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Bolts Feel Cheated

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: December 19, 2008

TAMPA - At various points this season, the Lighting have snatched defeat out of the hands of victory. On Thursday, their fate wound up in the hands of the guys in stripes.

After a lengthy discussion between the four on-ice officials, Milan Hejduk was awarded a goal in the shootout that handed Colorado a 2-1 victory.

Lightning goaltender Mike Smith made a dazzling save on Hejduk in the second round of the shootout, but in the process Smith dropped his stick while his blocker came sweeping across the crease. Although Smith stopped the puck with his blocker, head referee Tim Peel announced the officials determined that Smith instead threw his stick at the puck and awarded Hejduk the goal.

"I know it's a quick game and things happen fast, there are four refs on the ice - four, not one - they have the angles covered. ... I mean, I made the save and I had to drop the stick because my stick was going to fly into the air," said Smith, who made 34 saves. "You can't make that call at that point in the game, you can't, you can't. The save was already made and it was after the fact that the stick went to the ice.

"There's four guys on the ice, you would think one of them could make the right call."

Mike Murphy, the league's senior vice president of hockey operations, said only pucks going into the net are reviewable by the league. Murphy did not allow a pool reporter to speak to the officials after the game.

"I've asked them not to speak to anybody, I don't think any good can come out of it," Murphy said when asked if the referees would be available to speak. "There's a hot environment down there right now and I think it's best they not speak just because I don't want them getting trapped."

After Jussi Jokinen and Vinny Lecavalier missed on Tampa Bay's first two shootout opportunities, Marty St. Louis had a chance to extend the shootout but was stopped by Andrew Raycroft, who finished with 37 saves.

"My phone's been blowing up from NHL people that are friends who said that's a terrible call," Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet said.

"You can't blame the referees every night ... but it's a tough one to swallow."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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