Tampa Bay 2, Washington 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 18, 2012
Where: Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Referees:
Dave Jackson, Gord Dwyer
Linesmen:
Jay Sharrers, Jonny Murray
Attendance:
19204
By SportsDirect Inc.
LIGHTNING 2, CAPITALS 1: Steven Stamkos scored his league-leading 40th goal and Mathieu Garon made 23 saves as Tampa Bay held off visiting Washington on Saturday
Stamkos scored on a breakaway to clinch his third straight 40-goal season in the second period as the Lightning handed the Caps their fourth loss in five games. Tampa Bay has beaten Washington four straight times at home, including the playoffs last season.
Garon made five big saves late, improving to 4-1-1 lifetime against the Caps.
Teddy Purcell’s shot squirted behind Caps goaltender Tomas Vokoun and Tom Pyatt was there to tap it in for his sixth goal just 2:10 into the game.
Stamkos made it 2-0 just 1:50 into the second, swiping the puck from Matt Hendricks and beating Vokoun with a nifty deke. Stamkos is the first Lightning player to score 40-plus goals in three separate seasons.
Brooks Laich trimmed the lead to 2-1 at 9:31 of the second, knocking home a Mathieu Perreault pass.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Former all-star defenseman Mike Green, out since Jan. 7 with a sports hernia, was back in the lineup for the Caps and played 14:14. He did not register a shot on goal. … Vincent Lecavalier (two), Martin St. Louis and Brian Bradley are the other Lightning players with 40-goal seasons. … Tampa Bay was 0 for 5 on the power play.
Top Game Performances
Washington |
|
Tampa Bay |
Brooks Laich 1 |
Points |
Tom Pyatt 1 |
Brooks Laich 1 |
Goals |
Tom Pyatt 1 |
Mathieu Perreault 1 |
Assists |
Teddy Purcell 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Tomas Vokoun .913 |
Save Percentage |
Mathieu Garon .958 |
Tomas Vokoun 21 |
Saves |
Mathieu Garon 23 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Washington
|
24 |
1 |
0-2 |
5-5 |
10 |
32 |
Tampa Bay
|
23 |
2 |
0-5 |
2-2 |
4 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Anaheim. The Lightning have a W/L % of .520 after a win and .394 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.