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Isles get some satisfaction

They pound the Lightning 7-4 to end an 8-game losing streak Tampa Bay started.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 28, 2000

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Before the Lightning faced the Islanders on Monday night at Nassau Coliseum, New York coach Butch Goring hoped for a role reversal.

Starting with a Nov. 3 loss to the Lightning at the Ice Palace, the Islanders had lost 10 of 11 and eight in a row.

"That set us back a note," Goring said of the Lightning loss. "Maybe they can return the favor to us."

The Islanders did themselves and their beleaguered coach a favor with a 7-4 victory before an announced 7,807.

It was a difficult night for Tampa Bay, which could have taken over sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division and let a nice second-period comeback go for nothing.

But the the Lightning went into the game without seven injured regulars and lost two more in the first period. Right wing Sheldon Keefe was given a game misconduct for charging into Islanders goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. Right wing Mike Johnson went down with a left foot sprain.

Vanbiesbrouck was replaced by Wade Flaherty at the start of the second period.

The game also was a disheartening homecoming for goaltender Kevin Weekes, who was acquired from the Islanders last summer and was pulled for Dan Cloutier after allowing four first-period goals.

It was not all his fault. Tampa Bay was atrocious clearing the defensive zone and was outshot 18-5. It was outshot 38-23 for the game.

Lightning left wing Gordie Dwyer returned after a 23-game suspension and had an enthusiastic second-period fight with Dave Scatchard.

The first period was one of the worst the Lightning has played since allowing five goals to the Devils last month. New York took a 1-0 lead 8 minutes, 22 seconds in on Roman Hamrlik's wrist shot from the point. The goal came on a power play seconds after Tampa Bay had killed off a 1:20 five-on-three.

It was 2-0 26 seconds later when Claude Lapointe put in the rebound after Weekes stopped Zdeno Chara's shot. It was 3-0 at 14:05 when Kevin Haller scored his first goal of the season on a slap shot from the point during a four-on-four situation.

The Lightning lost Keefe at 16:32 when he ran into Vanbiesbrouck just after the goaltender cleared the puck from in front of the crease.

The Lightning cut its deficit to 3-1 because of a nice play by Martin St. Louis. The forward outworked Hamrlik for the puck along the boards to Vanbiesbrouck's right. St. Louis threw the puck at Vanbiesbrouck, who deflected it into the slot. Vinny Lecavalier picked it up and scored his 10th at 16:42.

The Islanders got a boost to end the period when Scatchard scored with 6.7 seconds left after turning Lightning forward Fredrik Modin around at the blue line.

As bad as the Lightning was in the first period, that's how good it was in the second as it cut its deficit to 4-3.

Modin got his team-high 12th goal past Flaherty at 12:05 on a power play when he put in the rebound of Flaherty's save of Pavel Kubina's slap shot. Brad Richards made it 4-3 at 16:58 when he stood unmolested in front of the Islanders goal and deflected home Cory Sarich's slap shot.

Tampa Bay let all the good work slip away.

The Islanders made it 5-3 58 seconds into the third period on Taylor Pyatt's first NHL goal.

Tampa Bay retaliated at 2:23 when St. Louis scored on a rebound after Flaherty's fine leg save of Brian Holzinger's shot.

The Islanders went up 6-4 at 8:40 on Oleg Kvasha's opportunistic goal that materialized after Kubina's pass to Lecavalier from the corner to slot bounced off Lecavalier's stick. It was 7-4 at 11:40 when Mark Parrish broke in alone on Cloutier and beat him low and to the long side.

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