Lightning 8, Penguins 2
Steven Stamkos recorded two goals and an assist while Simon Gagne and defenseman Pavel Kubina also scored twice as the Tampa Bay Lightning staved off elimination Saturday afternoon with an 8-2 road victory over the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Captain Vincent Lecavalier and Dominic Moore each had a goal and an assist, Teddy Purcell set up three scores and Dwayne Roloson made 31 saves for the fifth-seeded Lightning, who went 4-for-7 on the power play. Tampa Bay trails 3-2 in the series but hosts Game 6 on Monday.
Mike Rupp and Chris Conner scored while Max Talbot notched two assists for Pittsburgh, which is 1-for-25 with the man advantage in the series after failing to convert on seven opportunities.
Gagne began the onslaught with 3:03 remaining in the first period and Stamkos scored his first career playoff goal 46 seconds later, backhanding a rebound over Marc-Andre Fleury from the doorstep. Lecavalier made it 3-0 just 1:55 into the middle session and Gagne buried a rebound at the 5:31 mark to complete his two-goal effort and chase Fleury, who stopped 10 of 14 shots.
Tampa Bay then used its power play to put the game out of reach. Stamkos cashed in on a chance against Brent Johnson with 13 minutes left in the second, Kubina converted twice in a 2:51 span early in the third for a 7-0 cushion and Moore completed the scoring with 4:25 remaining.
Rupp spoiled Roloson's shutout bid at 6:36 of the third with his second career postseason tally and first since netting the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for New Jersey in 2003.