By Daren Smith

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) - Ruslan Fedotenko has a decision to make. Does he bring the Stanley Cup back to Kiev, where he was born and raised, or Sioux City, Iowa, where he lives?

Fedotenko gets the choice after he was the not-so-likely hero for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Just a week after he was knocked out of the series, the 25-year-old Ukrainian became the eighth player in Stanley Cup Finals history to score two goals in Game Seven.

Both goals were scored from similar spots. On a power play with 6 1/2 minutes to go in the first period, he was stationed at the edge of the slot, got a rebound of Brad Richards' point shot and wristed it between the pads of goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.

"The puck came to me and I had a chance to shoot and I took it, that's all," Fedotenko said.

Vincent Lecavalier did most of the work on Fedotenko's second goal, stickhandling away from defenseman Steve Montador in the left corner and stepping between two other defenders before working the puck to the inner edge of the left faceoff circle.

Fedotenko settled it with his stick, then snapped it by Kiprusoff's glove.

"We were cycling the puck there and moving it pretty well," he said. "And then Vinny just made a great play with some unbelievable moves."

It was the 12th playoff goal for Fedotenko, tying him with Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards for tops on the team.

"I always felt like he was the kind of player who could elevate his game in the playoffs," Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said. "He's tough along the boards, smart. I just knew he'd be a key contributor in the postseason."

Fedotenko had a three goals in the first two rounds of the playoffs before netting six against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals. The Flyers are the team with which he spent his first two seasons and the team from which Feaster acquired him for a 2002 first-round draft pick.

"I guess that trade looks OK right now," Feaster said. "I always thought it would. ... He's a guy we did our homework on, a guy we thought could score 20 goals in the regular season. "

Fedotenko rode the momentum into the Stanley Cup Finals, scoring the first goal in the Lightning's victory in Game Two.

Two nights later, however, he was driven face-first into the boards by Calgary Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr. He suffered a laceration and bruise on his right cheek and sat out Game Four with what many believed was a concussion.

After practicing with a full face shield, Fedotenko was back for Game Five. How badly was he injured?

"Not bad enough to keep me away from the Finals," he said Monday night.

"Feds' a guy that we thought we were going to lose after the hit. What can you say?" Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said.

Tortorella reminded reporters that Fedotenko had not earned a regular lineup spot at the beginning of the season. But his playoff total nearly equaled his regular-season production of 17 goals.

"I think that's why we ended up getting it done, contribute on each and every given night," Tortorella said.