TAMPA - Left wing Andre Roy knows there will be a point during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final when he will be itching for a fight; when he wants to bash in the head of a Flames player whom he believes did a Lightning teammate wrong.
But when that moment arises tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum, Roy said he will skate away, turn the other cheek. Not easy in the heat of the moment, but Tampa Bay's tough guy, in the calm of the locker room, anyway, sees no alternative.
"At this time of year you can't think individual-wise," Roy said Wednesday. "We can't think, "I'm going to get him back, get this guy back.' We want to win hockey games. Play physical. Play smart."
If retaliation is required, well . . .
"There will be a time to do it," Roy said. "Now is not the right time."
In a series in which elbows to the head, on both sides, are making as many headlines as scoring goals, discipline is key. Take a penalty, even with the best of intentions (such as rearranging the teeth of the guy who rearranged the teeth of a teammate) and you put your team, and a chance at the Cup at risk.
Remember this: Seven of the 14 goals in the series, and three of the four in the past two games, have come on the power play.
"We've got to look at the big picture," Lightning left wing Chris Dingman said. "If you walk away and you're disciplined, then the bigger picture is you win the Stanley Cup. That's our focus. All the other stuff, we're not worried about that. We're worried about winning hockey games. Part of being tough is walking away from that stuff and being disciplined."
Indeed the character of the series appears to be turning into Lightning skill vs. Flames brawn, and how Calgary is using a physical game to try to intimidate Tampa Bay and slow it down.
Words such as "street fight" and "war of attrition" have been used to describe what is going on.
"Who is not willing to skate with who?" Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. "They aren't skating with us?"
Told of the perception of the series, particularly in the United States, he said, "Good."
Asked to elaborate, Sutter joked he was relieved he and his players were allowed into the country Wednesday when the team flew to Tampa.
"How long did it take to get through customs today?" he said.
Not long, he was told.
"Nobody got charged with street fighting, did they?" Sutter said. "That's good."
Game 4 could very easily have devolved into a street fight after Calgary's Ville Nieminen cold-cocked Vinny Lecavalier in the back of the head with 4:13 remaining. But Lightning players did not retaliate blindly at anyone wearing a Flames uniform, preferring to ride out the rest of the 1-0 victory with a power play.
"That's a key in playoffs is your composure, your discipline, staying within your team concept and fighting through," coach John Tortorella said. "We're going to continue to do that."
"We're just going to play our game," Dingman said. "That's all we can do. If they're going to take penalties, it's their decision. We just have to make sure if we get the opportunity on the power play, we have to make them pay."
With the best-of-seven series tied at 2, payback will have to wait.
"It's not the right time to do it," Roy said. "We're two wins away. It's not the right time to think, "I'm going to get you.' There's a time for it. If it's not this year it's next year. We'll see. We have to stay disciplined and win the hockey game."
Gary Shelton: 
