Tampa, FL (Best E Casino) - Vincent Lecavalier scored a pair of goals and added an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning outdueled the Washington Capitals, 5-4, at St. Pete Times Forum.

Martin St. Louis scored the deciding goal 3:22 into the third period and also finished with a primary assist for the Lightning, who have won three in a row. Johan Holmqvist turned away 18 shots in the win.

Alexander Semin scored his 23rd and 24th goals of the season and Alexander Ovechkin donated two assists for Washington, which had a three-game winning streak halted. Olaf Kolzig allowed five goals on 25 shots.

Forty minutes of game time produced tons of action but didn't bring either team closer to a victory. The home team gained an edge early in the third, however, as Vaclav Prospal gained control behind the opponent's goal line and sent a pass out front, where St. Louis poked the disc home to make it 5-4.

The Capitals were active the rest of the way, particularly in the final minute with their netminder pulled, but were unable to score the equalizer.

The frenetic first two periods of play ended in a 4-4 stalemate.

Tampa opened up the scoring 4:54 into the contest, as Ryan Craig gathered the puck behind the Washington goal line before executing a wraparound. The Capitals tied it at 1-1 at the 7:01 mark on a Semin one-timer from the point, but Lecavalier's wrister from the left circle 1:45 later put the Lightning back in front.

Washington scored the first two goals of the second period, though, to move ahead. Semin registered his second marker of the game 5:40 in to tie the game, and a breakaway goal by Ben Clymer midway through the stanza made it 3-2.

The back-and-forth action continued as the middle stanza wore on, with Prospal and Lecavalier both scoring in a span of 1:09 to give the Lightning a 4-3 edge. Chris Clark lit the lamp with just 10 ticks remaining, however, to knot the contest once again.

Game Notes

There was a scary moment for Washington in the third, as Ovechkin and teammate Brian Sutherby collided, fell to the ice and stayed down for an extended period of time. Both players turned out to be fine...Washington, which is 8-8-4 as the visitor this season, began a four-game road trip.