Tampa Bay Lightning weekly report

Last Thursday the Lightning, with help from Steven Stamkos, put the Ottawa Senators in their place with a 5-2 win on home ice.

The Lightning converted two of six extra-man opportunities, with Stamkos getting both power play goals. They started out aggressively in the first period, outhitting Ottawa 8-2 and taking a 1-0 lead at 7:20 when Stamkos fired a shot that deflected off Tampa Bay defenseman Filip Kuba and past the Senators' netminder.

Lightning netminder Mike Smith stopped all nine shots the Senators fired at him in the opening period.

At 4:34 in the second period, Todd Fedoruk put a rebound of a David Hale shot into the Senators' net for the Bolts' second point, and Marty St. Louis had a chance to give the Lightning a bigger cushion on a penalty shot, but he missed wide.

Five minutes later, the Bolts netted goal No. 3 as Ryan Malone took advantage of a poor clearing attempt and scored on a wraparound.

Ottawa netted two scores late in the third, but the Lightning added two more goals in the last frame, Stamkos' second of the game and Alex Tanquay's first of the season.

The Lightning on Saturday took a 1-1 tie with the New Jersey Devils into overtime, then lost it on a shootout 2-1.

Antero Nittymaki, starting in net for the Bolts, turned in a strong effort, stopping the New Jersey attack several times. In the opening period he made 13 saves, including a penalty shot by Jaime Langenbruner that Nittymaki stopped with a quick thrust of his left pad.

But the Bolts were having a hard time getting near the New Jersey net for shots. In the second period, things didn't get better for the Lightning on offense, and the Devils managed a goal on a rebound.

The Bolts woke up in the third period and a Steven Stamkos goal, his 10^th of the season, evened the game with 4:34 left.

With no goal in overtime, the game went to a shootout, where the Bolts were 0-3. The Lightning came close, but it was Devils' shooter David Clarkson who ended the game with a backhand flip into the net.

On Tuesday night, the Lightning won in overtime 2-1 over the Toronto Maple Leafs with solid defense and strong goaltending.

After a scoreless first period, Vincent Lecavalier put a rebound into an open net to make it 1-0 Bolts. The Leafs had several chances to tie it, but Antero Niittymaki kept blocking shots.

But early in the final period, Toronto broke through to tie it 1-1 on a power play that bounced off Lightning defenseman Matt Walker as he tried to block the shot. Niittymaki redeemed himself later at the Leafs attacked on a power play.

In the first minute of overtime, the Lightning got a scare as a shot hit the goal post, but they recovered and Ryan Malone scored at 2:21 to secure the Bolts' first road victory.