TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Vinny Prospal led the way as the Tampa Bay

Lightning played like the Stanley Cup champions again.

Prospal had three goals and an assist to help the Lightning snap

a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia

Flyers on Monday night.

"It's a win, it's two points, but more important is how we did

it," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. "It's not what you do

last year, it's what you do right now. That's what I think we

re-established for tonight's game."

Prospal has eight goals and 18 points during a 10-game point

streak. His second goal of the game, coming on the power play, put

the Lightning ahead 3-2 with 4:15 left in the second period. The

center was left alone in the front of the net and scored after

taking a pass from Brad Richards.

Martin Cibak extended the Lightning's lead to 4-2 on a breakaway

with 7:55 to play. Prospal completed the hat trick with an

empty-net goal with 37.3 seconds left.

"For the team, it's great that we were able to play a game like

this," Prospal said. "For me personally, it's great to get a hat

trick. It feels a lot better when we win the game."

Peter Forsberg scored twice for the Flyers, who had won six

straight. He has six goals and 31 points in 16 games this season.

"They came at us hard, and we turned the puck over way too many

times," Forsberg said. "They were all over us. They worked hard

and they wanted to win. You could see they were a desperate team

and we weren't."

Tampa Bay was without right wing Martin St. Louis, who is

expected to miss at least two weeks after breaking a bone near the

tip of his left ring finger at practice on Sunday.

It was the first meeting between the teams since Tampa Bay beat

the Flyers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on May

22, 2004. The Lightning then defeated the Calgary Flames in seven

games to win the Stanley Cup.

"I thought as the game wore on we were out-competed,"

Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock said. "This was like a playoff

game. For a game where you're going to checked this hard, I thought

we had too many people below the bar today. Way too many people."

Forsberg put the Flyers ahead 1-0 on a power-play goal at 17:51

of the first. Prospal tied it at 1 on his goal 17 seconds later.

After Dan Boyle's power-play goal gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead 32

second into the second, Forsberg scored his second man-advantage

goal to make it 2-all at 3:13.

Lightning goalie John Grahame made 22 saves.

"It's only one game, but it's going to boost this team,"

Grahame said.

Philadelphia's Robert Esche stopped 28 shots.Game notes
Tampa Bay captain Dave Andreychuk played in his 1,615 game,

which ties him for fifth place all-time with Larry Murphy. ...

Flyers RW Turner Stevenson took part in Monday's morning skate. He

has been sidelined since undergoing right hip surgery on Oct. 18.

"Hopefully within the next week he'll be ready to play,"

Hitchcock said. ... Lightning backup G Sean Burke (strained groin)

dressed after missing the past seven games. ... Tampa Bay C Vincent

Lecavalier had three assists, all coming on Prospal goals.