TAMPA - The score, of course, was awful. The details, naturally, were dreadful. But if you want truly frightening, consider the implications.
The Lightning did not just lose a hockey game Monday night, it lost a little mystique. It lost a little confidence. And it lost a dose of pride.
For the first time in a while, there is trepidation. There is caution. There is, apparently, a hole in Nikolai Khabibulin's glove.
It is not because the Lightning lost. For goodness' sake, it had been a month since the last loss. A defeat was practically inevitable.
It is how Tampa Bay lost that demands concern. The Flyers did not win because they were nasty. They did not win because they stuck Lightning players in the boards. They did not get a bunch of fortunate calls and they did not get all of the lucky bounces.
They just played better. Much, much better.
"I don't think we're going to be watching this tape," defenseman Dan Boyle said. "It's obvious what happened: They beat us to every puck."
The Flyers were everything the Lightning had been. Their goaltender was acrobatic. Their forwards were quick. They stepped into lanes to steal passes and they battled on the boards to gain control.
This was not an accidental moment.
It was a calling out.
"Sometimes you start thinking too far ahead. It's human nature," forward Brad Richards said. "You think about how if we win this one, then we'll be in great shape going to Philly. I'm not saying that's what the answer was tonight, but I know it's going to be even keel from here on."
He warned us there was more. Time and again, John Tortorella said there were still lessons to be learned by the Lightning.
This is the one he meant. This is the test of a team coming back to earth after having been living for too long as stars. The victories had been too numerous, the dramatics too predictable. This was the straight-A student finally getting tripped up by a pop quiz.
"We're not going to beat our brains out as far as being overconcerned, as far as overanalyzing," Tortorella said. "There will be some learning from this, and then we'll move on."
If they learn from their mistakes, the players should be think tank material by Game 3.
Oh, the Lightning had been outplayed before. Maybe a couple of times against the Islanders. Definitely Game 3 against the Canadiens.
But, even in those games, there were moments of brilliance. Khabibulin would keep it close. And Martin St. Louis, Richards or Vinny Lecavalier would deliver the big play at the critical moment.
But all that had been true is now in question. The Lightning first line, the one that had accounted for 12 goals in nine games, could hardly get off a shot when it mattered. St. Louis and Lecavalier both missed one-on-one opportunities early Monday.
Khabibulin was having one of the great postseasons in league history. His goals-against-average coming in was 1.00, which is territory not even Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy had seen in a full postseason.
What took 10 games to build was dented in 26 minutes Monday night. By the time he was pulled in the second period, his average had jumped to 1.34.
"It's a pretty good wakeup call for us that we are going to have to play a lot better," Dave Andreychuk said. "We are going to have to play with a lot more desperation to beat that club."
The series is tied, but the advantage has swung to the Flyers. Not just in momentum, but in actual odds.
It is now a best-of-five series and three of the games are scheduled for Philadelphia. In an arena where the Flyers are 6-0 this postseason.
"We now have a chance to control our destiny," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "If we can win our home games, then we've got a chance."
Oh, you could say there were a couple of bright spots. You could point out, for instance, the way Lightning players showed up in the third period. With teeth bared and gloves dropped.
Lightning players looked more ticked off than intimidated. Even if they had played poorly for the first 40 minutes, they showed signs of character in the final 20.
Maybe that will be enough. Maybe the final period will allow the Lightning to retain some measure of pride. Maybe it will give Philadelphia pause.
"Even people who work regular, 9-to-5 jobs are going to have a tough day at work every once in a while," Boyle said. "We were pretty bad."
Something happened Monday night. Some lesson was imparted. Lightning players learned the Flyers may have as much talent as they do. Or they learned they had grown too comfortable in their own glory.
Figuring out which will decide whether the Lightning plays for the Stanley Cup.
