NEW YORK, 31 March 2004 — Former first-overall draft pick Chris Phillips scored four minutes into overtime on an assist from captain Daniel Alfredsson as the Ottawa Senators edged the Lightning 5-4 in Tampa on Monday.
Alfredsson, who signed a five-year contract extension on Sunday, saying he felt Ottawa was Stanley Cup-bound, netted his 32nd goal earlier in the contest.
It was his club-record 219th as a Senator.
“Both teams have exciting players up front,” said Phillips, reflecting on the wild finish in which four goals were shared in the final 3:12 of regulation.
Veteran Dave Andreychuk got both of Tampa’s late goals, his second, the 21st of the season, coming with 28 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The 41-year-old winger now has 19 20-goal campaigns, three shy of Gordie Howe’s all-time mark. NHL scoring leader Martin St. Louis assisted on the first of Andreychuk’s goals and also helped on Dan Boyle’s marker to give him 91 points for the season. Tampa has never had an NHL scoring champion.
Marian Hossa and Mike Fisher tallied for Ottawa in the waning minutes. Backup goalie Martin Prusek, in relief of injured starter Patrick Lalime, turned aside 24 Lightning shots to notch the victory.
In other action, Gary Roberts assisted on Alex Mogilny’s game-tying goal and then got the game-winner as the Maple Leafs rallied to down the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2 in Toronto.
In Buffalo, Dmitri Kalinin scored twice to carry the surging Sabres, who are making a late playoff push, to a 6-0 win over Columbus, snapping the Blue Jackets’ four-game win streak.
In Detroit, veteran Brendan Shanahan scored once and assisted on Jiri Fischer’s goal as the Red Wings outlasted the Minnesota Wild 5-3, giving them an NHL best 105 points for the season.
In Sunrise, Florida, the Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak, Olli Jokinen getting a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
In Denver, with sidelined Steve Moore in attendance, Teemu Selanne scored with five minutes remaining to give the Avalanche a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, snapping Colorado’s six-game winless streak.
In Vancouver, Markus Naslund assisted on the Canucks’ first goal and then netted the game-winner in a 6-1 rout of the floundering Phoenix Coyotes.
Moore Confident of Recovery After Bertuzzi Attack
In New York, Colorado forward Steve Moore expressed relief and was positive about his recovery as he spoke to the media for the first time since being attacked by Todd Bertuzzi in a game against the Vancouver three weeks ago.
While the Harvard-schooled rookie is uncertain whether he will be able to resume his NHL career, he remains hopeful.
