Lightning Strikes in Third Overtime, 2-1

It took 11 seasons for the Tampa Bay Lightning to win a playoff series, so it didn’t care if it took a few extra overtimes.

Martin St. Louis scored his fifth goal of the series on a power play 4:03 into the third overtime Sunday to give the Lightning a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals at Washington.

The Lightning, after losing the first two games at home, won four in a row to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series and advance in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

“It’s been a long time coming, no question,” Coach John Tortorella said. “There’s been some lean years out there. We’re hoping we continue to go. You never know how far you’re going in the playoffs, but you need to come back and do it again, and that’s how you solidify your organization.

“We don’t want this to be a one-year thing -- or a one-series thing.”

Tampa Bay’s only previous postseason appearance came in 1996, when it lost, 4-2, to Philadelphia.

The third-seeded Lightning will play No. 2 New Jersey in the second round.

St. Louis scored on a power play after the Capitals were whistled for too many men.

St. Louis took Vincent Lecavalier’s pass behind the net, circled to the right of the crease and put the shot above Olaf Kolzig’s glove.

“We were fortunate,” Tortorella said. “A power play at that time of the game, when both teams are so very tired, it’s definitely an advantage.”

The culprit was defenseman Jason Doig, who hopped off the bench too soon and found the puck at his stick.

It was a tough blow for a team that lost Game 3 -- when leading the series, 2-0 -- on a five-on-three overtime power play.

Vancouver 4, St. Louis 3 -- Markus Naslund had a goal and two assists at St. Louis and the Canucks staved off elimination for the second consecutive game to force a decisive Game 7 in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Whoever wins Tuesday’s game at Vancouver will play the winner of the series between Colorado and Minnesota.

Mattias Ohlund had a goal and an assist for the Canucks, who scored two goals in each of the first two periods.

Vancouver scored twice on the power play in the second period, when the Blues repeatedly hurt themselves with penalties.

The Blues made it close with third-period goals by Eric Boguniecki and Doug Weight. St. Louis outshot Vancouver, 13-2, in the third period.

St. Louis has never lost a series in which it led 3-1, but the Canucks have come back twice from that deficit to win.