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By Times staff and wire reports
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 22, 2001
Lightning preseason schedule released
A three-game road trip and a pair of back-to-back games against Southeast Division teams make up the Lightning's preseason schedule, announced Monday.
Tampa Bay opens against Carolina Sept. 15 at TECO Arena in Fort Myers. It plays the Hurricanes again Sept. 16 at the Ice Palace. It travels to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to play Ottawa Sept. 18, to Syracuse, N.Y., to play Columbus Sept. 19 and to Houston to play Washington Sept. 22.
The Lighting closes with a home-and-away series against the Panthers on Sept. 28 and 29.
Sept. 15: Carolina at TECO Arena, Fort Myers, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 16: Carolina, 6 p.m.
Sept. 18: Ottawa at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 6 p.m.
Sept. 19: Columbus at Syracuse, N.Y., 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 22: Washington at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 28: Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 29: at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Home games at Ice Palace unless noted
BLACKHAWKS: Chicago will keep its AHL team in Norfolk, Va., next season.
DEVILS: New Jersey has a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final over Pittsburgh, but the players remember well that a year ago, they were in the predicament they have the Penguins in.
New Jersey won the last three games against Philadelphia en route to the Stanley Cup.
"I don't think we are going to look past them," forward Bobby Holik said of tonight's Game 5 at the Meadowlands. "At this point, how many teams can come back from 3-1? It happens. It happened to us."
In NHL history, 182 teams have trailed 3-1. Sixteen have come back to win.
ISLANDERS: Newsday reported on its Web site that the team has chosen Bruins assistant Peter Laviolette as its coach, replacing interim coach Lorne Henning.
WILD: Minnesota agreed with the IHL's Houston Aeros on a minor-league affiliation.
- Staff writer Kevin Kelly contributed to this report.