TAMPA, FLA. — Martin St. Louis scored two third-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Steven Stamkos added a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who have won four in a row for the first time since Nov. 2007. Goalie Antero Niittymaki improved to 7-0-1 over his last eight starts.
St. Louis also had an assist and has a seven-game points streak (seven goals, four assists).
Vancouver got a goal from Ryan Kesler. The Canucks are 2-3 on the first leg of an NHL-record 14-game road trip.
Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead on St. Louis’ short-handed goal from the slot at 2:52 of the third. It was just the second short-handed goal by the Lightning this season.
St. Louis scored his 20th goal to make it 3-1 with 4:20 remaining.
Stamkos put the Lightning up 1-0 with a power-play goal eight minutes into the first. The center has eight goals and eight assists during a 10-game points streak.
Kesler tied it at 1 during a power play with 6.3 seconds left in the second.
Niittymaki stopped a short-handed breakaway by Alexandre Burrows midway through the second.
Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo made a lunging glove save along the goal-line on Vincent Lecavalier with 11:35 to play in the third that was upheld by a video review.
Canucks forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin both have gone four games without scoring a goal, and have combined for just one assist over the stretch. Henrik Sedin had a shot hit the post in the first.
NOTES
The Lightning have won eight of 11.
… Vancouver RW Pavol Demitra has left the team to tend to a personal matter.
… Lightning C Jeff Halpern played in his 700th NHL game.
… Tampa Bay signed RW Mark Parrish to a one-year contract and assigned him to Norfolk of the AHL.
