigier missed his second straight game with a facial laceration. ... Thrashers LW Vyacheslav Kozlov played in his 800th NHL game.
