Shot down in flames;Early barrage too much to overcome.;Thrashers cut 4-goal deficit to one before

TAMPA --- The shots-on-goal issue that plagued the Thrashers last season reared its ugly head Saturday night.

With the barrage of pucks sent at goaltender Chris Mason there came an increasing deficit on the scoreboard. With a talented group of forwards doing the damage, Tampa Bay jumped to a four-goal lead en route to a 5-3 win over the Thrashers at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The discrepancy was especially damaging early. The Lightning scored twice in the first and second periods to take the commanding lead. Steve Downie, Dominic Moore, Vincent Lacavalier and Steven Stamkos all scored in the team's season opener. Tampa Bay had a 20-13 shots-on-goal advantage in the first period.

Before the game, former Thrasher and current Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina warned of his team's potent offense.

"We have a good team here," Kubina said. "Look at our forwards. We have some of the best forwards in the league. We know we are going to score."

Quite prophetic.

The Lightning, who were eighth in the NHL on the power play last season, scored twice with a man-advantage. Downie's goal came 5:23 into the game with 16 seconds remaining on a Thrashers penalty for too many men on the ice. Lacavalier's goal came 2:20 into the second period with Tobias Enstrom serving a tripping penalty.

It was the first power-play goal that opened the floodgates.

"I thought we started OK, but then they turned it around on a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty," Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay said. "I've seen a lot of those, and I don't like it. The change was called, we had two guys jump for one. There was some confusion among the defensemen. We just can't have that."

After falling behind 4-0, Ramsay called a timeout to refocus his team. It worked as the Thrashers scored three straight and nearly tied the game.

The Thrashers pulled to within two goals when Enstrom and Ben Eager scored 1:42 apart late in the second period.

Enstrom scored on the Thrashers' fifth power play of the second period, converting on a 5-on-3. He blasted a shot from the center point past Lightning goaltender Mike Smith after being set up by Niclas Bergfors and Andrew Ladd. The Thrashers held an 8:06- 2:47 power-play advantage in the second period, but scored just once. Even with the five Thrashers power plays, the teams each had nine shots on goal in the second.

Less than two minutes after Enstrom's goal, Eager beat Smith unassisted with a close-range wrist shot.

Chris Thorburn pulled the Thrashers within a goal with his tally 7:41 into the final period. He tapped in the puck to finish off passes from Brent Sopel and Eager.

The Thrashers nearly tied the game at 4-4, but Enstrom missed an open net on a power play after getting a perfect feed from Nik Antropov.

"If that goes in, now the game is on," Ramsay said. "Because now we are pushing them really good. . . .

"What I would talk about is the great courage of our team. Being down 4-0, and they mounted a heck of a comeback. Toby has an empty net on the power play and doesn't put it in, and they get a tipped goal and make it five. We created a lot of offense. We had the courage to come back, but you can't fall behind that much."

In the end, the early deficit was indeed too much to overcome. Stamkos' second goal of the game with 9:01 remaining iced it for the Lightning.

"I've played with Stamkos a couple times at the world championships," said Mason, who finished with 31 saves. "I know he's got unbelievable hands and eye-hand coordination. Both his goals tonight were great tips. If you leave guys like that alone, they are going to hurt you and he hurt us tonight."

Lightning 5, Thrashers 3

Atlanta 0 2 1 --- 3

Tampa Bay 2 2 1 --- 5

First Period

1, Tampa Bay, Downie 1 (Malone, Clark), 5:23 (pp). 2, Tampa Bay, Moore 1 (Purcell, Bergenheim), 8:21. Penalties --- Atlanta bench, served by Peverley (too many men), 3:39.

Second Period

3, Tampa Bay, Lecavalier 1 (St. Louis, Stamkos), 2:20 (pp). 4, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 1 (Hedman, Downie), 5:21. 5, Atlanta, Enstrom 1 (Bergfors, Ladd), 16:31 (pp). 6, Atlanta, Eager 1, 18:12. Penalties --- Enstrom, Atl (tripping), 1:21; Clark, TB (interference), 5:48; Thorburn, Atl (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:13; Downie, TB (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:13; Hedman, TB (holding), 8:51; Kubina, TB (interference), 11:27; Hainsey, Atl (holding), 13:42; Hedman, TB (tripping), 15:30; Moore, TB (goaltender interference), 15:48.

Third Period

7, Atlanta, Thorburn 1 (Sopel, Eager), 7:41. 8, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 2 (R.Jones), 10:59. Penalties --- Lecavalier, TB (high-sticking), 4:13; Byfuglien, Atl (interference), 14:20; Eager, Atl (roughing), 19:51.

Shots on Goal

Atlanta 13-9-8---30. Tampa Bay 20-9-7---36.

Power-play opportunities

Atlanta 1 of 6; Tampa Bay 2 of 5.

Goalies

Atlanta, Mason 1-1-0 (36 shots-31 saves). Tampa Bay, Smith 1-0-0 (30-27).

A --- 19,791 (19,758). T---2:20.

Referees --- Chris Rooney, Francois St. Laurent. Linesmen---Jonny Murray, Pierre Racicot.