TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bolts Will Take The Point

ADVERTISEMENT

By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 10, 2008

ATLANTA - The Lightning executed to near perfection Saturday night, looking to end a three-game road trip in perfect shape. The end result, however, was an imperfect conclusion.

Tampa Bay dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to Atlanta in the final game of a three-game road trip in which the Lightning earned five of a possible six points after Alexei Zhitnik scored 1:26 into overtime. It's the one point lost, however, that the Lightning were thinking about after the game regardless of how well the team played.

"We wanted the two points, we needed the two," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "But we have the one and we just have to keep on fighting, and I thought our fight in the second half of this game, I thought we took it over."

The point earned for getting to overtime moved last-place Tampa Bay to within six points of Carolina for the division lead in a crowded Southeast Division.

Though the six-game road winning streak came to an end - one short of tying the franchise record - it wasn't from a lack of effort, as Tampa Bay outshot Atlanta 28-22, including 18-11 after the first period. Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen was the difference as he stopped 27 shots, including a near-game-winning deflection off the stick of Jason Ward in overtime just before Zhitnik won the game.

"It's a bit frustrating, to have that chance and then my momentum is going forward looking for the rebound and my defenseman jumps right past me," Ward said. "But we have to take the positives and see that we took five out of six points on this road trip."

In what turned out to be a virtual carbon copy of Thursday's game against Nashville, Tampa Bay took control starting in the second period with its play in the neutral zone by establishing a strong forecheck and beating the Thrashers to seemingly every loose puck.

The work paid off when Brad Richards picked off an errant Niclas Havelid pass just inside the offensive zone and found an open Vinny Lecavalier in the slot. Lecavalier deked Lehtonen down before lifting a backhander into the open net for his 32nd goal at 12:48. It was one of 10 Lightning shots in the second period, compared to four by Atlanta.

The Thrashers pulled even, however, early in the third period when Slava Kozlov slid a cross-ice pass to Marian Hossa for a one-timer from the right circle as Eric Perrin jumped to serve as a screen at 4:18.

The line of Chris Gratton, Nick Tarnasky and Craig MacDonald continued its solid play, logging nearly 15 minutes of ice time, taking time away from the second line. The trio nearly delivered the game-winner with four minutes left, but MacDonald's turnaround shot from above the crease caromed off the post.

"It's a tough loss, that's for sure," Gratton said. "But we're not out of it. We have to keep playing hard, we have to keep playing the way we have played and try to string some more wins together."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT