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Cairns speaks up

Eric Cairns said he feels "fine." Why wouldn't he, the Islanders defenseman wanted to know. Mistakes, after all, are "part of the game."

Reporters surrounded Cairns after Friday's practice at the St. Pete Times Forum, asking about his defensive-zone giveaways that resulted in two Lightning goals during Thursday's 3-0 Game 1 victory.

"Those things are part of the game," Cairns said of his miscues that led to second-period goals by Andre Roy and Fredrik Modin. "It's a seven-game series. I'll be ready for (today)."

Coach Steve Stirling did not say for sure.

"We all make mistakes," goalie Rick DiPietro said. "You never fault a guy for trying hard. If you make a lazy mistake, the team has a right to be mad. But nobody questions that in Eric."

Said Stirling: "Nothing I'm going to say is going to make him feel any better, and there's nothing you can tell me when I make a mistake that is going to make me feel any better. I know it was a mistake. I'm going to get over it and move on."

Cairns said that was not a problem.

"I'm a professional," he said. "It's my job. I have to."

Pavel Kubina said he woke up Friday morning with blood on his pillow from his nose, which was whacked in the first period by the stick of Islanders captain Michael Peca.

The Lightning defenseman also has his left eyelid and chin bloodied by high sticks, and his nose bloodied again by an elbow. None of the infractions was called, and referee Tim Peel looked right at Kubina and Peca when the blow to the nose occurred.

"I'm not complaining," Kubina said. "I'll take a lot of cuts because it's the playoffs."

Other than the first 10 minutes of the first period, New York players believed they outplayed the Lightning. In fact, defenseman Adrian Aucoin said, "For a road game, there haven't been too many we lost when we played that way."

Defenseman Roman Hamrlik bemoaned a power play that failed on three opportunities in the first 11 minutes.

"A couple of goals on the power play maybe we win the game," he said. "Thirty shots (in the game), a couple of good chances, but we didn't finish them."

Everyone need not be so surprised Roy scored the Lightning's first goal of the playoffs. Coach John Tortorella said Roy has great hands, ones that can do more than ball into a fist and dispense on-ice justice.

Roy will have you know he scored 33 goals for Chicoutimi and Drummondville in 1994-95, his last season in the QMJHL. But that also is where his career path as an enforcer was set.

"Everyone will get into a fight as soon as they get to juniors," said Roy, who has 25 regular-season NHL goals. "That's where you'll see if you can do it and see if it's for you and if you really enjoy it.

"I was a big guy. I wanted to do everything, I wanted to be able to finish and score goals, but I also wanted to show that no one was going to step on me."

Plenty of people lined up to try.

"Everyone will try and see what you've got," he said. "Some guys just don't like to get hit. Either you do or you don't. Most of the time you just do it to show the you have the desire to get results."

One of the things the Lightning did to try and disrupt DiPietro's puck handling was to skate right at him. Tampa Bay had to do something. The goalie was a one-man forecheck buster (especially on the power play) in his previous games against Tampa Bay.

"It's something with anybody that handles the puck," Lightning goaltenders coach Jeff Reese said. "You've got a guy like DiPietro, one of the better ones in the league, you go at him and make yourself big, take away the boards and hopefully he makes a mistake with it. It happened a few times (Thursday) night. We didn't capitalize on it, but that's what we have to do."

Islanders center Jason Blake may be ready for today's Game 2. Out since March 25 with a high ankle sprain that was supposed to sideline him out a month, Blake has five goals and eight assists in 15 games against Tampa Bay.

"The confidence factor going out against a team who we've had success against is a big factor," Blake said. "If I get out there (today), I'll try to grab onto it. I want to be there and help our team."

"Obviously, I want the Tampa Bay Lightning to win, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Islanders." - Tampa Bay equipment manager Jim Pickard, who had the same job for New York during its run of four Stanley Cups.