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Bolts fire blanks in shootout loss to Sabres

The Associated Press

Lightning goalie Mike Smith sits on the ice after giving up the game-winning goal to Buffalo Sabres' Tyler Myers.

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2009

TAMPA - Lightning goalie Mike Smith lost another shootout Saturday night, but it was hard to fault him for what happened in that portion of a gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to Buffalo.

Tampa Bay sent six men against Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, and all were either denied or missed before Tyler Myers made a couple of stick-handling moves and finally got one by Smith.

Vinny Lecavalier, who scored his first goal in 15 games in the first period, came the closest. His shot hit the crossbar in the fourth round. In order, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, Alex Tanguay, Lecavalier, Mattias Ohlund and Marty St. Louis came up empty.

"None of us score, that's our fault," center Stamkos said. "Smitty did what he had to do. What did he stop, eight guys? We couldn't score once."

Smith fell to 0-3 shootouts this season after going 2-7 last year, and while he held his own in Saturday's shootout, he did give up goals in the final minute in the second and third periods.

In fact, the Lightning came within 16 seconds of getting a regulation victory against a Sabres team that came in 5-1-1. With Miller pulled, though, Drew Stafford pushed one by Smith when Smith's stick got caught to send the game to overtime.

"We had the game in the books with under a minute left, and we can't find ways to close games out," Smith said. "Good teams keep going at them, and we sat back and we let them come to us. Ultimately, they got a bounce there at the end, and it's in the net and they win the game."

Coach Rick Tocchet also pointed to his team's inability to take care of scoring opportunities and push its lead to 3-1 before giving up the tying goal.

"That's a tough loss for us, (in the) last minute," Tocchet said. "You learn from your mistakes and move on. That's what winners do, and we got to learn how to win. There's no way to sugarcoat it: We (had) the game and we let Buffalo back in."

Stamkos had put the Lightning ahead 2-1 with 15:34 left in regulation when he stole the puck from Steve Montador and beat an unsuspecting Miller with an unassisted wraparound goal.

The 2008 No. 1 overall pick tied Malone for the team lead in goals with seven and scored has three goals in the last two games.

Tocchet has been asking Lecavalier to get "uglier" on the ice, or scrap harder for the puck, and the captain scored his first goal of the season in exactly such fashion.

Battling near the net in the final seconds of the opening period, Lecavalier missed a backhand shot only to follow up Miller's block with another backhander that was good.

St. Louis earned an assist to extend his franchise record point streak to open a season to nine games, and 19-year-old James Wright, who completed his nine-game rookie tryout, also got an assist.

Wright, who still has juniors eligibility, will wait to learn whether the team keeps him or sends him back to his WHL team in Vancouver.

Buffalo, which trailed entering the second period for only the second time this year, tied the game 1-1 in the final minute of the frame. Tim Kennedy rushed a clearing pass by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, and the puck apparently hit off Kennedy's skate to Mike Grier, who put one by a diving Smith.

Before that, Tampa Bay killed two penalties and twice just missed scoring on a power play of its own when Miller made a glove save on a St. Louis breakaway and again when Miller kept Hedman from scoring his first NHL goal.

The Lightning don't play again until Thursday, when they host the Ottawa Senators, a team that beat them 7-1 on Oct. 15 in Canada.

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