VIDEO: Vincent Lecavalier's beautiful goal, fight in first period

It was quite a first period in Tampa Bay between the Lightning and the Flyer, especially for Vincent Lecavalier.

By Brian Stubits

Jan 27, 2013 at 7:25 pm ET • 1 min read

It was quite a first period in Tampa Bay between the Lightning and the Flyers, especially for Vincent Lecavalier.

You knew it was going to be an interesting game when Sean Couturier scored a goal in the opening minute from nearly the corner boards on the goal line, banking it in off Lightning goalie Anders Lindback's skate.

As for Lecavalier, well, the period was certainly an adventure. He had the incredible snipe on the power play that you see above. How he fit that in above Michael Leighton's shoulder and the crossbar is beyond me, especially from that angle. That is a rocket shot if I've ever seen one -- simply unreal.

That wasn't it for Lecavalier, though. He also dropped the gloves with Luke Schenn, his first fight since Feb. 3, 2009. As in almost four years ago (video and stats via HockeyFights.com):

The opening period was so crazy that Lightning defenseman B.J. Crombeen had himself a triple minor on one play. He spent a whole shift trying to entice Claude Giroux into a fight and received a minor for interference, roughing and holding. On the same play Wayne Simmonds had a minor, so the Flyers had a 4-minute power play. They didn't score on it.

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