Thrashers Edge Lightning, 2-1

Posted 11:31PM on Saturday 3rd April 2004 ( 21 years ago )

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Martin St. Louis earned his NHL-leading 94th point on a second-period goal for the Lightning. 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. While short-handed, the Lightning had several scoring chances, including a penalty shot. 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. Cory Stillman also had a breakaway, but lost control of the puck. The Thrashers, who finished with a franchise-best 78 points, won seven games this season when trailing after two periods (7-29-3-2). Tampa Bay's Nikolai Khabibulin had 21 saves. 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.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/4/160945