TB WINS!
TAMPA, Fla.- Martin St. Louis sent the Tampa Bay Lightning into the second round of the playoffs with a flick of the wrist.
The NHL scoring champion scored from the left circle 4:07 into overtime Friday night, giving the Lightning a 3-2 victory that eliminated the New York Islanders in the opening round for the third year in a row.
Despite being outplayed for much of three games on its home ice, the Lightning _ the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, took the best-of-seven series in five games. They will play the lowest seed remaining in the conference semifinals.
Tampa Bay is in the second round for the second straight year and the second time in team history.
Nikolai Khabibulin failed in his bid for an NHL-record fourth shutout in the series, but finished with 24 saves _ two in overtime before St. Louis ended it by lifting the Lightning's only shot of the extra period over the glove of New York goalie Rick DiPietro.
That won the only game of the series that wasn't decided by a 3-0 score.
Oleg Kvasha scored on a power-play for New York midway through the first period, ending a drought against Khabibulin, who hadn't given up a goal to the Islanders since early in the third period of Game 2.
Tim Taylor and Ruslan Fedotenko scored late in the second period to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead that looked like it might hold up. But New York's Mark Parrish answered with his first goal of the series with 12:32 left in regulation.
Khabibulin tied a league record with his third shutout of the series Wednesday night and stopped 113 of 115 shots in the first four games.
No goaltender has ever had four shutouts in a series and it took a video replay to confirm Khabibulin lost his bid on Kvasha's power-play goal with 9:19 remaining in the second period.
The goal ended Khabibulin's shutout streak at 145 minutes, nine seconds and was New York's first since Jason Blake's empty-netter in the final minute of the Islanders' victory in Game 2.
DiPietro did his best to make it stand up, rejecting everything the Lightning had to offer until Taylor and Fedotenko broke through within a 2:04 span late in a second period in which the Tampa Bay outshot the Islanders 15-5.
Fredrik Modin assisted on both goals. He took a shot from in front of the net before Taylor tapped in a rebound, and helped Fedotenko capitalize on a sequence in which DiPietro lost his stick during a Lightning onslaught.
The New York goaltender blocked one shot with his legs, but was caught out of position when Modin's shot glanced off his pads to Fedotenko, an instant after Islanders center Dave Scatchard hastily handed his stick to the flustered goalie.
Fedotenko's goal was scored so quickly that DiPietro didn't have a chance to get a proper grip on the stick.
*Even if you're the best, there's always someone better.... that someone is ME*
I was so excited! INFUCKINCREDIBLE!!! I was supposed to go to the game last night though, but Tampa had already clinched, so i couldn't go... its all good!
LETS GO LIGHTNING!!!
O & A ALWAYS WIN IN THE END
dunsel252 There is nothing to fear, but life itself
SP is FINALLY GONE!
The Tampa Bay captain is finally headed to the Stanley Cup finals in his 22nd NHL season, and the rest of the Lightning are making their first trip, too.
``Obviously you dream about this day and for it to happen, and you don't know how you're going to feel,'' the 40-year-old Andreychuk said Saturday night. ``I don't really feel relief. I feel excitement more than anything else.''
The Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, sending Tampa Bay into the Cup finals against the Calgary Flames, who won the Western Conference title in six games over San Jose.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Tampa.
``I feel excitement for what's happened to our club, the improvements we've made in the last three years, and everybody in that locker room should be pretty proud of the situation we're in,'' Andreychuk said.
``Our job is not done yet. We feel that this is another step. We have to be focused. Obviously, we can enjoy this tonight, but then we've got to get back to work.''
Andreychuk has played more regular season games (1,597) than any other active player without appearing in the Cup finals. Two other teams he played on -- Toronto in 1993 and Colorado in 2000 -- lost Game 7 of the conference finals.
``It's great to finally see him get a chance at the Cup,'' said forward Fredrik Modin, who scored one of Tampa Bay's goals. ``But at the same time, we are all pretty excited for ourselves, too.''
Ruslan Fedotenko also scored for Tampa Bay, and Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 22 shots as the Lightning rebounded from a disappointing loss in Game 6.
The Flyers were denied their first trip to the finals since 1997, but didn't go down without a fight after rallying to tie Game 6 late in regulation and winning it in overtime. Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne saved Philadelphia's season on Thursday, and goalie Robert Esche kept Game 7 from getting out of hand.
``Right now, I'm just disappointed for the players,'' Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock said. ``Back in January and February we weren't a very good hockey club against Tampa, and now we got to this stage.''
Fedotenko's deflection on the power play gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead late in the first period. Modin scored 4:57 into the second to make it 2-0 and whip a sellout crowd of 22,117 for Tampa Bay's first Game 7 into a frenzy.
Neither team managed to win two straight in the series, just the 11th matchup in NHL history to go to Game 7 with the teams alternating victories in the first six.
Tampa Bay won Games 1, 3 and 5 to take a 3-2 lead into Game 6 in Philadelphia and was on the verge of making the Cup finals in just their third playoff appearance when Primeau and Gagne saved the Flyers.
The Lightning were less than two minutes from putting the series away when Philadelphia's persistence paid off. Primeau scored with 1:49 remaining in the third period to force overtime, and Gagne's goal 18:18 into the extra session extended the series.
Tampa Bay faulted itself for allowing Philadelphia to dictate the tempo in the third period and overtime of the sixth game and vowed to not let it happen again Saturday.
Although the Flyers dominated much of the opening period, they were 0-of-2 on the power play. Philadelphia fell behind 1-0 when Fedotenko scored on Tampa Bay's first chance with a man advantage.
The goal, with 3:14 left in the period, came with Primeau in the penalty box for high-sticking. Brad Richards' slap shot from the right point hit Martin St. Louis and deflected off Fedotenko's stick past Esche, who was screened.
But unlike Game 6, when they sat on a one-goal lead, the Lightning continued to play aggressively.
Jassen Cullimore, who returned after missing 12 games in the postseason with a wrist injury, dug the puck out from the side of the net and tapped it through the crease to Modin. His seventh goal of the playoffs made it 2-0 less than five minutes into the second period.
Philadelphia answered with Johnsson's goal with 9:44 left in the second, and the Flyers nearly tied it three minutes later. But Khabibulin stoned Primeau on a breakaway and it remained 2-1 the rest of the way.
Esche finished with 30 saves. Khabibulin had seven stops in the third period, the last coming with less than 10 seconds remaining.
``We just feel like we have enough talented guys and enough older guys that someone's going to find a way to get one in,'' Primeau said. ``We've beenresilient that way, but tonight we didn't get it done.''
Richards had two assists. The Lightning are 9-0 in the playoffs when he has a point. ... Tampa Bay outshot the Flyers 18-8 in the second period. ... The Flyers have played one other Game 7 in a conference final, losing 2-1 to New Jersey at home in 2000. ... Cullimore played for the first time since Game 3 of the Lightning's first-round series against the New York Islanders. ... The Flyers finished the series 1-for-25 on the power play, and were 1-for-38,dating to Game 4 of their second-round series against Toronto.
Updated on Saturday, May 22, 2004 11:23 pm EDT
This hearts been torn in 2 cut and bruised with too many bitter endings
Re: TB WINS! 
O & A ALWAYS WIN IN THE END
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