Ryan Malone recorded his third career hat trick,
and the Tampa Bay Lightning took a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to
snap a pair of losing streaks.
Entering Saturday's contest, Tampa Bay had lost 12 in a row overall dating
back to last season, as well as eight in a row against Carolina.
But the Lightning got goals from Steve Downie and Paul Ranger in addition to
Malone's three-score game to take their first win since March 24. Tampa, which
lost to Carolina in a shootout Tuesday, also got its first victory over the
Hurricanes since March 29, 2008.
Antero Niittymaki made 24 saves in the win, his first with Tampa Bay after
being signed in the off-season from Philadelphia.
Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Staal had the goals for Carolina, which was coming
off a seven-goal performance against Florida on Friday. Cam Ward allowed four
goals on 38 shots in the loss.
In a 2-2 game after two periods, Tampa Bay pulled away with a pair of goals in
the third. Malone tallied his second at 10:46, and with seven minutes to
go Downie notched a power-play tally.
Malone's empty-net score with 1:16 left completed his hat trick and the Tampa
Bay win.
After more than half the game elapsed without a goal, Staal got Carolina on
the board with 7:18 left in the second period with a wraparound power-play
goal.
Just 42 seconds later, Ranger's blast from the left point found its way
through a host of Carolina bodies into the net. Malone followed with a
backhander from in front only 15 seconds after Ranger's tally to give the
Lightning a 2-1 edge.
Carolina went on the power play later in the period, and Brind'Amour evened
the game after scooping up a loose puck in the slot and backhanding it past
Niittymaki with 2:32 left.
Game Notes
Malone's other two hat tricks came during the 2006-07 season, when he was with
Pittsburgh. They came on December 15 and February 19 of that season, both vs.
the Islanders...Tampa was 1-for-6 on the man advantage, while Carolina went 2-
for-5...Martin St. Louis and Mattias Ohlund each had two assists for the
Lightning.
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