Lightning continues its downward spiral

RANGERS 4, LIGHTNING 2: A third-period rally goes for naught with Tom Poti's power-play goal with 1:48 left.

By TOM JONES
Published December 23, 2005

[AP photo]

Martin Straka, behind defenseman Cory Sarich, knocks the puck past John Grahame to put the Rangers ahead 2-0 in the second.

NEW YORK - These are dangerous times for the Lightning.

That feel-good feeling of a couple of weeks ago has disappeared. It has been replaced by shrugged shoulders and blank stares and the feeling that the season could turn south in a hurry. Bounces are going the other way, and even the coach is questioning how bad the players want to win.

The result has been four losses in the past five games, including a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to the Rangers on Thursday night at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

After hitting the snooze button for two periods, the Lightning woke up to tie the score in the third period then watched Tom Poti score a power-play goal to snap a 2-2 tie with 1:48 left. The power play came as a result of a controversial penalty.

Trying to clear the puck out of his zone, Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt shot it over the Lightning bench and into the crowd.

A delay of game penalty is supposed to be called if the puck exits the ice over the high glass in the defensive zone but not if the puck lands in the bench area. However, NHL rules state if the puck clears the glass behind the bench, it is a penalty.

Lightning coach John Tortorella chased down the referees on the ice after the game for an explanation and did not speak with the media.

"If it was a batting motion, then it's up to the discretion of the referee. But if it's a shooting motion, it's a penalty," Lightning associate coach Craig Ramsay said. "We looked at it, and it appeared to be a shooting motion.

"We fought back, and it's unfortunate that a penalty like that cost us the hockey game."

The first two periods also didn't help.

The defense noticeably missed all-star Pavel Kubina, who sat out because of a groin injury. The five remaining defensemen showed the strain of extra ice time, and thus, the Rangers dominated the first two periods and got power-play goals from Petr Prucha and Martin Straka.

The Lightning rallied when Ruslan Fedotenko scored 43 seconds into the third and Brad Richards ripped a one-timer past Henrik Lundqvist for his 12th goal.

The comeback was hardly a consolation.

"A loss is a loss," defenseman Cory Sarich said. "If we had played the whole game like we played the third, maybe we wouldn't be talking about a loss."

Unfortunately for it, the Lightning has been talking about losses a lot lately, and Tortorella is running out of options.

He can yell, show video after video and preach the same message over and over. But eventually, his only option in a salary-cap NHL that makes it difficult to make trades is to take away ice time.

"I don't care if you're projected as the star of the team or the captain of the team," Tortorella said Thursday morning. "I don't care if you're the grinder of the team. I don't care if you're the ice cream man. If you don't push and play with intensity, you are not going to get your ice time."

Tortorella has not been particularly pleased with the top two lines, though Richards and Fedotenko were among the Lightning's best players Thursday.

But at the end of the game, the Lightning had lost again, and with a rough patch of games ahead, it's clear the Lightning's season is at a crossroads.

[Last modified December 23, 2005, 01:14:13]