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Kings-Lightning Preview

Nov 14, 2009 - 5:05 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Los Angeles (11-6-2) at Tampa Bay (7-4-5), 7:30 p.m. EDT

After finally winning a shootout, the Tampa Bay Lightning get a chance to do something Saturday night they haven't accomplished since January - win three games in a row.

The Lightning get that opportunity at St. Pete Times Forum, where they'll go for their fourth straight victory over the Los Angeles Kings, who are coming off their worst defeat in two seasons.

Tampa Bay (7-4-5) had dropped six straight shootouts since a 4-3 win at Florida on March 14, but rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit Thursday to defeat Minnesota 4-3 in a shootout.

Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier each scored in the tiebreaker for Tampa Bay, which had missed all 14 attempts during four previous shootouts in 2009-10.

"It seemed like we didn't put our heads down going into the shootout," said Stamkos, who also scored a short-handed goal - his team-leading 13th tally - and assisted on Ryan Malone's game-tying score with 14.7 seconds left in regulation. "It just seemed different. We were confident."

The Lightning look for their first three-game winning streak since a 3-0-0 stretch Jan. 19-27.

Taking on the Kings, whom they haven't lost to in regulation in more than a decade, could help them achieve that mark. Tampa Bay is 7-0-1 with a tie versus Los Angeles since Dec. 16, 2000.

The Kings' last regulation win in this series was a 5-2 victory Oct. 7, 1999.

In the teams' last meeting, Tampa Bay won 3-1 at Staples Center on Jan. 12. Lecavalier had a goal and an assist in that matchup, while Stamkos and Martin St. Louis both added assists.

St. Louis, who had 30 goals in 2008-09, has not found the back of the net in the last 11 games but is among the league leaders with 15 assists.

He has four goals and seven assists in 10 career games versus Los Angeles.

Before St. Louis and the Lightning open a four-game trip Monday, they'll take on a Kings team that lost 7-0 at Atlanta on Friday.

It was Los Angeles' worst defeat since a 7-0 loss against Nashville on Jan. 8, 2008.

The Kings (11-7-2), losers of three of four, will try to bounce back from their first shutout of the season as they continue their five-game trip.

Center Anze Kopitar, the NHL's leading scorer with 30 points, had his five-game point streak snapped Friday. He had an assist in the Jan. 11 matchup with the Lightning.

Kings goaltender Jon Quick made 15 saves in that game after replacing Erik Ersberg, who allowed three goals on seven shots. Neither fared well Friday, with Quick giving up three goals before Ersberg surrendered four more on seven attempts.

"It stunk," Ersberg said. "I can't do anything about it now. You can't worry about it too long. I think we are the better team."

Lightning goaltender Antero Niittymaki made 31 saves Thursday. He is 1-0-1 with a 1.93 goals-against average lifetime against Los Angeles.

Coach Rick Tocchet could also give the start to Mike Smith, who is 5-0-0 with a 1.60 GAA in his career versus the Kings.

Los Angeles' last victory over Tampa Bay was 1-0 in overtime on Nov. 6, 2003.