Grit, goals, but no win

The Lightning shows fight, literally, but the Rangers have too much power in a 6-4 win.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 2, 2002

TAMPA -- The playoffs are virtually out of reach, but the Lightning can think of a better way to close out the season than playing the role of spoiler.

Play tough.

Tampa Bay went down swinging in a physical 6-4 loss to the Rangers before an announced 15,211 Monday at the Ice Palace. An action-packed game finished with four goals and three fights in the third period.

"There are a lot of questions being asked: "Is your team a spoiler? Is your team going to play hard now that the playoffs are out of the picture?' " Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "I consider our guys pros. I don't think that should even be up for discussion. We want to go out and win hockey games."

The Rangers' Petr Nedved snapped an 18-game scoreless streak with two goals, including the winner on a backhand that beat goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin 14:41 into the third.

Less than one minute earlier, the Lightning tied it at 4 on Vinny Prospal's goal. Pavel Kubina, Vinny Lecavalier and Dave Andreychuk also scored for Tampa Bay. Rookie Jimmie Olvestad and defenseman Cory Sarich each had two assists.

Khabibulin gave up five goals for the third time this season and has allowed 18 in his past five games as Rem Murray, Pavel Bure and Martin Rucinsky also scored against him. Bure added an empty-net goal with 27.3 seconds left.

The Lightning peppered Rangers rookie goalie Dan Blackburn, who continues to learn under fire as Mike Richter recovers from a skull fracture.

Tampa Bay led 1-0 on Kubina's 10th goal of the season, a low slap shot from the slot that went between Blackburn's legs 1:44 into the first. With his 30th point, Kubina tied his career high set last season (11 goals, 19 assists). Assists went to Ben Clymer and Prospal, who extended his scoring streak to five games and matched his career high of 33 assists.

Three minutes later, Prospal streaked down the left wing and sent a centering pass to Brad Richards, charging from the right wing. But Blackburn anticipated the pass and made a sliding save.

Midway through the first, Blackburn juggled but gloved Lecavalier's wrister from the left circle and made a pad save on Andreychuk's slap shot from the right circle. With five minutes left, Blackburn seemed to lose track of Sarich's shot, but it bounced off the post and trickled away from the goal.

The Rangers went to work in the closing minutes of the period. Murray intercepted a clearing pass and snapped a wrister from the right circle past Khabibulin to tie the score at 17:02.

Later, an errant Lightning pass went to Eric Lindros, whose slap shot from the slot was blocked by a diving Sarich. The puck bounced back to Lindros, who took another swipe but did not make solid contact. The feeble shot turned into a perfect pass to Bure, who tucked it past Khabibulin for his 28th of the season and a 2-1 lead at 18:24.

Tampa Bay tied it early in the second on Vinny Lecavalier's 15th goal of the season. Lecavalier, resurgent the past three games, came down the right wing looking to pass to Sheldon Keefe and seemed to catch Blackburn off guard with a shot from the right circle that skipped off the goialie's glove at 2:43.

The Rangers responded with a flurry of activity in the Lightning zone that resulted in Nedved's deflection of Dave Karpa's waist-high shot past Khabibulin for a 3-2 lead at 8:17. It was Nedved's first goal in 19 games.

A hustle play by Olvestad allowed the Lightning to tie it at 3 with its sixth short-handed goal of the season. Olvestad beat defenseman Tom Poti to the puck, veered to the boards and passed to Andreychuk in front of the net. Andreychuk's shot hit the post, but bounced off the back of Blackburn's head and into the net at 9:54.