"It didn't seem like a fair fight. When Panthers forward Radek Dvorak was whistled for tripping at 2:04 of overtime, it gave the high-powered Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-on-3 advantage, meaning superstar forward Steven Stamkos could take open shots at goalie Scott Clemmensen. No problem for Clemmensen, in for a rare start because coach Pete DeBoer wanted to shake up the lineup in the second game of a back-to-back and partly because Tomas Vokoun was a tad shaky in Friday's loss. "For us to end the week 2-2 with the schedule we had and teams we had on the docket, that's a good week for us,'' DeBoer said. "We have an opportunity here this week to hopefully make up some ground. "These guys give their fans their money's worth and effort. It's not always pretty.'' The Panthers continue this four-game road trip to Long Island where they take on the lowly Islanders but a red-hot Michael Grabner, who they let get away after a poor preseason. Then it's on to Ottawa and Atlanta for a chance to hang around the periphery of the playoff race. Stamkos' first blast whizzed by Clemmensen off the post and the second from the NHL's leading scorer was gloved, propelling the 2-2 game into a shootout. Mike Santorelli, up first in the shootout, faked Lightning goalie Dan Ellis out of his skates for a goal. Clemmensen did the rest, stopping all three shooters, including Steve Downie on Tampa Bay's final attempt, for a 3-2 comeback victory Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum. The Panthers improved to 3-4 in shootouts while the Lightning dropped to 5-4. Clemmensen evened his career shootout mark at 8-8." Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...thers-lightning-0220-20110220,0,2332677.story
