1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning season

The 1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the franchise's seventh season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). For the third consecutive year, the Lighting were unable to qualify for the playoffs. They also finished in last place for the second consecutive year as well.

1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning
Division4th Southeast
Conference14th Eastern
1998–99 record19–54–9
Home record12–25–4
Road record7–29–5
Goals for179
Goals against292
Team information
General managerPhil Esposito (Oct.)
Jacques Demers (Oct.–Apr.)
CoachJacques Demers
CaptainRob Zamuner
ArenaIce Palace
Average attendance11,510
Minor league affiliate(s)Cleveland Lumberjacks
Chesapeake Icebreakers
Team leaders
GoalsWendel Clark (28)
AssistsDarcy Tucker (22)
PointsDarcy Tucker (43)
Penalty minutesDarcy Tucker (176)
Plus/minusAndrei Skopintsev (+1)
WinsCorey Schwab (8)
Goals against averageCorey Schwab (3.52)

Offseason

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On the eve of the regular season opener, Mikael Renberg stepped down as team captain and was replaced by Rob Zamuner.[1]

Regular season

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The Lightning again finished last in scoring, with just 179 goals for. They also allowed the most goals of all 27 teams, with 292 goals against.[2]

All-Star Game

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The logo for the All-Star Game.

The 49th National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on January 24, 1999, at the Ice Palace in Tampa Bay, Florida, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It would be Wayne Gretzky's last All-Star Game.

Season standings

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Southeast Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
1 3 Carolina Hurricanes 82 34 30 18 210 202 1158 86
2 9 Florida Panthers 82 30 34 18 210 228 1522 78
3 12 Washington Capitals 82 31 45 6 200 218 1381 68
4 14 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 19 54 9 179 292 1316 47

[3]

Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 y – New Jersey Devils ATL 82 47 24 11 248 196 105
2 y – Ottawa Senators NE 82 44 23 15 239 179 103
3 y – Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 34 30 18 210 202 86
4 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 45 30 7 268 231 97
5 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 37 26 19 231 196 93
6 Boston Bruins NE 82 39 30 13 214 181 91
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 37 28 17 207 175 91
8 Pittsburgh Penguins ATL 82 38 30 14 242 225 90
9 Florida Panthers SE 82 30 34 18 210 228 78
10 New York Rangers ATL 82 33 38 11 217 227 77
11 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 32 39 11 184 209 75
12 Washington Capitals SE 82 31 45 6 200 218 68
13 New York Islanders ATL 82 24 48 10 194 244 58
14 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 19 54 9 179 292 47

