Lightning Strikes Down Devils
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — John Tortorella and the Tampa Bay Lightning found a very unlikely hero yesterday in beating the Devils — Nick Tarnasky.
Tarnasky had his first career game-winning goal and combined with Vincent Lecavalier to score in a 48-second span late in a threegoal second period in a 4–1 win.
“It’s nice get a game winner,” Tarnasky, a role player who took seven shifts spanning less than 4 minutes, said. His only shot caught Martin Brodeur off guard and turned out to be the biggest of the game for Tampa Bay, which has won 12 of 15.
With the score tied 1-1, Tarnasky skated down the right wing and had the puck poked off his stick behind the net.
“It took a funny bounce behind the net and I kept skating and there it was waiting for me,” Tarnasky, who stuffed the puck inside the goalpost past Brodeur at 17:24, said. “It was a good goal and I think we got the momentum from that.”
“I didn’t see it, I was looking the other way,” Brodeur said. “I thought we had control of the puck.”
The goal was only the third in 64 career games for Tarnasky, who is just trying to help out nightly playing a supporting role to stars Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards.
