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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 6, 2001
TAMPA -- That reputed savior Nikolai Khabibulin allowed three goals in the Lightning's season-opening loss to the Islanders on Friday might suggest he did not live up to his billing.
Think again.
Imagine what it might have been like without him.
Khabibulin stopped 31 shots, including several from point-blank range, in a 3-2 loss. As anticipated, his handiwork kept the Lightning in the game until the end. "That's the luxury of having a goalie like that," veteran wing Dave Andreychuk said. "He comes up with big saves and gives us a chance to win. This game was a perfect example of that."
Khabibulin did not get much help from a young defense.
All three Islanders goals were aided by breakdowns: a breakaway by Michael Peca after a faceoff, a crossing pass that went through three Lightning players on its way to wide-open Mark Parrish, and an unchallenged power-play blast from the top by Roman Hamrlik that Parrish deflected into the net.
"I was a little bit too excited in the first period, but after the first goal of the season I felt pretty good," Khabibulin said. "We made a couple mistakes, but I feel very optimistic. I would look at this game as a positive instead of a negative."
Khabibulin, who sat out a lengthy contract dispute in Phoenix, showed little rust for someone who played just two games the past two seasons, making a spectacular save during an Islanders power play in the second period.
When Alexei Yashin slipped a crossing pass to Mariusz Czerkawski, everyone in the Ice Palace expected the red light to blaze. Khabibulin slid across and stone-walled Czerkawski with the left pad.
"Yashin sees the ice very well so I was expecting something from him," said Khabibulin, who was voted the game's third star. "I cheated a little bit."
Khabibulin protected a 2-1 lead into the third period, but could not beat the odds of facing 27 shots in the final two periods. It was only a matter of time before the Islanders converted.
"Nik made some big saves at key times," coach John Tortorella said. "He played well for us, gave us a chance to win, but we didn't get the goal at the other end of it."
Though it would have been hard for Khabibulin to do more, he will analyze his performance and look for ways to improve. He is not back to top form, but he is getting close.
"You can always blame somebody for something, but I'll check the video to see what kind of goals they scored," Khabibulin said. "I don't try to find excuses. There's nothing I won't work on in practice."