Jokinen Ties Record As Cats Win

Florida Panthers' Olli Jokinen (12), of Finland, is congratulated by teammate Cory Murphy, left, after Jokinen scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Sunrise, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007. The Panthers won 6-4. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

By Dave Joseph for floridapanthers.com

Things might have been different last year.

Think about it: If the Panthers allowed a four-goal lead to evaporate 12 months ago in the third period, they might have wound up leaving the rink without a point.

But this year’s model is different.

Even though the Lightning climbed back from a 5-1 hole Saturday evening at BankAtlantic Center, the Panthers gathered themselves, shook off the ghosts of last season, and left this building with a 6-4 victory and their second consecutive win.

“It was interesting, a little too interesting after two periods,” said Stephen Weiss. “But, you know, the good thing is we might have given up the tying goal in the past. Tonight we found a way to win.”

Clinging to a 5-4 lead midway through the third period, captain Olli Jokinen blasted a slap shot past Tampa goalie Marc Denis during a 5-on-3 power play at 12:32 of the final period to give the Panthers a 6-4 victory and send them on a three-game road trip on a two-game winning streak.

Jokinen, who had three points on the night, is now tied with former captain Scott Mellanby as the Panthers’ all-time point leader with 354. Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and Ruslan Salei all had a goal and an assist and Cory Murphy had two assists, including one on Jokinen’s record-tying point.

Weiss, Jozef Stumpel and Richard Zednik also picked up their first goals of the season. Weiss also won nine of 13 faceoffs. Meanwhile, goalie Tomas Vokoun made several big saves on his way to stopping 40 shots.

“It’s one of those games where I think you give two points to your goaltender,” said GM and coach Jacques Martin. “I think Vokoun played really well and our specialty teams was the difference from the standpoint we got three power play goals.”

Once again, the Panther started strong. This time it resulted in three power play goals.

Just 2:33 into the game and with the Panthers on the power play, Horton stopped a clearing pass by Chris Gratton, wheeled around from the left circle, and fired a wrist shot that beat goalie Johan Holmqvist high to the glove side for a 1-0 lead.

Less than two minutes later and just as Lightning defenseman Filip Kuba was stepping out of the penalty box, Salei fired a shot from the point into a crowd (one that included Rostislav Olesz) and found its way past Holmqvist to make it 2-0.

After Vokoun stopped Vinny Lecavalier on a short-handed breakaway, Horton carried the puck from his blue line deep into the Lightning zone, lured Holmqvist and defenseman Mike Lundin to his side, and then slid the puck across the crease to a wide-open Weiss, who deposited his first goal of the season into a wide open net.

“They don’t come much easier than that,” Weiss said. “It was a world class play by Nathan.”

Game Highlights
Starting Lineups
Panthers		Lightning
Jokinen	C	Lecavalier
Peltonen	LW	Prospal
Zednik	RW	St. Louis
Allen	D	Kuba
Bouwmeester	D	Ranger
Vokoun	G	Holmqvist
Post-Game Video
Jacques Martin  Olli Jokinen  Nathan Horton  Tomas Vokoun
PhotoGallery
Panthers vs Lightning
Quote of the Game
"Main thing is that we got two points. I think we learned a lesson again tonight. We can't relax even when you have a three-four goal lead." - Panthers captain Olli Jokinen when asked about knowing he was close to tying the record.
Stat of the Game
1 Point - That's all Panthers captain Olli Jokinen needs now to break the career points record for a Panther. He tied former Panther Scott Mellanby at 354 points with his three points (goal, two assists) against the Lightning.
3 Stars Presented by Szrio Jewelry
1. Olli Jokinen 2. Nathan Horton 3. Vaclav Prospal

It was 4-0 Panthers, and that was it for Holmqvist, who was replaced in goal by Marc Denis. Although the Lightning got a goal back at 2:58 of the second period on a goal from Andre Roy, the Panthers kept them off the scoreboard the remainder of the period. Part of the credit goes to Vokoun, who made key saves late in the period while the Lightning were on the power play, including a glove save on Vaclav Prospal.

But the Lightning stormed back in the third period with three unanswered goals in 2:53 seconds, the first coming on a power play by Prospal at 5:51. Suddenly, the Panthers four goal lead had evaporated.

“That goal on the power play, it seemed to give them some momentum,” Martin said. “That gave them some life.”

After the fourth Lightning goal, Martin called a timeout.

“(Martin) said to relax and make sure we get the puck deep,” Weiss said.

“We just panicked,” Vokoun said.

But after the timeout, the Panthers gathered themselves and soon found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play. Jokinen’s fourth shot on the power play was the charm, whistling past Denis and giving the Panthers the 6-4 win.

“Our preparation lacked a little in the third period,” Jokinen said. “But we got a chance to come back and the power play kind of settled us.”

Martin, who complimented the lines of Stumpel, Olesz and Radek Dvorak and Horton, Weiss and Booth, will now prepare the Panthers for a three-game swing through Canada this week against Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa before returning Oct. 24 to the BankAtlantic Center to play the Philadelphia Flyers.