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Panthers-Lightning Preview
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
- Tampa Bay won the final four meetings with Florida last season, improving to 6-2-4 in the series since 2010-11. Seven of the 12 games over that span have spilled into overtime.
- The Panthers have lost their last four games, during which time they've mustered a grand total of three goals and no more than one in any of them. They produced more goals in their first game of the season alone (5).
- The Lightning have won three in a row to improve to 4-1-0. They continue to hold onto first place in the Southeast Division. Tampa Bay boasts the highest-scoring offense in the NHL (4.80 goals per game).
- Tomas Kopecky went 16-for-21 in the faceoff circle on Saturday. The 16 faceoff wins were five more than his previous career high.
- Martin St. Louis contributed four assists on Sunday, producing his first four-point game since November 18, 2010, when he had five assists. The Lightning are now 57-6-1-0 in St. Louis' career when he totals at least three points.
- The last time Vincent Lecavalier faced the Panthers, he registered four points on February 4, 2012. It was the 19th multi-point game of his career versus Florida, the most ever by a Panther opponent.
(AP) -- The high-scoring Tampa Bay Lightning are unbeaten at home and full of confidence.
The low-scoring Florida Panthers have been abysmal in four straight defeats, although they are getting some badly needed help.
These Southeast Division rivals meet for the first time Tuesday night, with the visiting Panthers expecting Kris Versteeg to make his season debut.
Florida (1-4-0) won the division a season ago and Tampa Bay (4-1-0) finished 10 points back in third, but they are on opposite ends of it now.
Tampa Bay cruised to a 5-1 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday. Martin St. Louis contributed four assists and Steven Stamkos took his season total to 10 points with a goal and an assist.
The Lightning are the highest scoring team in the NHL at 4.8 goals per game.
"When you get a little confidence going, as our offensive players have right now, you try to run with it," Stamkos said. "We know, once we get on a roll, we're a tough team to beat."
The Panthers celebrated their first division title banner in style in their opener, a 5-1 victory over Carolina on Jan. 19 that featured a four-goal first period.
Florida has totaled four goals over its next 14 periods, and has been outscored 18-3 in this losing streak. The Panthers will now try to avoid losing five straight in regulation for the first time since Feb. 1-11, 2010, after Saturday's 7-1 home defeat to the Flyers.
"I hate referring to last season but that's our standard right now," defenseman Mike Weaver said. "We've got to be better than that, we've got to build off that and we haven't done that."
There is good news for the Panthers on Versteeg, their third-leading scorer last season with 54 points. The winger has been out with a groin injury.
"I'm excited to get him back," coach Kevin Dineen told the Panthers' official Twitter account. "He's a large part of our lineup."
It's not clear whether linemate Stephen Weiss will miss a third straight game with a lower-body injury. The projected top line of Versteeg, Weiss and Tomas Fleischmann has four points.
That doesn't come close to matching St. Louis, Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier, who have combined for 27 with eight goals this season. That trio combined for 23 points in the 2011-12 season series, as Tampa Bay went 4-1-1.
Versteeg, Weiss and Fleischmann combined for 16 in those games.
Eight skaters have multiple goals for the Lightning, who are 3-0 at home.
"We're spreading the offense pretty good right now," Stamkos said. "We're not forcing things to certain players. We're making the right play."
This will likely be Anders Lindback's first start against the Panthers with the Lightning and second overall. He recorded his first career shutout with 22 saves in Nashville's 3-0 win over on Florida on Dec. 11, 2010.
Struggling Florida goalie Jose Theodore has gone 5-0-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average in his last five starts in Tampa.
Updated January 29, 2013
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