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Bolts Beat: Long Layoff A Blessing, Curse

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Erik Erlendsson/The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2007

TAMPA - So this is what the Lightning have to sit around and stew about for the next three days - another setback in Sunrise.

Because of the light schedule this month, Tampa Bay will practice the next three days on home ice before playing its next game Thursday in Boston. So for three days the Lightning are going to have to skate around and think about the slow start and undisciplined finish in a 6-4 loss to Florida - and how to rectify both.

A good start Saturday and the Lightning wouldn't have been trailing 3-0 after 20 minutes. A better finish and perhaps they could have completed a second comeback from down 5-1 in the third period in the past three seasons inside BankAtlantic Center (they did it against Roberto Luongo on March 20, 2006, before losing 6-5 in overtime).

Two things were a sign of disappointment in Saturday's loss - the Lightning spoke before the game of getting off to a good start against a quick Florida team and instead came out flat, taking a pair of penalties in the opening three-plus minutes and were down 2-0 less than five minutes into the game.

Then there was Tampa Bay's lack of discipline not only in giving up eight power-play opportunities, but also three power-play goals, two coming in five-on-three deficits. And the Lightning's attempted comeback was derailed by three consecutive penalties - a hooking call to Filip Kuba followed 35 seconds later by a tripping call to Brad Lukowich (which led to the clinching goal) and a roughing call to Chris Gratton, who gave Nathan Horton a shot behind the Tampa Bay goal with 6:20 left. All the momentum built up on three goals in a 2:53 span, two by Vinny Prospal and Jan Hlavac's first with the Lightning, was gone.

Now there are three days for those thoughts to linger in their minds. Three days of listening to the coaching staff during practices. And you can bet that during film sessions there will be some looks at the penalty calls from Saturday's game showing up on the screen.

But the next three days will also give Tampa Bay a chance to regroup and look at some of the positives out of Saturday's game, namely the Lightning's ability to mount a charge back and control a good portion of the second half of the game.

While it's easy to say that it's simple to play when a team is trailing 5-1 (which Tampa Bay was 1:26 into the third period), the Lightning didn't just go through the motions. When it was 2-0, the Lightning were behind on the shot clock 6-1 but ended up outshooting the Panthers 43-22 in the final 55 minutes and had Florida on its heels until discipline problems killed momentum.

Ideally, Tampa Bay would like to get back on the ice as soon as possible. The reality, however, is they have to wait five days and three practices between games. Three days is plenty of time for the coaching staff to correct the correctable situations.

HARD-LUCK LOSER: G Marc Denis is bitten by the Sunrise curse as much as his team is. Despite not starting any of the past five games at Florida, Denis has been stuck with two losses to the Panthers.

Last season he relieved Johan Holmqvist - who gave up two goals on two shots before being yanked after five minutes - and Denis took the loss in a 6-2 setback.

Saturday, Denis came in with Tampa Bay trailing 4-1 five minutes into the second period after Holmqvist gave up four goals on 15 shots. But because Denis surrendered a pair of five-on-three power-play goals and the Lightning rallied to score four goals, Denis took the loss again.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: When LW Hlavac scored with 11:16 left in Saturday's game, it meant more than a goal that cut the Lightning deficit to 5-4. It marked Hlavac's first goal in the NHL since March 12, 2004, while he was a member of the Rangers. The goal came in a 5-2 loss to Nikolai Khabibulin and the Lightning. Hlavac left during the lockout and played three seasons in Europe in the Swiss and Czech Republic leagues.

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