Final
Gratton looks to haunt former team again
Oct 13, 2007 - 2:01 PM Tampa Bay (3-0-0) at Florida (1-3-0) 7:00 pm EDTSUNRISE, Florida (Ticker) -- After suffering through consecutive non-playoff seasons with the Florida Panthers, Chris Gratton has found the going just a bit easier with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Gratton and the Lightning look to continue their undefeated start when they face the Panthers on Saturday.
Gratton spent the previous two seasons with Florida, totaling 30 goals and 44 assists. He was traded back to Tampa Bay for a draft pick in June, re-joining a team that he played for to start out his career from 1993-1997 and again in 1998-2000 after a short stint with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 32-year-old center scored both goals - his first two points of the season - in a 2-1 victory over Florida on Wednesday to give Tampa Bay three wins to start the season.
Fast starts have been good to the Lightning in their short existence. They opened with six straight wins on their way to a Stanley Cup title in the 2003-2004 season. The only other time Tampa Bay started 3-0 was 2002-2003, when it won the Southeast Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
Goaltender Johan Holmqvist has been stellar in net so far, starting each of the Lightning's three games and stopping 69 of 73 shots he has faced. The four goals allowed is the second-best mark in the NHL.
Florida temporarily ended its scoring woes and snapped its three-game losing streak to open the season - the worst start in franchise history - with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
The Panthers picked up the win in part due to some great play in net by Tomas Vokoun, who had allowed nine goals in his first two games, and finding success on the power play, going 2-for-7 after starting the season 1-for-13.
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
TAMPA BAY 0 1 3 4
FLORIDA 3 1 2 6 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: FLA - (PP) NATHAN HORTON 3 (UNASSISTED) 2:33
FLA - RUSLAN SALEI 1 (STEPHEN WEISS, ROSTISLAV OLESZ) 4:39
FLA - STEPHEN WEISS 1 (NATHAN HORTON, RUSLAN SALEI) 18:57
2ND PRD: FLA - RICHARD ZEDNIK 1 (VILLE PELTONEN, OLLI J
Oct 13 9:36 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 4
FLORIDA 6
3RD PRD: FLA - (PP) OLLI JOKINEN 2 (CORY MURPHY) 12:32
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 9:21 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 4
FLORIDA 5
3RD PRD: TAM - JAN HLAVAC 1 (BRAD RICHARDS, BRAD LUKOWICH) 8:44
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 9:13 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 3
FLORIDA 5
3RD PRD: TAM - VACLAV PROSPAL 5 (VINCENT LECAVALIER, PAUL RANGER) 8:00
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 9:12 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 2
FLORIDA 5
3RD PRD: TAM - (PP) VACLAV PROSPAL 4 (VINCENT LECAVALIER, BRAD
RICHARDS) 5:51
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 9:05 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 1
FLORIDA 5
3RD PRD: FLA - (PP) JOZEF STUMPEL 1 (OLLI JOKINEN, CORY MURPHY) 1:26
(TWO-MAN ADVANTAGE)
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 8:59 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
TAMPA BAY 0 1 1
FLORIDA 3 1 4 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: FLA - (PP) NATHAN HORTON 3 (UNASSISTED) 2:33
FLA - RUSLAN SALEI 1 (STEPHEN WEISS, ROSTISLAV OLESZ) 4:39
FLA - STEPHEN WEISS 1 (NATHAN HORTON, RUSLAN SALEI) 18:57
2ND PRD: FLA - RICHARD ZEDNIK 1 (VILLE PEL
Oct 13 8:39 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 1
FLORIDA 4
2ND PRD: TAM - ANDRE ROY 1 (CRAIG MACDONALD, SHANE O'BRIEN) 2:58
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 8:10 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 0
FLORIDA 4
2ND PRD: FLA - RICHARD ZEDNIK 1 (VILLE PELTONEN, OLLI JOKINEN) 2:34
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 8:08 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
TAMPA BAY 0 0
FLORIDA 3 3 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: FLA - (PP) NATHAN HORTON 3 (UNASSISTED) 2:33
FLA - ROSTISLAV OLESZ 2 (RUSLAN SALEI, STEPHEN WEISS) 4:39
FLA - STEPHEN WEISS 1 (NATHAN HORTON, RUSLAN SALEI) 18:57
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
Oct 13 7:47 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 0
FLORIDA 3
1ST PRD: FLA - STEPHEN WEISS 1 (NATHAN HORTON, RUSLAN SALEI) 18:57
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 7:45 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 0
FLORIDA 2
1ST PRD: FLA - ROSTISLAV OLESZ 2 (RUSLAN SALEI, STEPHEN WEISS) 4:39
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 7:18 PM - NHL
TAMPA BAY 0
FLORIDA 1
1ST PRD: FLA - (PP) NATHAN HORTON 3 (UNASSISTED) 2:33
Lightning vs. PanthersOct 13 7:15 PM
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