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division


Schedule and results

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1998–99 regular season[5]
October: 4–6–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 1–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 9, 1998 1–4 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 0–1–0 Recap
2 T October 10, 1998 4–4 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 0–1–1 Recap
3 L October 14, 1998 0–2 New York Islanders (1998–99) 0–2–1 Recap
4 L October 16, 1998 2–5 Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 0–3–1 Recap
5 L October 18, 1998 1–4 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 0–4–1 Recap
6 W October 21, 1998 5–0 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 1–4–1 Recap
7 W October 23, 1998 3–2 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 2–4–1 Recap
8 W October 25, 1998 3–2 Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 3–4–1 Recap
9 L October 28, 1998 3–5 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 3–5–1 Recap
10 W October 30, 1998 3–0 @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 4–5–1 Recap
11 L October 31, 1998 1–6 @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 4–6–1 Recap
November: 2–8–1 (home: 1–5–1; road: 1–3–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
12 W November 4, 1998 5–2 @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 5–6–1 Recap
13 T November 6, 1998 2–2 OT Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 5–6–2 Recap
14 W November 8, 1998 3–1 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 6–6–2 Recap
15 L November 10, 1998 2–10 New York Rangers (1998–99) 6–7–2 Recap
16 L November 13, 1998 1–8 @ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 6–8–2 Recap
17 L November 14, 1998 1–4 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 6–9–2 Recap
18 L November 19, 1998 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 6–10–2 Recap
19 L November 21, 1998 2–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 6–11–2 Recap
20 L November 24, 1998 1–4 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 6–12–2 Recap
21 L November 27, 1998 1–2 Florida Panthers (1998–99) 6–13–2 Recap
22 L November 29, 1998 3–6 Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 6–14–2 Recap
December: 3–10–1 (home: 1–4–0; road: 2–6–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
23 L December 3, 1998 1–4 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 6–15–2 Recap
24 W December 4, 1998 2–1 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 7–15–2 Recap
25 L December 6, 1998 5–7 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 7–16–2 Recap
26 L December 8, 1998 2–4 Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 7–17–2 Recap
27 L December 11, 1998 1–2 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 7–18–2 Recap
28 W December 12, 1998 2–1 OT @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 8–18–2 Recap
29 L December 15, 1998 2–3 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 8–19–2 Recap
30 L December 18, 1998 1–4 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 8–20–2 Recap
31 T December 20, 1998 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 8–20–3 Recap
32 L December 21, 1998 2–3 @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 8–21–3 Recap
33 L December 23, 1998 0–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 8–22–3 Recap
34 L December 26, 1998 1–3 Florida Panthers (1998–99) 8–23–3 Recap
35 W December 29, 1998 3–0 New York Islanders (1998–99) 9–23–3 Recap
36 L December 30, 1998 3–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 9–24–3 Recap
January: 2–9–1 (home: 1–3–0; road: 1–6–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
37 L January 4, 1999 4–5 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 9–25–3 Recap
38 L January 7, 1999 1–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 9–26–3 Recap
39 L January 8, 1999 1–5 @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 9–27–3 Recap
40 L January 10, 1999 2–5 @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 9–28–3 Recap
41 L January 12, 1999 3–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 9–29–3 Recap
42 L January 15, 1999 1–3 @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 9–30–3 Recap
43 T January 16, 1999 2–2 OT @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 9–30–4 Recap
44 W January 19, 1999 2–1 Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 10–30–4 Recap
45 W January 21, 1999 3–2 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 11–30–4 Recap
46 L January 26, 1999 1–2 Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 11–31–4 Recap
47 L January 29, 1999 1–4 Dallas Stars (1998–99) 11–32–4 Recap
48 L January 30, 1999 2–6 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 11–33–4 Recap
February: 2–8–1 (home: 2–6–0; road: 0–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
49 L February 2, 1999 0–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 11–34–4 Recap
50 L February 3, 1999 1–10 @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 11–35–4 Recap
51 L February 5, 1999 3–5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 11–36–4 Recap
52 L February 10, 1999 4–5 St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 11–37–4 Recap
53 L February 13, 1999 1–3 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 11–38–4 Recap
54 T February 15, 1999 3–3 OT @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 11–38–5 Recap
55 L February 17, 1999 1–7 @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 11–39–5 Recap
56 W February 19, 1999 4–2 Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 12–39–5 Recap
57 L February 20, 1999 2–3 Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 12–40–5 Recap
58 L February 22, 1999 2–3 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 12–41–5 Recap
59 W February 26, 1999 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 13–41–5 Recap
March: 4–9–1 (home: 2–4–0; road: 2–5–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
60 L March 2, 1999 2–8 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 13–42–5 Recap
61 W March 4, 1999 2–1 Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 14–42–5 Recap
62 W March 6, 1999 6–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 15–42–5 Recap
63 L March 8, 1999 3–9 @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 15–43–5 Recap
64 L March 9, 1999 1–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 15–44–5 Recap
65 W March 11, 1999 5–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 16–44–5 Recap
66 L March 13, 1999 0–1 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 16–45–5 Recap
67 L March 17, 1999 0–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 16–46–5 Recap
68 L March 19, 1999 3–5 Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 16–47–5 Recap
69 W March 22, 1999 6–3 New York Rangers (1998–99) 17–47–5 Recap
70 L March 24, 1999 0–3 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 17–48–5 Recap
71 L March 26, 1999 1–6 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 17–49–5 Recap
72 T March 28, 1999 3–3 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 17–49–6 Recap
73 L March 31, 1999 4–6 @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 17–50–6 Recap
April: 2–4–3 (home: 2–0–3; road: 0–4–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
74 L April 1, 1999 0–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 17–51–6 Recap
75 W April 3, 1999 4–3 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 18–51–6 Recap
76 T April 5, 1999 4–4 OT Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 18–51–7 Recap
77 W April 8, 1999 3–0 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 19–51–7 Recap
78 L April 10, 1999 2–3 @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 19–52–7 Recap
79 L April 12, 1999 1–2 @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 19–53–7 Recap
80 T April 13, 1999 2–2 OT Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 19–53–8 Recap
81 T April 16, 1999 2–2 OT Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 19–53–9 Recap
82 L April 17, 1999 2–6 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 19–54–9 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

