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Bolts Seek Hope, Wins

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2008

BOSTON - As the Lightning continue to journey down the dark path of a season two months deep, they want to find any glimmer of hope. They want to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel they are spiraling down.

Tampa Bay rides a seven-game winless streak entering tonight's game against conference-leading Boston. And with every mounting setback, the task of steadying the season might be akin to removing a two-ton boulder blocking the only exit out.

But the only way to make that happen is to secure a couple of victories, which have been few and far between this season as Tampa Bay has a league-low six through 26 games.

"A lot of us went through this last year, but the difference this year is we have a better team so it hurts a lot more," left wing Vinny Prospal said. "Even the coaches keep telling us that we are making progress in the way we are playing and the structure and how we are not giving up much and stuff like that. We just have to stick to the system that has been implemented."

Since interim coach Rick Tocchet took over for Barry Melrose and brought back associate coach Mike Sullivan, the coaching staff has slowly been implementing a structured system. With the schedule allowing few practice days since Tocchet took over Nov. 14, putting that system into place and making it work has been a painstaking process.

"We started just over a month ago with a little bit of a training camp, and I know it's not an excuse, but when things are struggling you have to stick with the system," said Tocchet, who did not run practice Sunday while attending to a family matter. "I think we are trying to get a mentality that when things aren't going well, don't try to be an individual."

It's a message that's difficult to keep stressing when the results are not there. But it's a message that will continue to be preached.

"Even though the results haven't come of late, the indicators from our standpoint is that our team game has improved dramatically," Sullivan said. "We're cutting down on the number of scoring chances, we're cutting down on the quality of scoring chances and usually that's an indicator that results will come."

The numbers support Sullivan's statement, as in the past two games the Lightning have held Boston and Buffalo to less than 30 shots. Before that, Tampa Bay had allowed 30 or more shots in all but one game.

But all the numbers that can be charted are meaningless if the victories don't start coming.

"We are trying to instill a certain mind-set within our group is that we have to be mentally tough and we can't be discouraged and we have to be determined and that's the state of our team where we're at," Sullivan said. "I think in the past two games we have played a couple of good teams and played them fairly even.

"The next step is we have to get over the hump, we have to find a way because, while the process is important but the results are as well. But we can't get discouraged, we can't feel sorry for the situation we are in because nobody else is."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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