Tampa, FL (My Sportsbook) - The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to continue their best start ever when they wrap up a three-game season-opening homestand against the Atlanta Thrashers at the St. Pete Times Forum Friday.

Tampa, which will embark on a three-game road trip after the game, is off to a 2-0 start following victories over Southeast Division foes Florida and Carolina. Following a season-opening 4-3 overtime win over the Panthers in Sunrise, the Lightning pounded the Eastern Conference-champion Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday.

Ruslan Fedotenko, who was acquired from Philadelphia on the eve of the June draft in a much-criticized trade that cost the Bolts the fourth-overall pick, tallied his first two goals in a Lightning sweater in the win over Carolina.

Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 21 shots for the Lightning and fell 25.3 seconds shy of his first shutout of the season.

Dave Andreychuk and Martin St. Louis scored power-play goals for Tampa Bay, which is two games over .500 for the first time since October 29, 1996. Vincent LeCavalier also had three assists in the rout.

Andreychuk's tally gave him 246 career goals on the man-advantage, and is now three behind Phil Esposito's National Hockey League record for power-play markers. Andreychuk, who now needs seven goals to tie Jari Kurri (601) for 13th on the all-time list, will be playing in his 1,446th game to match Tim Horton for 10th on the games played list.

The Lightning should get an added boost with the return of Fredrik Modin, who is expected to play after missing the first two games with a groin strain.

Tampa Bay has not won consecutive home games to start the season since the inaugural 1992-93 season.

The Thrashers are still searching for their first win after beginning the season 0-3.

Following losses to Carolina and Florida to open the season, Atlanta was edged out by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, 3-2, at the Igloo.

Last year's Calder Trophy Award winner Dany Heatley had a goal and an assist and Ilya Kovalchuk also scored for Atlanta, which registered 15 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes.

Kovalchuk scored at 7:19 of the third period and Heatley made it a one-goal contest with 5:16 remaining in regulation. Atlanta's Tony Hrkac had a chance for a tip in with just over three minutes left, but was wide on the deflection.

Milan Hnilicka stopped 35 shots in the setback for the Thrashers, who have dropped two straight to the Lightning on the road and are 1-5-1 all-time in Tampa.

The Lightning are unbeaten in the last four matchups between the two teams (2-0-2) and are 6-3-2 in the last 11 meetings.