Lightning 3, Canadiens 1

<br>MONTREAL (AP) _ Thanks to Brad Richards, the Tampa Bay Lightning will have plenty of time to get ready for their first conference finals. <br><br>Richards scored his second straight winning goal to

Friday, April 30th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MONTREAL (AP) _ Thanks to Brad Richards, the Tampa Bay Lightning will have plenty of time to get ready for their first conference finals.

Richards scored his second straight winning goal to help the Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 Thursday night, completing a sweep of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

``It's incredible, game-winners or not, just to come in here and win in this atmosphere,'' Richards said. ``You saw how the atmosphere is at the start of the game and all that _ it's just so much fun. It's the best time of your life and you just want to enjoy it.''

The Lightning had never advanced past the second round in their first 11 NHL seasons, but now will have time off before facing either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Philadelphia Flyers with a trip to the Stanley Cup finals on the line.

``I don't think we're content,'' Richards said. ``We're going to be ready. Both teams we have a chance to be facing are going to be battling so hard and they're going to be at a whole new level and we've got to get ready for them.''

The Flyers lead the Maple Leafs 2-1 and the earliest they can advance is Sunday.

In the other game Thursday night, Detroit won 4-2 at Calgary, evening that Western Conference semifinal at 2-2.

Fredrik Modin scored into an empty net with 55.3 seconds remaining for the Lightning, who handed the Canadiens just their second series sweep on home ice after Buffalo did it in the second round in 1998.

Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 27 shots, allowing only Niklas Sundstrom's goal 5:46 in. Khabibulin, who has allowed nine goals in nine games, leads NHL goalies with four shutouts and a 0.99 goals-against average in the playoffs.

``Nik has been the backbone of the team and everybody else has contributed,'' Lightning coach John Tortorella said. ``That's what has to happen.''

Richards and Vincent Lecavalier combined to make the Lightning just the fourth team to sweep the Canadiens in a best-of-seven series.

Lecavalier, who scored five goals in the first three games _ including the tying goal with 16.5 seconds left in regulation in Game 3 _ assisted on Dan Boyle's first goal of the playoffs to tie it midway through the second period.

``We were working hard and I got a couple of lucky bounces, like tonight _ I was trying to pass the puck to the point and it went off someone's leg and went in,'' Lecavalier said. ``Sometimes that's how it is.''

Richards, who scored 1:05 into overtime in Tuesday's 4-3 win, beat goalie Jose Theodore with a sensational backhand shot at 17:14 of the second period.

Montreal didn't have much left against the top-seeded Lightning after rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against Boston in the first round.

``It is a very empty feeling right now,'' Canadiens captain Saku Koivu said. ``To play for so long, go through so much, and then all of a sudden the season is done and there's no tomorrow for us.''

Koivu, who coach Claude Julien revealed was injured in the first game of the playoffs and played with broken ribs, torn cartilage and a bruised lung, said Wednesday he wouldn't consider this season a success if the Canadiens were swept by the Lightning.

The Canadiens lost left wing Richard Zednik to an apparent leg injury with 53 seconds remaining. X-rays of his left ankle were negative.

The Lightning tied it on a power play 11:57 into the second period when Lecavalier's pass from the right corner struck Boyle's leg and bounced past Theodore.

Richards got his fourth goal of the playoffs at 17:14 on a give-and-go with Dimitry Afanasenkov, silencing the enthusiastic crowd, and setting up the Lightning's seventh straight playoff win since losing Game 2 to the New York Islanders in the first round.

``I think as you go through trying to get 16 wins to win a Stanley Cup you need to have some time to heal,'' Tortorella said. ``To get a series done four straight is certainly going to help us because we have some guys banged up.''

Red Wings 4, Flames 2

Mathieu Dandenault scored his first goal of the postseason midway through the third period.

Martin Gelinas and Ville Nieminen scored for the Flames 18 seconds apart in the second period to tie the game at 2 before Dandenault got the lead back for the Red Wings.

Game 5 is Saturday in Detroit.

Kirk Maltby and Boyd Devereaux also scored for the Red Wings, and Henrik Zetterberg added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Ray Whitney and Kris Draper had two assists each.