No joy in Jersey

Grant Marshall's goal ends Tampa Bay's season in the longest game in franchise history.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Fredrik Modin was wrestling Friday night with mixed emotions so incompatible, he did not know whether to feel good or bad.

The Lightning forward acknowledged the steps the team took this season, earning its first playoff berth in seven seasons, winning its first division title and a round in the playoffs.

But after 111 minutes, 12 seconds of battling, bruising work, to be eliminated from the East semifinals four games to one by the Devils was nothing to cheer about.

"It's tough," he said of the 2-1 triple-overtime loss at Continental Airlines Arena that is the longest game in franchise history. "We didn't get to what we wanted to do, but it's a step forward. But right now, it doesn't feel too good. It really kind of (expletive)."

It is tough because the Lightning might have played its best overall game of the series and came after an emotional day in which coach John Tortorella benched goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and started John Grahame, who had not played since the last game of the regular season in Atlanta.

Grahame, in his first NHL playoff start, was spectacular, made 46 saves and, overall, might have played better than Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

"He was outstanding," Tortorella said.

If Grahame just hadn't lost his stick just before Devils right wing Grant Marshall shot from in close and through a scramble in front of the net 11:12 into the third extra period.

If only Lightning defenseman Cory Sarich had gotten his stick on the puck. Sarich is not to blame - how can you blame anyone who played 36:47 and had five shots in overtime - but it just proved how fine a line there is between winning and losing in the playoffs.

Tortorella could not have asked for a better effort from his players. And things looked rosy when Nikita Alexeev scored his first playoff goal 11:18 into the game. Scott Niedermayer answered at 13:27, and then it was given over to the goalies and players such as defenseman Dan Boyle, who played a game-high 48:19 (and was plus-1), and the line of center Tim Taylor, left wing Chris Dingman and Alexeev, who combined for 11 shots.

And had Modin's apparent goal midway through the second period counted (it was ruled he kicked it in), things might have been different.

"It doesn't surprise me," Tortorella said of how his team battled. "We've got something good here, and the way they handled themselves, and the way they've handled themselves all year, they've grown."

Tortorella said they have not only grown as a team, but in stature around the league.

"For the Tampa Bay Lightning, as we opened up the year, we talked about earning respect. The last couple of years, no one respected the Tampa Bay Lightning. But I think in a losing situation, we've gained some respect for the organization."

Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko agreed.

"This team wanted nothing to do with going back to Tampa Bay again," he said of what was a potential Game 6 on Sunday. "The more and more we kept trying, we watched John Grahame with nerves of steel, we knew Tampa Bay was a dangerous hockey team."

It proved that by the way it began to take over the game in the third overtime. But then there was Brodeur, who stopped Brad Richards' shot from the slot off his mask then sprawled to his right and stopped Martin St. Louis' rebound try with his right arm at 3:22.

Grahame was equally impressive, especially in the first overtime, when he made 11 saves.

"I think I gave the team a chance," Grahame said. "But that's a minor point now because we wanted to win the game. So you can't be satisfied with that. You've got to take some good with some bad. It's a learning experience. We did a good job, but we could do better."

And without any help from the referees. The Lightning did not get one power play while the Devils got four, including two in the first overtime. Taylor said he had never seen anything like that before.

"As an organization and a team, we took a big step forward," left wing Dingman said. "You can't be happy any time you lose, but we can take a lot of pride in the way we played."

And the season they had.

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