Lightning 3 - 4 Panthers
Final - OT
  for this game

Lightning hit the road to take on Panthers

Mar 12, 2011 - 3:55 PM (Sports Network) - After a disappointing homestand, the skidding Tampa Bay Lightning hit the road for four straight contests beginning with tonight's meeting against the Florida Panthers at BankAtlantic Center.

The Lightning went just 1-2-1 on their residency and have lost five of their last six overall following last night's 2-1 setback to the Senators. The defeat dropped Tampa Bay four points back of Washington for first place in the Southeast Division with a game in hand.

Dwayne Roloson made 20 saves and Martin St. Louis notched a power-play goal in the loss. The forward has six goals and 11 assists over his past 15 games.

Tampa Bay, which is 16-13-3 on the road this year, played without defenseman Pavel Kubina, who served the first contest of a three-game suspension for a blow to the head versus Chicago on Wednesday.

If the Lighting are going to capture the Southeast Division for the first time since 2004, finding a way to beat the last-place Panthers would help.

Florida has won three of four versus Tampa Bay this season, though the last three meetings have all gone to a shootout. The Panthers have won two of those, including a 3-2 decision in the last meeting on Feb. 19 in Tampa Bay. Mike Santorelli tied the game late for Florida and then had the only goal of the shootout.

The two clubs have split a pair of meetings at BankAtlantic Center this season, but Tampa Bay has lost nine of its last 14 trips there.

Florida will try to claim the season-series victory tonight and rebound from a 2-1 loss to Ottawa on Thursday. Clay Wilson had the lone goal in the setback with 4:13 to play and Tomas Vokoun made 37 saves in the loss, Florida's sixth in its last seven games.

"It was a bad hockey game, both ways," said Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer. "The goalies were the two bright spots on the ice, I think. We looked like we could play for weeks and not score a goal at some points."

Alexander Sulzer missed his third straight game with an oblique injury and Florida also lost Scott Timmins to a mild concussion in the third period on Thursday after he absorbed a check to the head.

The Panthers, who are 11 points back of a postseason spot with 14 games to play, fell to 1-1-1 on a seven-game homestand and have lost 11 of their last 13 at home overall (2-6-5).






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