Grahame's recent roll hits another peak

By TOM JONES
Published November 28, 2005

TAMPA - Lightning goalie John Grahame wouldn't confirm or deny it. He only laughed when he was asked. But word was he said he would pitch a shutout before Sunday's 4-1 victory against the Penguins.

Only a goal with 1:13 left ruined his prediction. But one can hardly blame Grahame for feeling confident of late. After struggling earlier this season, Grahame has won his past five starts. According to coach John Tortorella , Grahame outright stole Sunday's victory for his teammates.

"Johnny was huge," forward Marty St. Louis said.

Grahame made only 20 saves, but few were easy. The hardest was stopping Matt Murley on a penalty shot in the first period.

"On a penalty shot, there's not much to it," said Grahame, who is 1-for-3 on penalty shots this season. "I just try to wait him out as long as I can and be as patient as I can. I try to let him make the first move."

Murley made a nifty deke, but Grahame was able to split his pads and make a leg save. He took credit for that save but credited the team with his recent success.

"We don't have any individualistic egos on this team," Grahame said. "When the team is going on all cylinders, you feel very confident. It's nice to be able to go out and make some saves."

FAMILIAR FACE: Former Lightning tough guy Andre Roy returned to the St. Pete Times Forum for the first time since Game 7 of the 2004 Cup final. Now with Pittsburgh, Roy has been out since Oct.22 when his left orbital was broken in a fight with Boston's Colton Orr . Roy had a permanent plate surgically inserted in his face and hopes to return within a week or two.

His eyesight remains a tad blurred when he looks up, but he could still see the Cup banner hanging while he practiced Saturday.

"It's beautiful," Roy said. "Very nice. Being back here brings back a lot of memories, that's for sure. I had a lot of good times here over the years."

NO MARIO: Penguins star Mario Lemieux was a surprise scratch. The official word from the Pens was that he was suffering from a "stomach virus." Lemieux, however, also sat out a game less than two weeks ago because of a "stomach virus."

The Hall of Famer has struggled all season. He has seven goals and 13 assists in 22 games but is minus-16.

Meantime, rookie sensation Sidney Crosby played despite a bruised left foot. He looked less than 100 percent but still managed to hit the crossbar on his first shift and, later, create several scoring chances.

"I skated (in the morning) and I thought I could play," Crosby said. "It felt all right."

[Last modified November 28, 2005, 01:05:08]