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Sellout Watches Wings Snatch Win From Lightning, 4-3

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: November 14, 2008

TAMPA - Too little sustained offense and too many untimely penalties led to too much Stanley Cup champions for the Lightning to overcome Thursday night.

Detroit scored three times in the third period to snatch victory right out from under Tampa Bay's skates in a 4-3 Lightning loss in front of the first announced sellout home crowd of the season, although judging from the cheers at the end of the game, it might as well been a home game for the Red Wings.

Tampa Bay's regulation losing streak ran to a season-long three games as the Lightning gave up 39 shots on goal while firing a season-low 18 at Detroit's Chris Osgood, who improved to 17-0 lifetime vs. Tampa Bay.

Holding a one-goal lead late in the second, Tampa Bay was whistled for three penalties in an 18-second span - Paul Ranger for cross checking followed by Chris Gratton (slashing) and Adam Hall (elbowing) simultaneously 18 seconds after Ranger went to the box - giving Detroit what amounted to a full two minutes of a two-man advantage, all but seven seconds of which rolled over into the start of the third period.

With the Red Wings coming into the game with the top power play in the league, that might as well be a week's worth of penalty time to try to kill off.

"In the second period we go brain dead and take three terrible penalties," Lightning coach Barry Melrose said. "We can't give the best team in the world a two-minute five-on-three and then another two minute five-on-four. That's winning and losing. Tonight we beat ourselves."

Henrik Zetterberg tied the score with 15 seconds left on the two-man advantage at the 1:38 mark of the third while Mikael Samuelsson put the Wings in front for good less than a minute later. Johan Franzen scored an insurance goal at 9:21, which proved to be the winner after Matt Pettinger scored his first of the season with 4:18 left to cut the margin to 4-3.

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

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