Options available for Tampa Bay Lightning co-owners Len Barrie, Oren Koules

EVERETT, Wash. — Len Barrie said he gave up his exclusive window to try to buy the Lightning in late August, a month before it was to expire.

Barrie also confirmed that co-owner Oren Koules, who technically is in his own exclusive buy period and within his rights to shut down any Barrie effort, is allowing St. Louis real estate developer Anthony Sansone Jr. to continue trying to put together a deal that would keep Barrie as a minority owner.

Koules declined comment, but Barrie said Koules' move to nullify his own exclusive buy period is logical.

"If Oren can come up with something and satisfy me, I would do it, and if I came up with an offer, he would do it," Barrie said Tuesday. "We're both trying to do what's best for the team and protect our investment."

In other words, Koules is preserving as many options as possible by modifying the league-mandated program in which both owners had an opportunity to buy out the other. Koules' recruitment of Los Angeles billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene as a potential majority owner already puts him in the best position to retain a piece of the team.

As originally set up by commissioner Gary Bettman, each owner would have a 60-day exclusive window to complete a deal. Barrie's window would have closed today had he not previously opted out when financing became a problem and gave the effort to Sansone.

The league never has said Sansone filed a league application for ownership, something done by Greene. The Miami Beach resident, worth $1.3 billion according to Forbes, said he does not need outside financing to buy out Barrie or retire the debt held by former owner Palace Sports & Entertainment, which financed about $97 million of OK Hockey's $200 million purchase of the team.

"The process is still ongoing," Barrie said later in a statement. "Oren and I are working to protect our investment and do what's best for the team. I'm still working on a deal and so is Oren. Both of us want to resolve this before the start of the season."

LIGHTNING EDGES COYOTES: Goaltender Mike Smith survived a scare to make a second solid start, stopping 32 of 33 shots Tuesday in the Lightning's 2-1 win over the Coyotes in front of 7,281 at Comcast Arena.

Jeff Halpern scored twice for Tampa Bay (2-1-1), which was outshot 33-18. But Smith was sharp and confident, even after he was bowled over in the net with 4:48 left in the first period.

An official summoned trainers as Smith, trying to regain his form after an eight-month recovery from post-concussion syndrome, lay on the ice after teammate Ryan Craig slid feet first into his private parts.

After several minutes Smith, who has stopped 50 of 53 shots in preseason, continued and didn't miss a beat.

"Craiger did the water slide and hit me directly between the legs," Smith said. "It didn't feel good. I told him, 'Way to go to the net. You're supposed to go hard at the other end, not this end.' "

"A good defensive play," Craig joked.

Coach Rick Tocchet could laugh as well after the game, but said he told Smith at the time, "You gave me a heart attack."

CHARACTER BUILDING: After the Lightning lost to the Senators on Monday in Regina, Saskatchewan, the team flew to Seattle, where buses waited to take it 20 miles north to Everett. The trip was delayed 90 minutes while the team cleared customs as one officer processed the 60-person travel party.

Tocchet likes "to take the positive out of things. You have that approach where the bus is late, mechanical problems on the plane, you have to sit for two hours, things go wrong, but it doesn't affect your team, your team is just so mentally strong."

islanders, kings get chippy: Los Angeles' 4-2 preseason victory in Kansas City, Mo., had eight fighting penalties — New York's Brett Westgarth and L.A.'s Raitis Ivanans twice in the first period. Kevin Westgarth, Brett's brother, got a 10-minute misconduct for whipping Michael Haley to the ice by his jersey.

Information from Times wires was used in this report.