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Lightning win with 'simplified' game

Andy Marlin / Reuters

The Tampa Bay Lightning found the solution to their recent losing skid.

After winning just once in regulation in their last eight games, the Lightning pasted the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, coming away with a 6-3 victory.

Brian Boyle and Alex Killorn each grabbed a pair of goals on the night, while blue-liners Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr also chipped in on offense, both notching their first tallies of the year.

"We simplified our game and we skated," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. "We've had a bad habit of trying to place the puck in the net. There's always a better play to be made.

"We hemmed them in there a little bit, and we were aggressive, but we were skating. When you're doing that, especially with some of the guys on our team that can skate, we can be a little troublesome for teams, and we did that tonight."

Despite a 15-13-2 record through 30 games, Tampa Bay has struggled in recent weeks, going 5-7-1 since losing captain Steven Stamkos to a long-term knee injury.

With the victory over the Flames, the Lightning climbed to within three points of the third playoff position in the Atlantic. Tampa Bay now has a chance to build a winning streak of its own when they take the ice Friday versus the Vancouver Canucks.

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