Lightning needs to clinch series now and not give the Isles any hope.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published April 16, 2004
[AP photo]
The Lightning celebrates Fredrik Modin's third-period goal during Game 5 on Wednesday. Lightning daily coverage Lightning vs. Islanders, game 5, 7:30 tonight, St. Pete Times Forum
TAMPA - No disrespect intended, but the Lightning believes it is time to squash the Islanders like a bug. Kick 'em when they're down.
Call it the NHL version of the law of the jungle.
With a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven East quarterfinals, Tampa Bay believes the first opportunity to clinch tonight in Game 5 at the St. Pete Times Forum is one it must grab.
"It's definitely a must-win for us," center Vinny Lecavalier said Thursday. "These guys are playing hard. The scores might not show it but they're playing good hockey. We want to finish them off as quickly as we can."
"You don't want to give them any momentum," wing Cory Stillman said. "We have momentum. We have to keep it. Now it's come down for us to win one game at home."
But just as a two-goal lead is considered one of the most unsafe, a two-game lead is no guarantee of playoff success.
Consider: If the Islanders win tonight (at an arena, by the way, in which they are 5-3-0-0 the past three seasons), they play Game 6 at home on Saturday. Win that one and, as Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk said, "Anything can happen in Game 7."
That is why the Devils repeatedly said they wanted to beat the Lightning in Game 5 and clinch last season's East semifinals at home and not let Tampa Bay return to the Times Forum.
That is why Andreychuk said of tonight's Game 5: "This is the main game for us. We can't look past this game. We talked about that (the Islanders) are still going to fight and going to be ready to play. We have to be on top of our game. They're not going to hand it to us just because it's three to one."
"They haven't won anything, that's the good news," New York coach Steve Stirling said. "That's what I told the guys. That's why we play a seven-game series. Three to one is not a winner yet. We'll go down there and play hard."
And just as the Lightning found out, sometimes a road game is good for what ails you.
Tampa Bay opened the series by splitting the first two at home, though it played poorly. In sweeping the next two at the Nassau Coliseum, the Lightning played simply, solidly and maturely as it defused the raucous New York crowd.
Tampa Bay must bring that kind of game to home ice, where emotions will be high, family and friends can be a distraction and the arena roof no doubt will be raised.
"There's a fine line between winning and losing," coach John Tortorella said. "We have to recognize that. We will recognize that and prepare accordingly.
"We're just going to go about our business. That's the way we try to approach it. After the first couple of games we just didn't think we were playing with the intensity conducive to playoff hockey. I think we're slowly getting to that. I think there is still room for improvement."
For the Islanders as well.
New York has been shut out three times and in consecutive games by Nikolai Khabibulin. New York has not scored against the Lightning goalie since Jason Blake's goal 3:36 into the second period of Game 3.
Asked what his team needs to do to get on the right track, Stirling told New York reporters "Score a goal. When you get shut out three times, the best thing you can do is score a goal."
"We're making it too easy for Tampa," Islanders captain Michael Peca said. "We're wasting energy on ourselves. Everyone has to have a commitment. If they don't, I'll be the first one to get in their face and tell them how disappointed I am."
Andreychuk said he expects New York to come with even more energy than it did on Long Island.
"You're talking about a team with its back to the wall," he said. "Guys are going to play hard, no matter what the score and the series is."
"Just because we're up three to one doesn't mean we're going to win four games," wing Martin St. Louis said. "For us, we have to realize how we won those games on Long Island and bring that desperation and energy (tonight)."
