Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Tampa Bay ends trip with 3-1 win over Canadiens

MONTREAL -- Ryan Malone and Alex Tanguay each had a goal and an assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

James Wright also scored for Tampa Bay, which went 2-0-1 after dropping the opener of a four-game road trip at Philadelphia on Monday.

Antero Niittymaki made 36 saves in his third straight start for the Lightning (6-4-5).

Brian Gionta scored his seventh goal for Montreal (8-9-0), which has lost four of six.

Carey Price, who stopped 18 shots, fell to 3-7.

Malone opened the scoring with his 10th goal in 15 games on a power play at 10:09.

Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier recorded his second straight assist when Tanguay's third goal of the season put Tampa Bay up 2-0 with 46.3 seconds left in the first.

Tanguay, who signed a one-year deal with the Lightning after he failed to receive an offer from Montreal, scored for the second straight game when he flipped a rebound of Malone's shot from the left side past Price for his third goal.

Gionta drew the Canadiens within 2-1 with a power-play goal midway through the second.

The Lightning regained their two-goal margin after Wright got credit for his second of the season at 18:02.

A video review confirmed referee Dennis LaRue's understated ruling that the puck had crossed the line before Montreal's net became dislodged during a goalmouth scramble.

Limited to one point in his first seven games with Tampa Bay, Tanguay earned an assist on Wright's goal for his seventh point in six games.

NOTES: Rookie Lightning D Victor Hedman didn't play. Hedman, chosen second overall by Tampa Bay in this year's draft, sat out for precautionary reasons after a hit by Ottawa's Chris Neil knocked him out of Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators. ... Montreal C Kyle Chipchura and LW Gregory Stewart were healthy scratches for a second straight game in favor of C Tom Pyatt and RW Ryan White, who made their NHL debuts Thursday. ... D Jay Leach, picked up by Montreal off waivers from New Jersey on Friday, didn't play.