Lately, leaders coming up empty

Now more than ever, the Lightning needs a scoring boost from its four stars.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published January 3, 2008

Vinny Prospal is denied a scoring opportunity by the Maple Leafs' Vesa Toskala on Dec. 20.
	[Douglas R. Clifford | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Stephen J. Coddington | Times] Vinny Lecavalier, right, has only six shots in the past three games for the Lightning.

MONTREAL - It is time for the Lightning's core players to step up.

If Tampa Bay is to make the playoffs for the fifth straight season, forwards Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards and Vinny Prospal must carry their stars on their sleeves.

Their collective slump will just not do. And they know it.

"This falls on our shoulders," St. Louis said. "We're the ones out there for 80 percent of the minutes. We have to find a way to get it done."

"We just have to be scoring," Prospal said. "The best players are not producing and the team is not winning."

In a 3-8-2 streak that dropped Tampa Bay to last in the East and includes losses in its past five games and eight of nine, the team has just 29 goals. Take away the 9-6 loss to the Flames and it is 23, an average of 1.76.

It averaged 3.1 in its previous 27 games and was 12-13-2.

The decline starts from the top and is more notable because rookie Karri Ramo has provided in his five starts goaltending that gave the team chances to win.

Richards, a league-worst minus-23, has zero goals in eight games and one in 11. St. Louis has two goals in eight games.

Lecavalier, who leads the league with 56 points, has six shots in his past three games and is minus-3 since Dec. 1.

Since scoring 12 goals in his first 18 games, Prospal has just five in 22.

The power play is 2-for-25 in its past eight games, 5-for-40 in its past 11.

In Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss at Toronto, the power play was 0-for-5 and had zero shots during a four-minute advantage that could not add to a 1-0 first-period lead.

"Especially in tough streaks like this, it definitely would have been nice to get that goal," Lecavalier said. "It could have changed the whole game. We have to do more. We have to make sure we play hard and lead by example."

Coach John Tortorella would welcome that as the team looks for a spark and an identity.

"What's our identity? A team that gives up 10 odd-man rushes a game? It fits, and that's a problem," he said.

"It's the attitude that it'll come. You can't have that type of attitude right now. We're in a jam and it will snowball until we figure out we need to get to another level of desperation and jam."

That example, Tortorella said, "starts with our core. It shouldn't come from anyone else."

This does not excuse offensive strugglers such as Filip Kuba, Chris Gratton, Jan Hlavac, Mathieu Darche and Jason Ward.

But Tampa Bay's scoring is so top heavy, leaning on the core, which has 68 of the team's 114 goals 60 percent, is unavoidable.

Prospal said the turnaround will come with an "ugly" goal. St. Louis said it is a matter of getting to the scoring areas and "demanding the puck."

Perhaps tonight against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

"I know what these guys are," said Tortorella, who stressed his confidence in the core is as strong as ever. "I know what these guys are all about and that's what (upsets) me even more because I know what they've done for this organization."

It is up to them to do it again.

Damian Cristodero can be reached at cristodero@sptimes.com.

[Last modified January 2, 2008, 23:35:53]