Tampa Bay can establish itself against a team it may see in the postseason: Toronto.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published February 10, 2004
TAMPA - Okay, you make the call.
Is the Lightning's game with the Maple Leafs tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum a big one or just another one of 82?
Is it an opportunity for Tampa Bay to establish itself against a team it could meet in the playoffs or is it just the first game after the All-Star break?
Is it the first step in trying to catch the Maple Leafs and Flyers in the East or simply ... oh, come on, what else could it be?
"They're all big games, and I'm not being sarcastic," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "I think we should win all 82, so I think the importance of all 82 games is that there is no one game less than another. So that's the way we try to approach our season and breaking it down game to game."
Just for kicks, let's break it down this way. The Lightning's 65 points are third in the East, six behind the Maple Leafs and seven behind the Flyers with, respectively, one and two games in hand. Move into that second spot and you are guaranteed home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay also has been horrendous against Toronto at home. It is winless in its past four (0-3-0-1) and 2-15-0-1 overall. It's not a stretch to think the Lightning would like to send the Leafs a message, just in case the teams meet in the playoffs, that they won't have the run of the joint.
"Exactly, for sure," left wing Cory Stillman said. "When you play anybody in your conference and play them four times, it's nice to be .500 or a little better than that. If you meet them in the playoffs, it's good to know we played well against them and can beat them.
"You want to show them how good you are," center Vinny Lecavalier said. "If you play them in the playoffs, you want them to say, "We played them before and they played so good. They're intense and they hit."'
Both teams enter the game on intense highs.
The Lightning is 13-3-0-2 in its past 18, has won seven of eight overall and is 4-0-0-1 in its past five at home.
The Maple Leafs have won four straight on the road, including Thursday's dramatic 5-4 overtime victory over the Senators in which Toronto came back from a 3-0 deficit.
"This is a team that's one of the quality teams in this league, and a team we have had problems with playing a full 60 minutes against," Tortorella said. "It's a great test for us right outside the break."
Toronto coach Pat Quinn joined the mutual admiration society.
"No question, this is a very tough team to play," Quinn said of Tampa Bay. "They very much are a young and up-and-coming squad and a team you must be wary of. They have sound goaltending and a young, improving defense and they can score."
So which is it, just another game or a big game?
"You always use these games with the better teams in the league to see how you stack up against them," Tortorella said.
"When you face these type of teams, you just don't want to step backward. You want to stay within your game plan and not be in awe of them and believe you are a quality club. That's the way you're going to approach it."
That, as far as the coach is concerned, is as big as it gets.
