Same as it ever was: Lightning falls again

By TOM JONES

©St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 1998

TAMPA -- When it was over, when the latest embarrassment was still raw in their minds, they simply sat frozen at their lockers.

Most stared into space, saying nothing, hearing nothing. Another studied his skates as if they held a magic answer to all the problems.

A few muttered in hushed tones. Others spoke louder, angrier.

These are the sights and sounds of the worst team in the NHL. This is what could be seen and heard minutes after that team was pounded by one of the league's weaklings.

This is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Another game. Another loss. Another debacle. The New York Islanders, who hadn't won a game since Dec. 20, came into the Ice Palace and handed Tampa Bay it's sixth straight loss, 7-1, before 10,906 Wednesday night.

Seven to one! The worst home loss since the inaugural season.

"Tonight was even worse than the other night," coach Jacques Demers said referring to the Lightning's 6-3 loss Monday.

But that was it from Demers, who refused to "be negative" one game after ripping into his team.

"I said what I had to say the other night, and I stand by what I said," Demers said. "There's no use going over it. I said my peace."

The players, meanwhile, have run out of excuses. Explanations are as hard to find as victories these days.

No one blamed Wednesday's loss on No. 4 goalie Zac Bierk, who gave up seven goals on 34 shots. No one blamed the rash of injuries, which now includes Dino Ciccarelli, who missed the game with a stiff neck. And no one pointed fingers at specific players, even though Bryan Marchment was a minus-5, Paul Ysebaert was a minus-4 and Rob Zamuner and Alex Selivanov (again) was a minus-3.

"I don't know, I've don't have anymore answers," forward Mikael Renberg said. "Maybe we're just not good enough."

What most players found especially disturbing was how quickly the game went down the tubes. One game after playing the worst opening period of the season, the Lightning played what may have been its second-worst opening period.

The Islanders, stumbling through an 11-game winless streak and losers of 10 straight before a tie in their previous game, scored three first-period goals.

"You could see in the faces of the guys that we were in trouble after the first couple goals," forward Steve Kelly said. "It's a confidence thing right now. We don't have any and when we fall behind, we don't have the confidence to come back."

By the end of the second period, it was 5-0. Even the Lightning's lone highlight -- Renberg's seventh goal early in the third period -- was erased when the Islanders scored less than a minute later.

When it was over it was hard to believe the Islanders have a worse record than every team in the Eastern Conference except you-know-who. Ziggy Palffy and Robert Reichel had two goals and three points each. Rich Pilon and Tom Chorske each had two assists. Bryan Smolinski had a goal and an assist. No. 3 goalie Wade Flaherty had his first win since April 9, 1997.

And the Lightning had one huge headache. "I don't even know what to say anymore after this," defenseman Karl Dykhuis said. "Unless you win a Stanley Cup, you can always use a little more talent and a little more effort. Right now, maybe we could use both."

"It's that here-we-go-again attitude that creeps in," Ysebaert said. "I think the effort is there, but it's not smart effort. We have 20 guys going in 20 different directions."

And one team going in the same direction: south.

NY Islanders 3 2 2--7
Tampa Bay 0 0 1--1

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
NYI: Smolinski 7 (Palffy, Berard), 3:53 (pp). Berard, at left point, passes to Palffy in right faceoff circle. Palffy passes across slot to Smolinski, who buries a wrist shot past a diving Bierk. Islanders lead 1-0.
NYI: Jackson 1 (Nemchinov), 7:43. Nemchinov steals puck from Huscroft at Lightning blue line. Nemchinov skates, then passes to Jackson driving to the net. Jackson tips puck past Bierk. Islanders lead 2-0.
NYI: Jonsson 9 (Pilon), 19:28. Lightning can't clear puck. Jonsson's shot from the left point is deflected in the slot through Bierk's legs. Islanders lead 3-0.

Penalties
Bonsignore, TB (hooking), 3:04; Nemchinov, NY (holding stick), 5:33; Chorske, NY (hooking), 9:18; Norton, TB (slashing), 11:16.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring
NYI: Reichel 17, 16:18 (ps). Reichel fakes slap shot, then fakes wrist shot and tucks backhander past Bierk on the penalty shot. Islanders lead 4-0.
NYI: Palffy 21 (Chorske, Smolinski), 19:59. Smolinski charges down slot, but is stopped by Bierk. Chorske's rebound is also stopped by Bierk, but Palffy gathers puck and lifts it over a fallen Bierk. Islanders lead 5-0.

Penalties
Pilon, NY (roughing), 9:09; Huscroft, TB (interference), 12:24.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
TB: Renberg 7 (Shaw), 2:59. Renberg carries puck over blue line and then beats Flaherty with a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Islanders lead 5-1.
NYI: Reichel 18 (Chorske, Palffy), 3:50. Chorske skates down left wing and passes to Reichel in the low slot. Reichel dekes around Bierk and tucks shot into net. Islanders lead 6-1.
NYI: Palffy 22 (Pilon, Reichel), 18:01. Palffy takes pass from Pilon next to the net and shoots short wrister. Bierk makes save, but his glove is behind the line. Islanders win 7-1.

Penalties
Houda, NY, major (fighting), 2:31; Wiemer, TB, major (fighting), 2:31; Chorske, NY (tripping), 6:57; Jackson, NY (holding), 9:32.

SHOTS ON GOAL