TAMPA, Fla. – Vincent Lecavalier had two goals, including one on a penalty shot, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Friday night.
Lecavalier put the Lightning up 3-1 when he deked goalie Scott Clemmensen to ice and lifted home a wrist shot on his penalty shot at 1:27 of the second. The Tampa Bay captain also had a first-period power-play goal.
Ryan Malone and Pavel Kubina also scored for the Lightning, who will be making their first postseason appearance since 2007.
Florida got goals from Jason Garrison and Mike Santorelli. The Panthers, last in the Eastern Conference, have lost 10 in a row (0-7-3).
Tampa Bay went ahead 2-1 when Malone scored at 16:08 of the first. Clemmensen stopped Malone's backhander — which the left wing took while down on the ice — but the rebound went off Florida center Shawn Matthias and into the net.
Lecavalier gave the Lightning a 1-0 advantage with a power-play goal from the low slot 4:08 into the first. Martin St. Louis assisted on the goal, giving him a career-high 66 assists.
St. Louis has 37 assists and 41 points on the power play this season. The right wing has seven assists and 11 points during an eight-game points streak.
Kubina extended the lead to 4-1 on a power-play goal with 4:54 to go in the second. Kubina stopped a personal 27-game goal drought.
Garrison tied it at 1 with 8:01 left in the first. The defenseman has two goals — both coming against Tampa Bay — in his last 26 games.
Santorelli got his 20th goal of the season early in the third.
NOTES: Lecavalier is 1 for 3 on penalty shots this season. ... Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman, who left Tuesday's game against Buffalo with a lower-body injury, was out of the lineup. ... Florida played without C Stephen Weiss (groin), C Ryan Carter (mild concussion), C Scott Timmins (mild concussion), LW Darcy Hordichuk (oblique) and RW Steve Bernier (shoulder). ... Lighnting D Eric Brewer returned after missing two games due to a lower-body injury. ... Kubina played in 900th NHL game.