Sports: Lightning shoots, scores little

Lightning shoots, scores little

PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 1: Roberto Luongo makes 36 saves as the teams split a home-and-home series.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA -- As if John Tortorella needed to be reminded who can't play because of injuries, the Lightning coach spent several minutes in his office after Thursday's game against Florida getting the latest update.

Still, he emerged from the closed-door meeting with the team's assistant general manager and medical director raving about how passionately his depleted team performed in a 3-1 loss to the Panthers.

Not a hint of discouragement or displeasure could be detected in his voice.

"I think our guys have accepted what we have and are trying to make the best of it and trying to bring their level up," Tortorella said. "I think some guys are doing it."

Playing without their two leading scorers and four others because of a sundry of injuries, the Lightning had ample opportunity to score before an announced 14,911 at the Ice Palace and gain ground on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

But Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo was magnificent in stopping 36 shots.

"He looked so big tonight," Tortorella said.

"He's a hell of a goalie. I thought he was the difference."

Luongo did get a little help.

Such as when Lightning rookie Nikita Alexeev hit the post and later fanned in the slot after a perfect setup by Vincent Lecavalier with 2:32 left in the second period.

Such as how Lecavalier would have scored 11 seconds later after a nifty move in front of the Florida net but Luongo managed to stick the toe of his left skate out just far enough to stop the puck before it crossed the goal line.

"It's hard work that gets you where you want to go," defenseman Jassen Cullimore said. "You get the lucky bounces when you're working hard. (Thursday), it just didn't work out that way. We were working hard and didn't get the bounces.

"I don't think it's anything that's going to hurt us mentally. It's just going to hopefully motivate us to work harder."

Tampa Bay trailed 1-0 at the end of the first period.

An attempted cross-ice pass by Florida left wing Marcus Nilson deflected off defenseman Stan Neckar's skate and into the Lightning net.

"It was a hard pass," Neckar said. "I saw the guy go behind.

"And I just wanted to stop it, and it went right off my skate."

Tampa Bay fought back early in the third period thanks to a thunderous check behind the Lightning net by Cullimore on Florida tough man Peter Worrell.

"That was a hell of a hit," Worrell said. "I don't think I've been hit that hard ever."

The euphoria didn't last long.

"About five seconds," Cullimore said.

Twenty-one seconds to be exact before Sandis Ozolinsh scored on a rebound with 16:44 left in the game to make it 2-0.

The Panthers made it 3-0 with 6:50 left when left wing Brad Norton's slap shot was deflected by right wing Ivan Novoseltsev and past Nikolai Khabibulin.

Khabibulin stopped 23 shots.

Lecavalier scored the Lightning's lone goal with 2:45 left in the game. It was his third goal in six games for a team that has a league-worst 110 this season and is 1-7-2-1 in its past 11 at home.

The loss delayed the Lightning's attempt to reach 50 points this season and close on the Devils and Rangers for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Tampa Bay trails both by nine points with two games against Washington -- at home Saturday and on the road Monday -- left before the Olympic break begins Feb.14.

"If we won, it's 50 points," Tortorella said. "You get 50 points and you're going into Washington and you're sniffing again.

"You look at the other teams, and you're sniffing. But I thought we played well enough to get (the Panthers), but we didn't get them. So now you have to push by it and look at Washington."

And hope the injury list doesn't grow.