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  Monday, Dec. 27 7:30pm ET
Shulmistra gets first career win
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Richard Shulmistra found the wait worthwhile.

The 28-year old rookie stopped 20 shots in winning his first NHL game, and Pavel Bure extended his club-record point streak to 11 games with two assists as the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1 Monday night.

Darcy Tucker, Lance Pitlick
Tampa Bay's Darcy Tucker squares off with Lance Pitlick.

"What do you say?" said Shulmistra, who appeared in just his second career game. "To finally get a 'W', it's something you dream about since you were 4-years old playing on the street. That's what I dreamed about."

Shulmistra's only other NHL appearance came with New Jersey in a 2-1 overtime loss to Florida on Jan. 1, 1998. The goalie lost his shutout bid when Dan Kesa scored a short-handed goal with 3:14 left in the third period.

"He made a couple great saves, a couple breakaways he stopped," Bure said. "He played really well for us. We were trying to help him as much as we could."

Cam Stewart and Scott Mellanby each scored twice for Florida. The Panthers have won six straight against the Lightning, who dropped their sixth consecutive game.

The six-game losing skid is Tampa Bay's longest this season. The Lightning is 1-6-2 against Southeast Division opponents.

"It was embarrassing," Tampa Bay coach Steve Ludzik said.

The Tampa Bay players held a players-only meeting after the game, which was still in session nearly an hour after the game.

Bure, who has 12 goals and 22 points during his 11-game scoring streak, assisted on Mellanby's first period goal.

"I'm trying not to think about," Bure said. "As long as the team is playing well, and you're winning, that's the whole thing. There were times I was scoring and the team was losing, and that's no fun."

Stewart scored twice during a 2:33 span, late in the second, putting the Panthers up 3-0. He also assisted on Mark Parrish's third period power-play goal.

Stewart made it 2-0 at 16:34 of the second when he reached from behind the net and directed the puck past Dan Cloutier. His second goal came on an in-close wrist shot.

Jaroslav Spacek also scored for the Panthers.

Florida defenseman Bret Hedican left with a slight concussion after a hard hit late in the first period and did not return.

The teams combined for 21 penalties -- including nine majors. Tampa Bay's Darcy Tucker set a team-record with 49 penalty minutes, coming on two roughing minors, two fighting majors, a spearing major and two game misconducts.
 


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