TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bolts Lose 3rd Straight, 3-1 To Islanders

The Associated Press

New York Islanders' Mark Streit slips a shot past Tampa Bay Lightning goal tender Karri Ramo.

ADVERTISEMENT

By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2009

Updated: 02/04/2009 12:31 am

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - After pulling themselves into the playoff conversation a week ago, the Lightning have put together a weak run since.

Tampa Bay lost its third consecutive game Tuesday, falling to the last-place New York Islanders, 3-1. After moving to within eight points of the final playoff spot following a post-All-Star break victory against Montreal last week, the Lightning are back in the conversation for the John Tavares sweepstakes.

New York tilted the ice in its favor with three second-period goals in a span of 3 minutes, 25 seconds midway through the period, chasing goaltender Karri Ramo, who started in place of injured Mike Smith. The Islanders seemed to jump on every loose puck and pin Tampa Bay in its zone for good portions of the first half of the second period.

Trent Hunter deflected one shot for a power-play goal at 6:29, Mark Streit got a puck through Ramo at 8:29 and Radek Martinek scored his first in 102 games with a wrist shot that beat Ramo to the short side at 9:52, ending Ramo's night and allowing Mike McKenna to make his NHL debut.

"We had lots of scoring chances but couldn't score goals, so I didn't help the team win the game," said Ramo, who allowed three goals on 16 shots in his third start of the season.

Vinny Lecavalier ended a scoreless streak of 175:52 at Nassau Coliseum early in the third, but for the third consecutive game, Tampa Bay had a goal taken off the board late when an Andrej Meszaros goal that would have made it 3-2 was waved off when Marty St. Louis was called for a cross checking penalty that had St. Louis giving referee Don Koharski an earful as he walked off the ice.

"I tried to push him as he bends down and my stick kind of rode him . . . I don't know, I saw the replay and it wasn't that bad," St. Louis said.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT