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BOX SCORE
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- For Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Kevin
Weekes, it was a measure of revenge.
Weekes downplayed it as a factor, but after stopping 25 shots as
the Lightning blanked his former team, the New York Islanders, 6-0
Saturday night, he was just happy to help his team to a win.
"There was more significance placed on the revenge factor by
other people," Weekes said. "I'm just happy to come back here and
play, and happy to win."
Tampa Bay went on an offensive thrust against New York. It was
just the second time all season the Lightning have scored more than
five goals. The other was an 8-2 pummeling of Atlanta on Nov. 22.
"This was a breakthrough game for us," said Tampa Bay
defenseman Adrian Aucoin, who chipped in with four assists. "This
is the type of game our young team needs to build some
confidence."
Tampa Bay grabbed a lead they would not relinquish 2:54 in the
game when defenseman Andrei Zyuzin scored the first of his two
goals against starter Rick DiPietro. Matthew Barnaby flipped home a
rebound at 9:13, and the Lightning were just warming up.
Mike Johnson, who also had two assists, scored the first of four
goals in the second period, and the only non power-play goal of the
bunch. He tipped in Vincent Lecavalier's left wing spin-o-rama
backhand pass past DiPietro at 4:54.
"Mike Johnson had a great game tonight," Tampa Bay coach John
Tortorella said. "We put him on the top line and he responded."
Zyuzin scored the first of three straight man-advantage goals
for the Lightning at 11:31. That goal chased DiPietro from the nets
for the first time in his career. John Vanbiesbrouck came in and
surrendered two more power play goals, one to Lecavalier at 13:34
and one to Nils Ekman at 15:06.
The Islanders outshot the Lightning 13-5 in the final period,
but Weekes stopped everything he saw, including a rising glove save
on Tim Connolly 80 seconds in.
"I just stayed back a bit," Weekes said. "It was a good shot.
I was lucky to get my glove on it."
The Islanders stayed in their locker room after the game with a
25-minute closed-door players-only meeting.
"It's all about how you pick yourself up," Vanbiesbrouck said.
"I've said this over the course of my career -- this is a very
humbling game. We are a scarred up group, and we have to pick each
other up from here, not put each other down."
Beleaguered Islanders coach Butch Goring did not rip into his
team and denied that his troops quit on him.
"No, we didn't quit," Goring said. "This was one of those
nights where no matter where they shot the puck, it was going in
our net. We could have played another three periods and still
wouldn't have gotten anything past Kevin Weekes. We made him earn
his shutout, though. He played well in the third period."
Both teams are in a rebuilding phase, but while Tampa Bay's
outlook is upbeat, New York is still questioning itself.
Asked if this was the low point of the season, Goring, after
enduring losing streaks of eight and seven games and injuries to
key people, said, "Yes, it probably is."
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NHL Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
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Boston 3
San Jose 2
Buffalo 3
Colorado 2
Florida 2
Atlanta 2
Montreal 3
Philadelphia 1
Tampa Bay 6
NY Islanders 0
Ottawa 3
Toronto 2
Washington 4
Pittsburgh 3
Calgary 3
St. Louis 2
Los Angeles 6
Detroit 3
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