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Lightning buries Red Wings

 
Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) celebrates his third goal, a shorthanded goal, completing the hat trick, during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Amalie Arena. [DIRK SHADD   |   Times] 
Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) celebrates his third goal, a shorthanded goal, completing the hat trick, during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Amalie Arena. [DIRK SHADD | Times] 
Published Jan. 30, 2015

TAMPA — What Cedric Paquette does best typically doesn't end up on the score sheet.

The gritty center does all the thankless dirty work in the corners and on the penalty kill. He probably blocks more shots than he takes.

So when Paquette, 21, delivered an improbable hat trick on a big stage Thursday night, lifting the Lightning to a 5-1 win over the Red Wings, the whole bench went wild. Jonathan Drouin stood up on his seat and screamed as many in the mixed-fan sellout crowd of 19,204 at Amalie Arena tossed hats onto the ice.

"It was amazing," said Paquette, who has nine goals this season. "Honestly, in juniors, my two (hat tricks), I don't think there was a hat on the ice. So it was new. Nobody would have thought that before."

Consider this: Paquette, in just his 42nd NHL game, had gone 29 straight games without a goal before Tuesday's tally in Carolina. On Thursday, Paquette racked up three against Detroit in a win that put Tampa Bay (31-15-4) back on top of the Atlantic Division, supplanting the Red Wings, and clinching a franchise-record ninth straight home win.

"He was feeling it tonight," coach Jon Cooper said. "He's earned it. That kid's been gaming it out forever for us."

Paquette got it started 2:03 in with a nice second effort, knocking in his own rebound in front.

The Red Wings tied the score at 1 midway through the period on a goal by Darren Helm. Goalie Ben Bishop, 6-1-0 in his career versus Detroit, made 27 saves, and the key ones included a spectacular glove save on Riley Sheahan on a breakaway in the first to keep the score tied.

"Sometimes you have to make some more important saves," Bishop said. "And that was one of them."

Said Drouin, whose turnover at the blue line led to the breakaway: "I owe him a lot."

With 37 seconds left in the period, Paquette scored again, this time taking the puck from the boards and ripping a wrist shot past goalie Petr Mrazek.

"Who knew he had a shot like that?" Bishop said.

Said Drouin: "He looked at me, and I'm like, 'That's unbelievable.' "

And it wasn't over.

The Lightning blew it open with three second-period goals, including one by captain Steven Stamkos on the revamped power play. Midway through the period, Paquette finished off his hat trick. This time he started a two-on-one with Brian Boyle. He initially thought pass but saw Mrazek cheating, so he shot puck, then circled the net jubilantly.

"It was a crazy moment," Paquette said.

Paquette said his confidence has continued to rise since he got to play in last year's playoff series against Montreal. Since Paquette got called up in late October from AHL Syracuse, he hasn't been sent back, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound grinder making an impact.

Cooper calls him a warrior. On Thursday, he was a scorer.

"He'll be a fan favorite in this building," Cooper said. "He wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn't back down from anything."

Said Bishop: "Hats off to 'Ceddy.' That was a (heck) of a game to watch."

Lightning 2 3 0 5
Red Wings 1 0 0 1
Lightning 2 3 0 5
Red Wings 1 0 0 1

First Period1, Tampa Bay, Paquette 7 (Killorn, Garrison), 2:03. 2, Detroit, Helm 9 (Ericsson, Datsyuk), 11:59. 3, Tampa Bay, Paquette 8 (Drouin, Killorn), 19:23. PenaltiesQuincey, Det (roughing), 5:43; Connolly, TB, served by Drouin, double minor (roughing), 5:43.

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Second Period4, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 27 (Stralman, Drouin), 4:18 (pp). 5, Tampa Bay, Paquette 9, 11:03 (sh). 6, Tampa Bay, Barberio 1 (Sustr, Johnson), 17:39. PenaltiesAndersson, Det (holding), 3:30; Abdelkader, Det (goaltender interference), 8:31; R.Callahan, TB (boarding), 10:04; Abdelkader, Det, major (fighting), 13:10; Garrison, TB, major (fighting), 13:10.

Third PeriodNone. PenaltiesNone. Shots on GoalDetroit 8-7-13—28. Tampa Bay 8-7-17—32. Power-play opportunitiesDetroit 0 of 2; Tampa Bay 1 of 2. GoaliesDetroit, Mrazek 10-4-1 (15 shots-10 saves), McCollum (0:00 third, 17-17). Tampa Bay, Bishop 25-8-2 (28-27).