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Bolts Need To Get Greedy With Offense's Consistency

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 26, 2007

WASHINGTON - The reason for the season ended Tuesday, leaving the Lightning in the mood for receiving rather than giving.

That's because too often in recent weeks, Tampa Bay has been in far too much of a giving mode while its offense has taken on a Grinch-like persona.

While Karri Ramo, for the time being, has plugged the hole in net during his first two career starts (1.51 goals-against and .955 save percentage), the Lightning's offensive production has evaporated.

In eight of the past nine games, Tampa Bay has failed to score more than two goals - not counting the extra goal awarded for a shootout victory. The only exception came in a 9-6 loss to Calgary on Dec. 13. Tampa Bay is 3-5-1 in those nine games.

"I'm dissatisfied with the consistency of our best players," Lightning coach John Tortorella said after a 4-1 loss to Carolina on Saturday. "I don't care what the points are, and I know Vinny Lecavalier has racked up some points here in a few games where our offensive people aren't playing well enough consistently enough."

Tampa Bay's top players are counted on heavily to produce and carry the team's load up front, and they get the ice time to make it happen. But while the quartet of Brad Richards, Marty St. Louis, Vinny Prospal and Lecavalier have combined to score 14 of the team's 20 goals in the past nine games, they are also a combined minus-35.

"We definitely have to start producing and start scoring and capitalize on our chances," Lecavalier said.

What particularly has Tortorella concerned is not necessarily the production but rather the manner in which the lack of production is occurring. In the third period of Tampa Bay's most recent setback, Tortorella had a bad feeling left in his palate heading into the three-day break.

"I saw some things in the third period Saturday, our bench was dead," Tortorella said. "It ticks me off when you have a kid Ramo play in net again like he played and we can't muster up some energy from the core of our team to get something done here. It's frustrating."

At one point this season Tampa Bay led the league in average goals per game. The Lightning enter tonight's game having dropped to ninth. While they still rank in the upper third in offensive numbers, when it comes to even-strength play they own a minus-22 differential, being outscored 86-64.

"We have to get more depth through the lineup to score, that's pretty obvious," Richards said.

Perhaps a few days away from the game are what the team needed. It certainly has helped in the past, as the Lightning have been a second-half team.

But can they continue to hope history repeats? Or can they find a way to go out and make it happen to pull the team out of the cellar and into a playoff spot?

"We know we're capable of scoring goals, it's just a matter of ... we've got to bury our chances," defenseman Paul Ranger said.

"It will be nice to get away from the rink for a couple of days, but I'm looking forward to getting back today, going to Washington and getting back on track here."

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

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