TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning finally had an off night.
Sean Hill had two goals, and Kevin Weekes made 20 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes snapped the Lightning's 18-game point streak with a 5-1 victory Saturday night.
"You know something like this is going to happen," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. "It doesn't make it any easier to go through it. We were slow in everything we did. I don't think it was through a lack of preparing and trying, but nothing went right."
Rod Brind'Amour, Jaroslav Svoboda and Radim Vrbata had the other goals for Carolina, 5-0-1-1 in its past seven road games.
"They're playing really well right now ... it was nice to be a thorn in their side for one night anyway," Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said.
Ruslan Fedotenko scored for Tampa Bay.
NHL scoring leader Martin St. Louis had an assist for the Lightning, who have a one-point lead in the race for the Presidents' Trophy over Western Conference-leading Detroit.
Tampa Bay, 26-4-2-4 since Jan. 3, was 14-0-2-2 to record the longest point streak in the NHL this season. The Lightning had won seven straight at home and lost for the first time in regulation since Feb. 3.
"Guys looked a little tired tonight," Tampa Bay defenseman Dan Boyle said. "The energy definitely wasn't there. We've had some bad periods in the last five games, but not the whole game. Tonight it was all three of them."
Fedotenko put the Lightning up 1-0 during a 2-on-1 at 5:25 of the first period.
Carolina took a 2-1 lead on goals by Hill, at 5:59, and Brind'Amour with 3:51 left in the first. Erik Cole set up Brind'Amour's goal, during a 2-on-1, by diving forward and swatting a pass into the slot from the left circle.
"They've been on an unbelievable run, but it's got to come to an end sometime," Cole said.
Tampa Bay didn't record a shot in the final 12:45 of the first period.
Svoboda scored his first goal in 25 games to put Carolina ahead 3-1 at 3:45 of the second. The third Hurricanes goal came on their eighth shot on goalie John Grahame, who finished with 21 saves.
Weekes turned aside Fredrik Modin's in-close backhander midway through the second. He also made a strong save on Dan Boyle's drive from the slot early in the third.
Vrbata made it 4-1 on a backhander at 10:36 of the third. Hill scored his second of the game during a five-on-three power play with 1:51 left.
"They outworked us," Lightning defenseman Cory Sarich said. "We can't take a night off like we did tonight. You do it, you get beat no matter who you are in the league."
Notes
- The Lightning will have Sunday and Monday off before hosting the New York Islanders on Tuesday. "I think our guys need to get away from the game for a little bit," Tortorella said.
- Brind'Amour needs one point for 900 in his career. He has played in 1,098 games.
- Fedotenko has a career-best 37 points this season.
- Hurricanes D Bruno St. Jacques did not play. He left Friday's game against Atlanta with an abdominal strain.
- The announced attendance was 20,237, Tampa Bay's fifth straight home sellout.
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