|
 Lightning center Steven Stamkos scored his first goal since
returning from a four-month absence with a broken leg, and the home
crowd also cheered as right winger Ryan Callahan got his first goal
with the Lightning after joining the team from the New York Rangers
last week.
There was plenty to celebrate as the Lightning completed a 4-0 sweep
of their in-state rivals.
"It was great. Right from when I got here, they've seemed to embrace
me, but to hear the cheer after my first goal, that's a good
feeling," Callahan said. "It's good to get that one out of the way
and as a team to get that first win done with, and now you can move
on."
The two teams combined for four goals in the first nine minutes,
needing less than two minutes to get the scoring started. Tampa Bay
(35-24-7) shook its recent penchant for losing late leads, and
Florida (24-35-7) has the opposite record after allowing three-plus
goals for the seventh time in eight games since the Olympic break.
 "We have two more points than we had two and a half hours ago,"
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "That's all that matters. We made a
couple big mistakes at the end, but fortunately, when you have a
three-goal lead, you get away with those."
Tampa Bay center Tom Pyatt was called for hooking just 1:14 into the
game, and 30 seconds later, Florida had a power-play goal from left
winger Tomas Fleischmann, his seventh goal of the season, for a 1-0
lead. The Lightning penalty-killing unit had allowed just one goal
in its previous 16 times.
The Lightning answered, however, as defenseman Sami Salo blasted a
shot from just outside the circle for his third goal of the season
with 14:22 left in the first. Just 12 seconds later, Florida had the
lead again after center Quinton Howden, a 22-year-old making his
season debut, scored his first NHL goal with 14:10 left for a 2-1
lead.
Again, the Lightning countered quickly, with defenseman Michael
Kostka scoring the equalizer with 11:42 left for his third goal of
the year.
After allowing two goals in his first seven shots, Tampa Bay goalie
Ben Bishop settled down.
The Lightning took control of the game with two goals in the second
period. Callahan, acquired from the Rangers for captain Martin St.
Louis, redirected a pass from left winger Ondrej Palat for a 3-2
lead with 7:56 left in the second period. It was Callahan's 12th
goal of the season but his first with the Lightning, drawing loud
cheers from the home crowd.
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With momentum on their side, the Lightning went up 4-2 on center
Alex Killorn's 16th goal of the season with just 1:07 left in the
second period, taking pressure off a Tampa Bay team that had given
up leads consistently in its five-game losing streak.
That did not take away from the excitement when Stamkos scored on a
power play midway through the third period for his 15th goal of the
season and first since returning from a broken leg last week.
"As long as we're winning, I think everyone in this room is happy,"
Stamkos said. "We could have easily put our tail between our legs
after they scored those two quick goals (early). I thought for the
most part we played a good game and deserved to win today."
Florida added two goals in the final 1:05, first from right winger
Scottie Upshall, his 12th goal of the season, and then with 26
seconds left on center Brandon Pirri's eighth of the year.
Florida, pulling the goalie for a final shot at tying the score, did
not get a shot on goal.
"We had a lot of new faces. I thought Howds played a great game.
(Center Vincent) Trocheck's playing a lot of minutes for us,"
Upshall said. "Our team game can be better. We need to learn how to
play 2-2 games instead of letting them get away from us."
NOTES: Both teams have come back from the Olympic break in rough
fashion — the Lightning are 1-4-2 in two weeks since and the
Panthers are 2-5. Both teams have allowed at least three goals in
six of their seven games. ... Tampa Bay C Steven Stamkos played in
his fourth game after missing nearly four months with a broken leg.
He went without a point in the first three games, his longest
stretch without a point since March 2012. ... The Panthers' two-goal
first period came after a dry stretch where the team totaled six
goals in four games, its lowest-scoring four-game span of the
season. ... Both teams have the New Jersey Devils next, with the
Panthers returning home to host the Devils on Friday and the
Lightning hosting them on Saturday night. Tampa Bay is in the middle
of a six-game homestand.
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