Words can't describe

A sixth straight loss, seventh on the road, has the Lightning speechless.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published November 6, 2007

Filip Kuba falls on goaltender Johan Holmqvist on Olli Jokinen's goal in the first period as Ville Peltonen closes in.
	[AP photo]

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Officials try to separate the Lightning's Nick Tarnasky and the Panthers' Bryan Allen as they slug it out during the first period.

SUNRISE - Silence.

The Lightning locker room was full of players, but there was not a sound except for the placing of gear in travel bags.

Really, though, what was there to say?

Another loss, 4-3 to the Panthers on Monday night at the BankAtlantic Center, upped Tampa Bay's losing streak to six games, including one in overtime, and added to the team's record streak of seven road losses to open a season.

It was a heartbreaker as David Booth's terrific tip-in with 1:19 left in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie.

"You can't really describe the feeling," defenseman Filip Kuba said. "You play hard as a team, you play good minutes, you just don't get the result."

Said defenseman Shane O'Brien: "It's nothing like I've ever been a part of."

For what it's worth, Tampa Bay (5-8-1) earned its first road lead on Marty St. Louis' third goal 6:39 into the first period.

It lasted two minutes, 50 seconds as Olli Jokinen got credit for a goal that appeared to deflect off Kuba's skate as the Lightning defenseman fell on goaltender Johan Holmqvist while trying to defend against Ville Peltonen in front of the net.

And the Lightning allowed power-play goals after taking undisciplined penalties.

Vinny Prospal's five-minute major for boarding Bryan Allen led to Jokinen's goal, and Jan Hlavac's tripping call led to Peltonen's tally that gave Florida a 2-1 first-period lead.

By the end, though, that seemed like quibbling when the bigger picture was so much more relevant.

"It's getting old," O'Brien said. "We've got a lot of good guys in here. The thing that makes me upset, or mad, you work hard, you get something out of it. It seems like the harder we work, the less we get out of it."

For example, defenseman Brad Lukowich scored his first goal with 9:52 left in the second period to tie the score at 2 after some great digging along the side boards by Jason Ward.

Eighteen seconds later, O'Brien backed too much off the rushing Steve Montador, who scored with a great wrist shot into the short-side top corner.

Later in the period, Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun stopped Vinny Lecavalier's breakaway.

Michel Ouellet scored 3:40 into the third period to tie the score at 3. But a scrambling Kuba just couldn't get enough of Jokinen behind the Lightning net before Florida's captain passed to Ruslan Salei, whose shot Booth tipped.

"It hasn't happened often that we found a way to win games like that," Jokinen said.

Andre Roy tried before the game to give Tampa Bay that spark with a locker room speech.

"I was just trying to find a way to motivate guys, trying to say positive things," he said. "That's the key right now."

Coach John Tortorella agreed.

"There's no sense whining about it," he said. "There's no sense feeling sorry about it. We've just got to plow through, keep our effort and hopefully it will turn around for us and we'll gain some results."

And finally make a little noise.

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 01:25:51]