TAMPA — Lightning fans came to Amalie Arena to cheer, wanting to celebrate another home victory, one which would put them one win away from their second-ever Stanley Cup final.
But they also wanted to boo, taking the only available avenue to show Martin St. Louis how they felt after he requested to be traded out of Tampa, following 13 seasons with the Lightning.
They had their reasons to boo, but few opportunities, with St. Louis struggling to be noticed on the ice, a former superstar aging in front of his former fans’ eyes.
Friday night, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final, the 39-year-old took a quick ride back in time and gave Lightning fans just another reason to hate the man they used to love, following his game-sealing, third period power play goal in the Rangers’ 5-1 victory.
It was his first goal of the playoffs.
“You get a second wind, you’re not as tired,” St. Louis said when asked about ending the long scoring drought. “This was a big win for our team.”
Early in Game 3, St. Louis — once a league MVP, once Tampa Bay’s scrappy, 5-foot-8 league-leading goal scorer who took them to a championship in 2004 — touched the puck, sparking the sold-out crowd to voice their displeasure, but after that, like much of the playoffs, he disappeared.
Despite recording two assists in Game 2, St. Louis had been struggling to contribute in almost every facet of the game, but a little over five minutes into the third period, he finally emerged, slapping home a pass from Derick Brassard to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead.
With his stick raised in the air, St. Louis screamed, unleashing a massive fist pump of exhilaration, perhaps also throwing the pressure of so many scoreless games along with it.
“We separated ourselves in the third period with a power play goal,” St. Louis said. “This is a team that can come at any time, so for us to get that fourth goal on the power play was a big goal.”
Last year, St. Louis struggled scoring when he first joined the Rangers, held without a goal in his first 14 games with the team, before enduring a nine-game scoreless stretch during the playoffs.
But St. Louis — following the passing of his mother — ultimately would become the player the Rangers rallied around in their run to the Stanley Cup final, leading the team with eight goals.
If he gets going again, the run gets much easier to stretch.
“It’s always important to have guys like that score,” Henrik Lundqvist said. “They feel good about their game. Even though they do so many different things to help the team, I think when they put the puck in the net, they get a little extra confidence.”