Lightning turns the lights out in Ottawa

OTTAWA (AP) -- Nikolai Khabibulin and Vincent Lecavalier got the best of the NHL's best team.

 Khabibulin made 30 saves and Lecavalier scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the NHL-leading Ottawa Senators 2-1 Saturday night.

''Khabi's been playing really well for us lately,'' Tampa Bay forward Martin St. Louis said. ''He gives us a chance every game. He kept us in there.''

The Lightning ended a 10-game losing streak in the Corel Centre.

''We've been spanked by them a few times here,'' St. Louis said. ''I felt this was a test for us. It was like playoff hockey and we played well.''

Lecavalier scored his 24th goal of the season with 54.6 seconds remaining in the second. Vaclav Prospal dropped a pass to Lecavalier, who beat Magnus Arvedson before putting the puck past goalie Patrick Lalime.

''My first reaction was that I was going to shoot right away,'' Lecavalier said. ''I took a chance and made a move and it worked. It's good for my confidence because I've been struggling a bit lately.''

The Senators opened the scoring at the 10-minute mark of the second period on Jody Hull's goal.

Shaun Van Allen sent Martin Havlat in all alone, but he couldn't quite control the puck and Hull, who followed right behind, buried it past Khabibulin.

''We played well at times, but not the full 60 minutes,'' Hull said. ''It comes down to matching work ethic. We're skilled enough to do that and when we do we can beat teams.''

Just more than three minutes later, St. Louis tied it with a power-play goal. Lalime anticipated a shot at the side of the net, but St. Louis carried the puck out front leaving him with a wide-open net.

Game notes
Ottawa was without defenseman Zdeno Chara for the seventh consecutive game as he recovers from a chest injury. ... Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov was a late scratch with a left leg injury. Brian Pothier was recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis to replace Volchenkov. ... Tampa Bay right wing Ruslan Fedetenko missed his third consecutive game with a fractured finger tip. ... Lightning defenseman Darren Rumble was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game.