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And the last shall stay there

The Lightning, now in the division basement, loses 5-2 to the first-place Capitals.

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2001

TAMPA -- As much as John Tortorella tries, he cannot help but pay attention to the Southeast Division standings.

"We're in a little bit of a slide here, and if we keep on going ... boy, you can't get much lower," the Lightning coach said before Tuesday's game against division-leading Washington. "I picked up the paper, and that's where we're at."

Tampa Bay coaches and players woke up Tuesday and found their team last in the division after Florida won its league-low 10th game Monday. The win gave the Panthers 34 points, one more than the Lightning, and pushed it out of the basement. Tuesday night, the Lightning went out and lost its seventh straight and 11th in 12, 5-2 to the Washington Capitals before an announced crowd of 11,854 at the Ice Palace. Washington scored three goals, including an empty-netter, in the final 4:29 to win a game that was tied 2-2 after two periods. Goaltender Olaf Kolzig stopped 27 shots for his 20th win. Lightning goaltender Kevin Weekes stopped 27 shots.

Capitals right wing Peter Bondra broke the tie when he scored on Washington's third power play of the game 13:57 into the period. It was his 34th career goal against the Lightning.

Left wing Chris Simon scored the Capitals' fourth goal 16:30 into the period, and Jeff Halpern scored an empty-netter with 1:34 remaining.

Washington exposed some of the Lightning's most glaring weaknesses. Defensive lapses cost Tampay Bay two goals, and the Lightning's decrepit power play is 6 for its past 97.

The Capitals' first three goals came after faceoffs in Tampa Bay's zone.

Defenseman Brendan Witt scored his first goal of the season after center Trent Whitfield won a faceoff in the Lightning's zone and the puck drifted out to Witt at the blue line.

His slapshot nicked the shin of Lightning right wing Alexander Kharitonov, and the puck was deflected enough to fool Weekes. It went into the lower left corner of the net 2:44 into the first period.

The assist was Whitfield's first of the season.

After failed power plays by both teams, Tampa Bay tied the score 5:14 into the period on a cross-ice pass from right wing Mike Johnson to left wing Nils Ekman.

Ekman, recalled from the IHL's Detroit Vipers on Jan. 15, was parked to the left of Kolzig and stuffed Johnson's pass home for his second goal of the season. Johnson got his second assist in four games.

After unsuccessful power plays by both teams, the Capitals took the lead on left wing Richard Zednik's soft backhander right in front of Weekes with 6:49 remaining in the period.

The play started when right wing Dmitri Khristich won the faceoff and defenseman Rob Zettler passed to Zednik from the corner. Zednik's shot went under Weekes' glove and right in front of Lightning center Martin St. Louis, who threw up his hands in frustration after the puck went in.

St. Louis then tied the score at 2 in the second period.

After left wing Fredrik Modin stole the puck near center ice, he passed to center Brian Holzinger near the left circle.

Holzinger's one-timer went over Kolzig, hit the glass and rebounded back over the net. St. Louis was waiting to stuff the puck past Kolzig, who was confused, with 17:27 remaining in the period.

It was St. Louis' first point in five games.

The Lightning had a couple of chances to take the lead, including a series of shots midway through the period by defenseman Paul Mara and Ekman that Kolzig easily handled.

Weekes shined just as much, making a spectacular diving save on a shot by Washington center Andrei Nikolishin.

Defenseman Cory Sarich nearly broke the tie less than five minutes into the third period with a one-timer from the slot that Kolzig nabbed after doing splits.

"Obviously, you don't want to be last," Lightning center Brad Richards said. "But when you don't win, you've got to expect to be down there."

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