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TAMPA - Coach John Tortorella has a warning for his players who might too fondly remember last season's six-game victory over the Capitals in the East quarterfinals. This season's matchup with the Islanders will be a whole 'nother ballgame.
"All our top guys better realize right now, we're not playing the Washington Capitals," the coach said. "The Capitals, with all respect, are a very talented team, but they don't know how to check within a playoff-type situation."
Tortorella said New York will bring "the determination of a Jersey Devils team, and our team didn't handle that in the second round (a five-game loss).
"I felt our team last year in that second round said, "You know what? This is enough. This is too hard.' We lost a bit of that edge mentally in saying, "Enough is enough. We'll try it again another time."'
Center Brad Richards said message received.
"He just doesn't want us giving in to the checking because it's going to be tough," Richards said. "(The Islanders) just do a really good job of being on you in your own zone. There are times when it's going to be frustrating. He just doesn't want us to give in."
"I think they're more aggressive than the Devils, so it's going to be even more intense," center Vinny Lecavalier said. "The Devils put us to sleep with their trap, but these guys are very aggressive in the defensive zone. We're going to have to fight through the clutching and grabbing, that's for sure."
MINOR MOVES: Goalie Brian Eklund was called up from ECHL Pensacola for two days of practice. That gave Lightning goalie John Grahame more time to rest a sore left knee. Eklund, who set an ECHL record with 3,724 minutes and tied a record with 38 victories, will rejoin Pensacola for Wednesday's playoff opener in Louisiana.
Said Lightning general manager Jay Feaster: "He faces these guys and he works with (goaltenders coach Jeff Reese). The (puck) should look like a beach ball by the time he goes back."
MINOR MOVES II: If Hershey and Utah do not make the AHL playoffs, the Lightning likely will call up defensemen Timo Helbling and Gerard Dicaire and forwards Nikita Alexeev, Sheldon Keefe and Shane Willis. Each will be on a taxi squad that works out separately from the big club, though they would be available for the playoff roster.
It appears the group will be coached by pro scout Dirk Graham, a candidate to coach Tampa Bay's new AHL affiliate in Springfield next season.
TICKET QUESTIONS?: The team offers a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Wednesday and Thursday at the St. Pete Times Forum. It is open to the public and is a chance for playoff ticket holders to bring questions to the box office.
Tickets marked A1 are for Thursday's Game 1 of the series with the Islanders. A2 is for Saturday's Game 2. A3 is for Game 5 on April 16, and A4 is for Game 7 on April 19.