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Scoring

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  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
16 Darcy Tucker RW 82 21 22 43 −34 176
17 Wendel Clark LW 65 28 14 42 −25 35
44 Stephane Richer RW 64 12 21 33 −10 22
8 Vincent Lecavalier C 82 13 15 28 −19 23
77[a] Chris Gratton C 52 7 19 26 −20 102
33 Benoit Hogue C 62 11 14 25 −12 50
21 Craig Janney C 38 4 18 22 −13 10
13[b] Pavel Kubina D 68 9 12 21 −33 80
7 Rob Zamuner LW 58 8 11 19 −15 24
61[c] Alexander Selivanov RW 43 6 13 19 −8 18
4 Cory Cross D 67 2 16 18 −25 92
5 Jassen Cullimore D 78 5 12 17 −22 81
23 Petr Svoboda D 34 1 16 17 −4 53
21 Alexandre Daigle C 32 6 6 12 −12 2
10 Sandy McCarthy RW 67 5 7 12 −22 135
20 Mikael Renberg RW 20 4 8 12 −2 4
26[d] Mike Sillinger C 54 8 2 10 −20 28
18 Daymond Langkow C 22 4 6 10 0 15
9[e] Michael Nylander C 24 2 7 9 −10 6
49[f] David Wilkie D 46 1 7 8 −19 69
14 Robert Petrovicky C 28 3 4 7 −8 6
2 Mike McBain D 37 0 6 6 −11 14
34 Mikael Andersson LW 40 2 3 5 −8 4
28 Kjell Samuelsson D 46 1 4 5 −6 38
27 Colin Forbes C 14 3 1 4 −5 10
11 Steve Kelly C 34 1 3 4 −15 27
32 Corey Schwab G 40 0 4 4 4
14 Karl Dykhuis D 33 2 1 3 −21 18
27[g] Brent Peterson LW 20 2 1 3 −2 0
55 Drew Bannister D 21 1 2 3 −4 24
23 Michal Sykora D 10 1 2 3 −7 0
64 Jason Bonsignore C 23 0 3 3 −4 8
3 Sergey Gusev D 14 0 3 3 −8 10
62 Andrei Nazarov LW 26 2 0 2 −5 43
39 Enrico Ciccone D 16 1 1 2 −1 24
22 Paul Mara D 1 1 1 2 −3 0
46 Andrei Skopintsev D 19 1 1 2 1 10
6 Karel Betik D 3 0 2 2 −3 2
3 Sami Helenius†‡ D 4 1 0 1 −3 15
93 Daren Puppa G 13 0 1 1 0
20 Corey Spring RW 8 0 1 1 0 2
15 Paul Ysebaert C 10 0 1 1 −5 2
1 Zac Bierk G 1 0 0 0 0
12 John Cullen C 4 0 0 0 −2 2
43 Xavier Delisle C 2 0 0 0 0 0
31 Kevin Hodson G 5 0 0 0 0
71 Mario Larocque D 5 0 0 0 −4 16
30 Bill Ranford G 32 0 0 0 2
35 Derek Wilkinson G 5 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

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  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
No. Player Regular season
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
32 Corey Schwab 40 8 25 3 1153 126 3.52 .891 0 2146
93 Daren Puppa 13 5 6 1 350 33 2.87 .906 2 691
30 Bill Ranford 32 3 18 3 858 102 3.90 .881 1 1568
31 Kevin Hodson 5 2 1 1 118 11 2.77 .907 0 238
35 Derek Wilkinson 5 1 3 1 128 13 3.08 .898 0 253
1 Zac Bierk 1 0 1 0 21 2 2.03 .905 0 59

Awards and records

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Awards

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Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy John Cullen [6]
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selection Wendel Clark [7]
NHL Rookie of the Month Vincent Lecavalier (February) [8]

Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Vincent Lecavalier October 9, 1998 [9]
Andrei Skopintsev November 19, 1998
Mario Larocque January 7, 1999
Xavier Delisle February 13, 1999
Karel Betik February 15, 1999
Paul Mara April 17, 1999

Draft picks

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Tampa Bay's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.[10]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 1 Vincent Lecavalier   Canada Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
3 64 Brad Richards   Canada Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
3 72 Dmitri Afanasenkov   Russia Torpedo Yaroslavl (Russia)
4 92 Eric Beaudoin   Canada Guelph Storm (OHL)
5 121 Curtis Rich   Canada Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
6 146 Sergei Kuznetsov   Russia Torpedo-2 Yaroslavl (Russia)
7 174 Brett Allan   Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
7 194 Oak Hewer   Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
8 221 Daniel Hulak   Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
9 229 Chris Lyness   Canada Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)

Notes

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  1. ^ Gratton wore number 20 in his first two games.
  2. ^ Kubina wore number 3 in his first game.
  3. ^ Selivanov wore number 29 through December 8.
  4. ^ Sillinger wore number 18 in his first game.
  5. ^ Nylander wore number 25 in his first game.
  6. ^ Wilkie wore number 6 through January 21.
  7. ^ Peterson wore number 47 through January 21.

References

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  • "Tampa Bay Lightning 1998-99 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  • "1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  1. ^ Jones, Tom (October 9, 1998). "Zamuner steps in as captain". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "1998-99 NHL Summary".
  3. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 155.
  4. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  5. ^ "1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "1999 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "Lecavalier is top NHL rookie in February - UPI Archives". UPI. March 2, 1999. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "1998-99 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "1998 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.