Steven Stamkos leads charge as Lightning blank Ducks
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning may be coming out of their offensive funk.
Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist, Ben Bishop made 30 saves and the Lightning beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-0 on Saturday night.
"We've been feeling better about our game lately," Stamkos said. "We know this group can do some good things."
Nikita Kucherov, Brian Boyle and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for the Lightning, who had 21 goals over their previous 13 games. Tampa Bay was the NHL's highest-scoring team last season en route to the Eastern Conference championship.
"It's going to come around," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "The goals are starting to come. I know it's just one game, but they're playing the right way."
The Ducks completed a four-game road trip at 2-2.
"Tough league, you've got to string wins together," Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "Win one, lose one, those kind of things, it doesn't build anything in the standings, it doesn't build anything in the (locker) room."
Stamkos put the Lightning up 3-0 on a pair of goals midway through the second. After beating Frederik Andersen from the top of the right circle at 12:35, Stamkos was left all alone in the low left circle during a power play and scored off a pass through the slot by Kucherov 1:14 later.
Stamkos has seven goals and 12 points in seven games against Anaheim.
Kucherov made it 1-0 at 5:57 of the second.
The Ducks have been outscored 28-8 during the second period this season.
"It's just the inconsistency in our game," Getzlaf said. "Game-to-game, period-to-period. I don't think it's so much focused on one period. We've got to find a way to build something where we're finding a way to play the right way all time."
Stamkos had no goals over his previous three games, while Kucherov had gone six in a row without one.
"You could just see them take a breath after that," Cooper said. "It was good. Everybody elevated their play after that."
Ryan Kesler hit the post with 9 minutes left in the second, a play that saw Bishop use the top of his goalie stick while leaning backwards to keep the puck that bounced off him from going into the net.
It was Bishop's first shutout this season.
Boyle and Marchessault, during a power play, had third-period goals. Stamkos and Kucherov, who had two assists, set up the Marchessault goal.
Andersen stuck his arm out to stop Stamkos' in-close rebound 6 minutes into the game. He finished with 19 saves.
NOTES: Bishop is 5-0-1 against the Ducks. ... Anaheim RW Corey Perry has not scored a goal in 10 games against Tampa Bay. ... Ducks D Hampus Lindholm sat out with an upper body injury. Coach Bruce Boudreau didn't rule out Lindholm playing Tuesday against Calgary. ... Lightning RW Ryan Callahan returned after missing one game with a lower body injury and had an assist. ... Tampa Bay played without injured Fs Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Cedric Paquette and Jonathan Drouin. All are day to day except for Palat, who could miss three to five more weeks.
