Lightning: Second is downfall this time

If there was a bounce, it did not go Tampa Bay's way. Scoring opportunities were wasted. And goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots, including three on three shots in the second period.

The result: a strange 5-3 loss to Minnesota in front of a sellout crowd of 18,064 at the Excel Energy Center that saw Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle score twice and Tampa Bay hold a 35-24 edge in shots.

"It just seems to be the way it's going right now," left wing Fredrik Modin said. "I don't want to blame it all on bad bounces. We had scoring chances we didn't capitalize on."

Tampa Bay is 0-2-0-1 on a four-game trip that ends Thursday in Montreal and 1-4-0-2 in its past seven overall.

Still, there was relief in the locker room that center Tim Taylor escaped serious injury after taking a high stick from Wild goalie Manny Fernandez across his left eye.

The incident occurred with 2:55 left after a scrum in front of the Wild net. Taylor poked at the puck and Fernandez's stick came up. Taylor was then slammed headfirst into the ice by Wild defenseman Lubomir Sekeras. Taylor got up and went after Fernandez.

When the melee broke up, Taylor, bent over and bleeding, skated off the ice. Team spokesman Bill Wickett said the cuts were above and below the eye. There was no word on the number of stitches required.

"It's a horrible thing when sticks go up in the face and in the eye area," Modin said.

Coach John Tortorella said he hoped the league will look into the incident.

"I'm anxious to see what the off-ice officials and what the replays of all this comes about here now," he said. "I'm anxious to see how the league handles this. They use (replays) for everything else."

Lightning left wing Andre Roy said Fernandez told him, "Tell (Taylor) I'm sorry. I was just trying to move his stick."

Fernandez, who got four minutes, was not available for comment.

Tampa Bay's game came apart in the second period. Richard Park scored 3:32 in on a play that began with a bad giveaway by Khabibulin, whose clearing attempt hit Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt. Wes Walz scored on a breakaway at 9:19 on a play in which he split Boyle and defenseman Brad Lukowich.

Marian Gaborik scored his league-high 19th goal at 13:16 on a breakaway that began when Boyle's pass from the high slot hit the skate of Minnesota's Brad Bombardir and bounced into the neutral zone.

That made the score 4-1 and ended the night for Khabibulin, who allowed both breakaway goals through his legs. Kevin Hodson was solid in relief and made eight saves.

Modin could not convert a second-period breakaway, and Sheldon Keefe lost control of the puck before he could get a shot off while standing alone in front of the Wild goal with 1:55 remaining in the second.

Tortorella, hoping to close a 4-2 deficit, pulled Hodson after Fernandez's penalty. But Vinny Lecavalier lost the ensuing offensive zone faceoff to Walz, and Willie Mitchell scored into an empty net at 17:09.

"We're not coming up with clutch plays at clutch times," Tortorella said. "And they don't have to be huge plays. They could be just a small little chip, or a smart little play or a good read on a coverage. We're not getting them."