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Bolts' Setback Hits At The Core

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2007

TAMPA - Throughout the post-lockout era in Tampa Bay, the groundswell around the Lightning's inconsistencies often pointed squarely at the play of the team's goaltenders - no matter who they were.

What the Lightning could often count on was the core players, those who have been here when the franchise was the dregs of the NHL through the team's rise to the penthouse as the team of teams and everywhere in between.

But at least for one night, Lightning coach John Tortorella reversed the roles following Tampa Bay's 4-1 loss to Carolina on Saturday night.

It turned into a lost opportunity to pull within four points of the division-leading Hurricanes heading into a three-day break for Christmas. Instead, Tampa Bay stays locked in the 14th spot in the Eastern Conference while nine of the other 10 conference teams that played Saturday picked up at least a point.

While rookie goaltender Karri Ramo put in a second consecutive solid effort in net while stopping 33 shots, it was the Lightning offense that wore the goat horns, particularly for what Tortorella felt was a less-than-expected effort after the game was 1-1 heading into the third period.

That's when Carolina surged and Tampa Bay all but wilted.

"I just didn't like our effort in the third period," Tortorella said. "I don't think we played badly the first couple of periods, I just didn't like our effort, our intensity. I don't like anything about our third period to try to close out a game, and that falls on the core. No one else. Not a goaltender, not a young defense who's dying on the vine against a pretty quick Carolina team. It falls on the core.

"So I'm totally disgusted as far as what happened there. You go nowhere, you're going nowhere and you're going to go quick, if we play with that type of emotion in a game."

The Hurricanes came out rolling in the third, outshooting Tampa Bay 11-1 in the opening 10 minutes of the period. While Ramo did his best to hold off Carolina, Ray Whitney came off the bench during a delayed hooking penalty on Jan Hlavac. Whitney came down the ice unchecked and was wide open in the slot for Cory Stillman to find before firing a wrist shot at the 9:31 mark.

The Hurricanes added a pair of empty-net goals in the final minute.

"I think we played a really good first couple of periods," Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger said. "They seemed to pick it up in the third and it didn't seem like we matched it. We took some bad penalties and it cost us."

It wasn't the only thing that was costly as Tampa Bay failed to capitalize on Marty St. Louis' goal 23 seconds into the game. Then, with the game tied early in the second period, the Lightning couldn't convert on a 66-second, two-man advantage in which they generated three shots on goal.

"Games like tonight, we get a five-on-three, we've got to get a goal there," said St. Louis, who finished with eight shots on goal, one short of his career high.

But when it came to calling out the core, no doubt Tortorella wasn't looking at the 21 combined shots from the top four offensive players - Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal and St. Louis. It was the lack of lifting the team up at an important time of the game while the goaltender was giving the team a chance. The top four Lightning scorers mustered two of Tampa Bay's five shots in the final 20 minutes - one each from Richards and Lecavalier.

"Don't talk to me about goaltending," Tortorella said. "That's what bothers me. There's always been an undercurrent here about consistent goaltending We get it in a pretty important game tonight and we get squat offensively from our top guys. It's frustrating to me."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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