[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
Nikolai Khabibulin tries to prevent a goal during the second period. He was pulled after giving up six goals in two periods.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 22, 2002

TAMPA -- Lightning coach John Tortorella said he will not show his players video clips from Thursday's game against the Islanders.

It was an extraordinary statement from someone who spends up to three hours after games breaking down tape to use as a teaching aid. But the Lightning was so extraordinarily bad in a 7-2 loss at the St. Pete Times Forum, Tortorella figures it is better to throw the tape away.

He said players already did their penance.

"The medicine you take is sitting through that (terrible) third period after being smoked like we were in the first two," he said. "They just want to get out of there and start another game."

Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the NHL's player of the week for the period ending Sunday, was pulled for the first time this season after giving up four goals during the second period, including two in 19 seconds. He surrendered six goals on 32 shots.

With Kevin Hodson out with a strained groin, Evgeny Konstantinov, 21, played his second NHL game. A tough spot, and he gave up a goal to Jason Blake 25 seconds into the third. But Konstantinov regrouped and stopped the other five shots he faced. How out of hand did New Yorks's fifth consecutive victory over Tampa Bay get?

Forwards Brad Richards and Vinny Prospal were minus-4. Forwards Vinny Lecavalier and Sheldon Keefe and defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich were minus-3.

New York's line of center Jason Wiemer, Blake and Dave Scatchard had 10 points. Wiemer, who entered the game with two points, had four with a goal and three assists. Blake had two goals and two assists, and Scatchard had a goal and an assist. Mark Parrish scored twice. And it happened with owner Bill Davidson and CEO Tom Wilson watching from the Lightning suite.

"We're thoroughly embarrassed," center Tim Taylor said of the Lightning's second straight loss. "We played awful. We were thoroughly beaten in all aspects of the game."

"It's kind of a shocker," Blake said. "We've been putting a lot of shots on net this year. They just haven't been going in. (Thursday), we got seven, and that's a great feeling for a hockey team."

Islanders coach Peter Laviolette started goaltender Garth Snow instead of Chris Osgood, who is 13-0 against Tampa Bay. Laviolette said he had a "gut feeling," and Snow made him look good by stopping 29 shots. New York outshot Tampa Bay 38-34.

Osgood got into the game with 2:45 left after Snow was given a match penalty for attempting to injure Keefe during a scrum. Snow threw punches at Keefe while wearing his blocker.

So exactly what happened to Tampa Bay, which took a 1-0 lead 49 seconds into the game on Ben Clymer's goal and did not score again until Andre Roy's tally with 3.1 seconds left? Captain Dave Andreychuk said teams are taking Tampa Bay seriously.

"We're not sneaking up on teams anymore. Teams are ready for us," he said. "We have to be desperate every night. This is what happens when we're not."

What happened is Boyle fell on plays that led to goals by Parrish and Scatchard. Lecavalier had his back to the play while standing in front of Khabibulin as Blake swung around the net for a clean shot and a goal.

And Khabibulin surrendered goals to Scatchard and Wiemer with 1:32 and 1:13 left in the second period to give New York a 6-1 lead.

"This is still a good hockey team here," Tortorella said. "I know how hard these guys have worked, so I hate to see these guys in this situation."

But if you have to lose, he said, you might as well do it right ... or wrong.

"It's probably good to get spanked as bad as we did," the coach said. "You might as well get woken up."

Just make sure you burn the videotape.