ATLANTA, March 12 (UPI) -- After knocking a puck into his own net, defenseman Dan Boyle responded Tuesday night with an important goal for theTampa Bay Lightning.
Boyle scored midway through the third period as the Lightning completed a third-period comeback and battled to a 4-4 deadlock with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Boyle's gaffe came with 11:57 left in the the second period when he tried to clear a loose puck from the slot. As he skated toward the end boards, he lost control and pushed the puck past goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to give the Thrashers a 4-1 lead.
But 4 1/2 minutes after Ben Clymer cut the deficit to 4-3 early in the third period, Boyle atoned by tapping the puck past Atlanta goalie Milan Hnilicka from the top of the crease.
Martin Cibak scored his first NHL goal and Dave Andreychuk also struck for the Lightning, who improved to 2-1-1 in their last four road games.
Lubos Bartecko tallied twice for Atlanta, whose latest winless streak reached five games (0-4-1).
