WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Martin St Louis scored in overtime to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 win over Washington on Tuesday and vault the Lightning over the Capitals into top spot in the Southeast division.
"I felt like I might have a chance for a play and I wanted to give our guys a chance for a second opportunity (in the Washington zone)," St Louis told reporters after he followed a shot from team mate Vincent Lecavalier.
"I just tried to go to the middle and the puck just ended up on my stick."
Varlamov finished with 37 saves while newly acquired Tampa Bay netminder Dwayne Roloson, who was making his debut after they traded for him on Saturday, made 34 stops for the shutout.
The 41-year-old Roloson is the oldest goalie in the NHL, and made a strong first impression on his new team by making 21 saves in the second period alone.
Washington's Alex Ovechkin fired a team-high eight shots but was unable to register a point. He has recorded just two goals in his last 12 games.
"We just didn't find a rhythm. We didn't get rebounds," Ovechkin said. "Defense played great and (Roloson) made unbelievable saves a couple times."
Tampa Bay (24-11-5), winners of nine of 11, snapped Washington's (23-12-6) three-game winning streak.
The Lightning had previously been dominated by the Capitals, losing both prior matchups this season by a combined score of 12-3.
Tuesday's win was just Tampa Bay's second in 11 games at Washington's Verizon Center.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles)
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