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Friday, Mar. 10 7:30pm ET
Panthers still masters of Tampa | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- It took an old rival to help the Florida Panthers regain their intensity. Mike Wilson scored the go-ahead goal with 8:18 to play and the Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in a fight-filled game Friday night to move into a tie for first place in the Southeast Division. "There was a lot of intensity out there," said Florida coach Terry Murray, who downplayed the multiple fights. "I think it was the kind of game we needed, I really do." "We proved a point," Florida left wing Peter Worrell said. "Their fans were going crazy, it looked like they were going to win the game. We knew we were going to come back." Pavel Bure added his league-leading 46th goal as Florida did all of its scoring during a third period that was delayed twice by fights involving 10 players. The two teams combined for 29 penalties, including 11 majors. 18 infractions were called in the third period. "It was the kind of third period that I think can really help to bring us together," Murray said. The Panthers are just 5-9-1 over the past 15 games. Wilson scored on a slap shot from the high slot as the Panthers beat the Lightning for the ninth straight time and pulled even with Washington atop the Southeast. It was the first time Florida has won when trailing after two periods. The Panthers had been 0-17-1 in such games before Friday. Tampa Bay has lost six straight. Lightning goalie Dan Cloutier, who faced just nine shots through two periods, allowed four goals on 17 third-period shots. "We can't play any better than that," Lightning coach Steve Ludzik said. "Cloutier has got to start answering some questions for us to be honest with you. We dominate a hockey game and he's got to start coming up with some saves for us." Bure's goal was one of three Florida power-play goals during the first half of the third period. Bret Hedican started the scoring barrage 2:27 into the final period, pulling the Panthers within 2-1. The Lightning countered on Robert Petrovicky's power-play goal two minutes later. The Panthers converted their next two power plays, evening the game at 3-3 with 12 minutes left on goals from Worrell and Bure, who has 12 goals in 11 career games against Tampa Bay. The game was delayed 10 minutes a little more than halfway through the third period by a fight near the Lightning bench. Ludzik could be seen yelling at Worrell, who was on the Florida bench. "He told me to meet him in five minutes, he was going to kill me," Worrell said. I worried." "It wasn't Worrell, it was the coach I wanted," Ludzik said. "The coach was looking over at our bench, I'm tired of him looking over here." A second, shorter delay took place just after Wilson's goal. Goals by Mike Johnson and Pavel Kubina put the Lightning up 2-0 in the second period. Brian Holzinger, one of three players acquired earlier in the day from Buffalo in exchange for team captain Chris Gratton, set up the Johnson goal with a pass through the slot during a 2-on-1 break. The Lightning outshot Florida 13-4 in the first period, but were kept off the scoreboard on a great play by Jaroslav Spacek. The Florida defenseman swept the puck off the goal line after Kubina's shot trickled past goalie Trevor Kidd. Hedican duplicated Spacek's feat in the second period after Johnson's shot deflected off a skate. The other two players the Lightning acquired from Buffalo -- Wayne Primeau and Cory Sarich -- also played against the Panthers. Vincent Lecavalier, a 19-year-old center, was named the new Lightning captain and responded with two assists in the game. After the game, Tampa Bay recalled goaltender Rich Parent from Detroit and sent goalie Zac Bierk to Detroit. Bierk has been slowed by ear condition. Florida played without centers Oleg Kvasha (knee sprain) and Viktor Kozlov (shoulder sprain). Kvasha is expected to miss a week, while Kozlov is day to day. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Florida Clubhouse Tampa Bay Clubhouse RECAPS Montreal 3 Buffalo 2
Florida 4 AUDIO/VIDEO   Brian Holzinger assists Mike Johnson to beat Trevor Kidd.avi: 523 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1   | |||||