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Sliding Lightning welcome Isles

Tue 11th, March 2008

(Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to put an end to a five-game losing streak when the Eastern Conference doormats host the New York Islanders tonight in a matchup between teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture.

Tampa's woes have actually extended beyond this current slide, as the club has posted a woeful 1-8-2 record over its last 10 games and is tied for last in the NHL with 60 points. The Lightning are back from an unsuccessful three-game road trip that ended with a 5-3 setback to Columbus on Sunday.

The teams were tied at 3-3 late in the third period, but the Blue Jackets' Nikolai Zherdev broke the stalemate with a one-timer past Lightning goaltender Mike Smith with 3:44 remaining.

Jeff Halpern had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay, while Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier also lit the lamp in the loss. Smith stopped just 20- of-24 shots between the pipes.

The Islanders have fallen back in the postseason race by dropping four of their last five games, including the last two tests. After being handed a 4-1 home defeat by the crosstown rival Rangers last Thursday, the team lost at Philadelphia by the same score on Saturday.

Freddy Meyer had the lone New York goal against the Flyers and Rick DiPietro compiled 23 saves in defeat.

DiPietro was playing for the first time since sitting out three consecutive games due to the death of his grandmother. The All-Star netminder has been very sharp when facing the Lightning this season, yielding just a pair of goals in three New York victories and shutting out Tampa Bay in two of those contests.

The Islanders have outscored the Lightning by an 8-2 margin in their three 2007-08 meetings. New York has lost in four of its last five trips to the St. Pete Times Forum, however.

New York, which trails Philadelphia by seven points for the final playoff spot in the East, will be playing the second tilt of a four-game road trip this evening and is 15-15-4 as the visitor this season.

Tampa Bay is 16-17-2 at home.

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