Bolts can't protect third-period lead

Tampa Bay's scoring slump continues to send the Lightning into a slide, while the porous penalty kill keeps providing the downward slope.

New Jersey scored with 38.1 seconds left on a Jamie Langenbrunner tip-in in front of the net to give the Devils a 3-2 victory Friday. The loss was the third consecutive in regulation for Tampa Bay and kept the Lightning winless in four games (0-3-1) since trouncing the New York Rangers the day after Thanksgiving.

"We are just finding ways to lose right now, and it's tough," said Steven Stamkos, who set up a Steve Downie power-play goal with three minutes left to snap an 0-for-16 man-advantage drought.

During the three-game slide, Tampa Bay has scored a total of four goals. At the other end of the ice, the penalty kill has allowed seven goals in the past four games, including a pair in the opening five minutes of the third period while protecting a one-goal lead.

Tampa Bay opened the third period by taking three penalties in a four-minute span, with the Devils scoring on two of the opportunities.

"Sometimes when the pressure is on people do stupid things," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said of the three consecutive penalties. "They are just stupid, stupid penalties."

Vinny Lecavalier, mired in season-long goal-scoring slump, got the kind of unexpected score that rebuilds confidence when he came around the back of the net early in the second period. Somehow he snuck the puck between the post and the skate of goaltender Martin Brodeur 1:26 into the period to open the scoring.

"I just need anything. It doesn't matter how," Lecavalier said.

From there, Tampa Bay was putting on good pressure while keeping the Devils out of the Lightning zone for a good portion of the second period, doing a textbook job of keeping New Jersey at bay with one shot in the first 14 minutes of the period.

But to start the third, Tampa Bay's lack of discipline and inability to kill penalties proved to be the difference in the game.

Three seconds after a Lukas Krajicek slashing call at 1:12 of the third period, Brian Rolston stepped into a faceoff win by Rob Niedermayer and ripped a slap shot past Antero Niittymaki to tie the game.

Jeff Halpern then took a tripping call 20 seconds after the goal, and while Tampa Bay killed off the penalty, Stamkos first turned over a puck at the New Jersey blue line before taking a tripping call at 3:50 of the period. Vladimir Zharkov then got a stick on a clearing attempt by David Hale at the side of the Tampa Bay net, allowing Niclas Bergfors to jump on a loose puck in the slot and fire a quick wrist shot through Niittymaki at 5:14 to give the Devils the lead.

When the team is mired in a scoring drought, those mistakes often prove too costly to overcome.

"We've got to be close to last in the league on killing penalties. We have to find ways to straighten that out quickly," Tocchet said. "It's frustrating because we are in control of the game at 1-0, then dumb penalty after dumb penalty. Then in the last (30) seconds there is not enough tenacity in front of the net. We are just finding ways to lose, and that's what happens when you lose three in a row."