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NEW YORK (AP) -- Theoren Fleury's miserable first season with the
New York Rangers might finally be behind him.
The star forward, who came to the Rangers before last season
with a lucrative free-agent deal, is producing like the player he
was in 11 years in the Western Conference.
|  | | Theo Fleury scored his first hat trick with the Rangers on Wednesday, and the 15th of his career. |
Fleury scored three times, twice on power plays in New York's
four-goal second period, as the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay
Lightning 6-1 Wednesday night.
"The puck's going in right now and that's something that wasn't
happening last year," said Fleury, who reached the nine-goal mark
-- something he didn't do last season until Dec. 26.
"It's fun to play right now."
Fleury, who scored one power-play goal all last season, already
has four in 11 games this season.
"We're starting to look more and more like we all know how we
can play and how we're going to have to play in order to have
success," Fleury said.
His short-handed goal 4:33 into the third period on a 2-on-1
with Mike York completed his first Rangers hat trick -- and the 15th
of his career.
The right wing was demoted to the fourth line after repeatedly
taking penalties. Since then, Fleury has four goals -- two
short-handed -- two assists and only two penalty minutes in two
games.
"He's a great hockey player," coach Ron Low said. "I'm
telling you, what you saw last year was an aberration."
Fleury, who had a goal and an assist Sunday in a 5-1 victory
over Boston, is already just six under his career-low goal total in
1999-00.
"I think at times last year I was playing really well," Fleury
said. "If any one of those go in that went off the post last year,
then it's a different scenario. That's the way it goes."
New York won its second straight home game after dropping four
straight at Madison Square Garden.
Tim Taylor and Sandy McCarthy -- Fleury's new linemates -- and
Eric Lacroix all scored their first goals of the season, and Brain
Leetch added three assists for the Rangers.
Mike Richter stopped 31 shots for his second straight victory
after losing his first two starts following knee surgery.
Ryan Johnson scored his first goal this season for the
Lightning, who finished their season road series with the Rangers.
Tampa Bay, coming off a 6-5 overtime loss Tuesday night at
Carolina, beat New York 4-2 on Oct. 22.
"We did what we were supposed to do against teams playing the
night before," Leetch said.
The Rangers were able to take advantage of the road-weary
Lightning, and nemesis Kevin Weekes, in the second period.
Weekes, who entered 5-2 with a 2.34 goals-against average in his
career against New York, allowed all six goals on 28 shots. He was
replaced by Dieter Kochan after Fleury's third goal.
"The Rangers were getting through to our net but we weren't
able to get penetration," Lightning coach Steve Ludzik said.
After a scoreless first period, Fleury scored with a blast from
the blue line at 3:14 of the second period. Tim Taylor made it 2-0
just 24 seconds later by swooping in on Weekes and moving backhand
to forehand. Fleury and rookie Mike Mottau assisted.
Johnson cut it to 2-1 at 7:30 after the puck was lost in a
scramble in front.
Fleury scored again on a power play at 15:15 after a beautiful
passing setup by Mark Messier and Leetch. McCarthy made it 4-1 with
less than a minute left in the middle period with his first goal
since last Dec. 27 -- a span of 45 games.
Lacroix scored on his own rebound at 3:34 of the third, and
Fleury made it 6-1 just 59 seconds later.
Game notes
Mottau earned his first career point in his fourth game.
... The Lightning finished a stretch of six road games in seven
contests, going 1-5-0-1, the only victory coming against the
Rangers. The teams meet two more times, both on the Lightning's
home ice. ... LW Johan Witehall replaced Valeri Kamensky on the
Rangers' top line. Kamensky missed his first game with a bruised
kidney and is day-to-day. ... The Rangers hadn't won consecutive
home games since Jan. 16 and 18.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
NY Rangers Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Rangers 6
Tampa Bay 1
NY Islanders 3
Florida 0
Detroit 4
Montreal 2
Philadelphia 1
New Jersey 1
Dallas 4
Columbus 0
Edmonton 3
Calgary 2
Vancouver 4
Colorado 3
Phoenix 1
Anaheim 1
San Jose 3
Pittsburgh 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tim Taylor knocks the rebound past Kevin Weekes.
avi: 594 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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