Bolts Even Series at Two

Lightning forward Brad Richards’ scored the lone goal of Tampa Bay’s Game Four matchup with the Calgary Flames, setting a new NHL record with his seventh game-winning goal of the playoffs and lifting the Lighting into a 2-2 series tie with the Flames.

Tampa Bay is now 8-0 this postseason when Richards scores. The Lightning went 30-0-2 when the center scored during the regular season.

Richards’ goal came just 2:48 into the game. Calgary’s Mike Commodore and Chris Clark were sent to the box for holding and cross-checking, respectively, at 1:52 of the first period. Tampa Bay used the two-man advantage to get Richards open for a one-timer off a pass from captain Dave Andreychuk. Richards put the shot past Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff’s glove and into the net.

“When you get the shot in your wheelhouse, you have to do something with it,” Richards said. “(Rhett) Warriner was on (Kiprusoff’s) stick side and that left a lane on the glove side and I shot it.”

Tampa Bay goaltender Nikolai Khabibulan stopped 29 shots for his fifth shutout of the postseason.

The series returns to Tampa for Game Five on Thursday.