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Notebook: Bolts Gaining Ground On Division Leader

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 15, 2007

TAMPA The Lightning have defeated Southeast Division-leading Carolina six times in a row dating to the second half of last season and are 12-5-1 against the Hurricanes since 2005-06.

Those numbers aren't as worrisome to Carolina coach Peter Laviolette as the smaller sample provided over the past six days: two games, two Lightning victories by a combined scored of 11-2.

"It's not too early to be worried about that," he said. "Those are points, big points. They're right behind us. So, no, it's not too early to worry about that."
Tampa Bay pulled within six points of the division lead and moved into the top eight of the Eastern Conference standings. While only one game better than .500 overall at 9-8-1, the Lightning are 7-4-0 against the Southeast Division and are tied with Ottawa and Colorado for the most intra-divisional victories in the league.

"They're teams that you face a lot, and a lot of times those are four-point games," Lightning RW Marty St. Louis said. "We're trying to catch up to [Carolina]. They've got a good cushion, but you try to get closer every time you play against them."

COACHES MAKE HISTORY: Lightning coach John Tortorella and Carolina's Laviolette have faced one another as head coaches 32 times. But prior to Wednesday, they never had competed as 200-game winners in the NHL. In fact, Wednesday's Lightning-Hurricanes game provided the first matchup of U.S.-born, 200-game-winning coaches in NHL history.

Tortorella, a Boston native, is fourth all-time among U.S.-born coaches with 217 victories, all with Tampa Bay. Laviolette, a native of Norwood, Mass., won his 200th on Monday at Florida.

The other three U.S.-born coaches with 200 or more victories never faced each other as 200-game winners.
Bob Johnson won 234 games with Calgary and Pittsburgh in 1982-91; Robbie Ftorek won 229 with the Kings, Devils and Bruins; Herb Brooks won 219 games with the Rangers, North Stars, Devils and Penguins.

Scotty Bowman is the all-time leader in NHL coaching victories with 1,244.

NUTS AND BOLTS: The five goals scored by the Lightning in the second period Wednesday were one short of the team record for goals in a period. That came on Dec. 19, 1995, in the third period against Winnipeg. … With nine points combined Wednesday, Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier, St. Louis and Vinny Prospal overtook Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour, Justin Williams and Corey Stillman as the highest-scoring trio of teammates in the NHL with 74 total points. The three Hurricanes have 70 points combined. … Lightning C Brad Richards' second-period fight with Williams was the third fight of Richards' career, his first since fighting Florida's Olli Jokinen on Oct. 14, 2006. … Lecavalier and St. Louis both registered a plus-five, setting career highs and tying the Lightning single-game record. … Richards' point streak ended at five games. Lecavalier, St. Louis and Prospal extended theirs to six. … Prospal's goal was his 12th. He didn't score his 12th last season until March 7 and finished with 14.

Carter Gaddis

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