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One For The Road

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By CARTER GADDIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2007

Updated: 11/09/2007 12:13 am

RALEIGH, N.C. - It was going to happen, sooner or later. They play 41 of these things every season in the NHL, and there hasn't been a team yet lose every game on the road.

So, it was practically inevitable that the Lightning would break through wearing their white visitors sweaters. Besides ...

"We are a good road team," said Coach John Tortorella. "We know we are."

What wasn't nearly as predictable was that the Lightning would end their season-opening road losing streak at seven games Thursday with an overwhelming, 5-1 victory at the RBC Center against the hottest team in the Southeast Division, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Nor could it have been foreseen that the Lightning would do it in the second half of a back-to-back, home-and-road sweep of the Florida Panthers and Carolina, with the same goalie - Johan Holmqvist - making seemingly impossible saves throughout both games.

After using nearly every body part to turn aside a furious Panthers rally Wednesday, Holmqvist was a little more conventional Thursday as he turned away 40 of 41 shots he faced - one short of his career best for saves.

"He was unreal," said Lightning center Brad Richards. "Even when there were mad scrambles, he was so square and big. From the bench, it still looked like there's no net to shoot at."

His best effort came shortly after the midway point in the second period, after goals by Vinny Lecavalier, Shane O'Brien and Filip Kuba had given the Lightning a 3-0 lead.

Tampa Bay made it through the first half without a penalty called against it, but as the home team fell behind, the inevitable whistle began to sound. Lightning winger Jan Hlavac was called for hooking 12:03 into the second, giving the Hurricanes their first power play.

Almost instantly, Holmqvist was challenged when Carolina's Erik Cole received the puck virtually alone to the left of the goal mouth and fired a quick wrist shot toward what appeared to be an undefended net. From near the top of the crease, Holmqvist dived backward, lunged with his left arm and gloved the puck to preserve Tampa Bay's 3-0 lead - turning aside Carolina's first and last good chance to regain momentum.

Holmqvist, who has saved 62 of 64 shots faced in his past two starts (.969 save percentage), showed no sign of wear in his second consecutive day of work.

"I don't mind playing back-to-back days," he said. "I felt great. I felt sharp right away. I don't know if it's the first time I've played back to back. But I felt good."

His heroics in the crease helped a steady, deliberate defensive effort stand up. It started in the first period, when the Lightning made a point of controlling the center of the ice against Carolina's speedy and aggressive scoring lines, and pushing the puck back up the ice to force the action the other way.

Tortorella was as pleased as he's been in a while with the all-around effort.

"We need that every night," he said. "In all areas of our game. We need good starts. We need some bounces. We need saves. We need discipline. And I thought we were very disciplined for a good part of that game. So, it's good."

Right wing Michel Ouellet (two assists) began the night on Richards' line but was moved to Lecavalier's midway through the first period. That sparked Lecavalier's ninth goal, the game's first, and O'Brien's first of two.

O'Brien scored his first goal following Ouellet and Lecavalier on a two-on-one break in the first period. Ouellet's shot ricocheted off Carolina goalie Cam Ward, and O'Brien cleaned up the rebound to make it 2-0.

O'Brien's second goal came on a breakaway created when he left the penalty box, picked up a wall pass from Andreas Karlsson and slid the puck past Ward. It was O'Brien's second two-goal night in four games.

And it helped the Lightning end their road losing streak in a most improbable manner.

"We'll probably look at the video, and I'm sure we made some mistakes tonight," O'Brien said. "But just to come in here against a team that's playing very well, to come in here and get two points the way we did, that's great for our team."

Reporter Carter Gaddis can be reached at (813) 259-8291 or igaddis@tampatrib.com.

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