Bury past, prepare for future

That's the Lightning's task against a possible playoff foe in Boston, where Tampa Bay hasn't won since 1994.

By BRUCE LOWITT, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 31, 2003

Here's how long it has been since the Lightning won in Boston: the parking lot at 150 Causeway St. didn't exist because the Bruins still played there, at hallowed Boston Garden.

When Wendell Young stopped 32 shots in Tampa Bay's 3-0 road win over the Bruins on April 9, 1994, Nikolai Khabibulin was tending goal for CKSA Moscow in the Commonwealth of Independent States League and Alexander Svitov was seven months shy of his 12th birthday. That's a 17-game winless streak (0-14-3) the Lightning would like to end tonight in the FleetCenter.

The futility might have ended Dec. 7 but Andre Roy's apparent second-period goal was disallowed when the replay official ruled Roy had kicked it past goalie John Grahame.

Instead of going up 3-1, Tampa Bay lost 3-2 on Nick Boynton's overtime goal.

"Obviously that was a tough loss, but that's in the past now," Roy said. "We've got to look at the way we've been playing. We've done really well on the road the past couple of weeks. We're a pretty confident team right now.

"No matter what the past was in (the FleetCenter) I think we can go in there and get a nice win in one of our last road games. We want to show them we can win at home and in their building."

Tampa Bay beat the Bruins 5-2 twice this season at the St. Pete Times Forum.

"I would love to play against them," said Grahame, traded Jan. 13 to Tampa Bay. In 13 starts since he is 6-4-3 with a 2.03 goals-against average.

"We don't look at it as, 'We lost to them however many times since whenever,' " center Viny Lecavalier said. "We don't care about streaks. We take it game by game. We just want to win this game and make sure we get the home-ice advantage" in the playoffs.

In other words, what matters most to the Lightning is where it will be in the final standings eight days from now -- and the games it will be playing the second week of April. Two more points will lock up a playoff berth for the Bruins.

"We might face Boston in the playoffs," Roy said. "So it's important to show (the Bruins) we're a top team and that we're ready to play and that they're going to see a way better (Lightning) team than in the past couple of years."

Center Brad Richards, like some teammates, glances at the standings each morning, in part to see how close the second-place Capitals are to the Lightning in the Southeast Division.

"First it was us getting in the playoffs," Richards said. "Now it's us getting first place. Of course I'm looking at Washington coming at us. I didn't even know Boston was close (to the Capitals)."

Said center Vinny Lecavalier: "It'd be nice to play Boston (in the playoffs). Boston's very good defensively; Washington's really good offensively. Two different teams. But any team we're going to play we've obviously got to come out hard."

Just getting to the playoffs isn't enough, Grahame said.

"It's not like, 'Hey, we're happy to be there.' We want to make a statement and make it loud, just like the past few games," he said. "We want to send a message. No matter who we play the rest of the season (the Canadiens and Flyers at home, the Thrashers in Atlanta), we're going to send a message to the league."

Message is the operative word, particularly when it comes to Boston and any other potential postseason opponent -- meaning Philadelphia -- in pursuit of a better playoff seed.

The Lightning's final home game is Friday against the Flyers.

"I think every game right now, playing teams like Boston, teams in your conference that you could play (in the postseason), it's going to be a message no matter what, whether you want it to be or not," Richards said. "It's going to be physical, going to be chippy. If one team gets physical, the other team is going to have to match that. Every game, it's playoff hockey right now.

"The situation never changes. We've got to bring a good effort every night. The more points we get, the less it matters what the other teams do. That's the most important thing."