Sports: Lightning undone in 2nd period

Lightning undone in 2nd period

In a 5-2 loss to Phoenix, poor play strikes a period early.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

TAMPA -- For about a month, coach John Tortorella has been trying to get the Lightning to play more aggressively in the third period.

Mission accomplished Tuesday as Tampa Bay outshot the Coyotes 17-7 and spent 8:28 in the Phoenix zone.

The problem: The Lightning zoned out in the second period during its 5-2 loss to Phoenix in front of an announced 10,843 at the Ice Palace.

"It's mind-set," Tortorella said. "What they're thinking, I don't know. Whatever it is, we have to sit down and talk as a team and try to work it out."

The meeting will come today instead of the previously scheduled practice.

What they will talk about is a period in which they were outshot 13-3, could hardly make a pass and allowed three goals -- two in 27 seconds and two on the power play, both with defenseman Andrei Zyuzin in the penalty box.

"It's been a while," center Brian Holzinger said, "since we played a good solid 60 minutes, and that's what it's going to take."

Because the Lightning, in losing 14 of 16, has gotten precious few bounces.

Vinny Lecavalier, in his first game back since fracturing his left foot Jan. 12, hit the post in the first period. Matthew Barnaby hit it in the second.

Even when Tampa Bay got things rolling on Martin St. Louis' goal 1:30 into the third period which cut the Lightning deficit to 3-2, the Lightning couldn't catch a break.

Just less than four minutes later, Brad May's slap shot deflected in off the skate of Lightning defenseman Jassen Cullimore to give the Coyotes a 4-2 lead.

Then Coyotes goaltender Robert Esche, who hadn't played since Jan. 24, stopped Holzinger twice in front of the net. It wasn't so much that he made the saves, its how he made them, especially the second one.

"The rebound came right back to me and he dove across," Holzinger said. "If I had shot the puck anywhere else but high, it would have scored."

Even Landon Wilson's empty-net goal with 2.4 seconds left bounced off a few sticks before it went in.

Still, it cannot excuse the second period.

Tampa Bay led 1-0 thanks to Grant Ledyard's goal with 16.1 seconds left in the first period, his first since Feb. 17, when he scored for the Senators against Tampa Bay.

But instead of coming out with some jump, the Lightning struggled, and watched as Joe Juneau and Travis Green scored on deflections at 7:43 and 8:10 to take a 2-1 lead in the second.

Jeremy Roenick made it 3-1 when he tapped in the puck after Shane Doan's slap shot trickled through the legs of goaltender Dieter Kochan.

The goals by Juneau and Roenick, his 20th, were on the power play.

"Our penalty killing is ridiculous," Tortorella said.

Tampa Bay's power play went 0-for-5 despite the addition of defenseman Adrian Aucoin, who played his first game since coming over from the Canucks for Dan Cloutier.

"They're so tentative," Tortorella said. "It's like, "I don't want to make that mistake.' We have to get out of that. It's mind-set."

* * *

TAMPA -- Defensemen Paul Mara and Cory Sarich were sent to the IHL's Detroit Vipers on Tuesday.

"I'm angered by it," Mara said. "But I have to work hard to get back here."

Said Sarich: "It hurts you right in the gut."

Coach John Tortorella said the addition of defensemen Adrian Aucoin, 27, and Grant Ledyard, 39, gives the team the flexibility to allow younger players to develop in the minors.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Mara, 21, has been cited for not playing a physical game. The former first-round pick (seventh overall) in 1997 is minus-17.

Sarich, 22, played well after a four-game stint in Detroit in November but is minus-22 for the season and minus-9 the past 13 games.

"They are too important to us to let them stagnate or digress here," general manager Rick Dudley said. "We know they will be a huge part of our team for a long time."

"This isn't a long-term thing," Tortorella said. "I don't think the players should take this as a negative."

That was hard to do, especially for Mara.

"I'm disappointed," he said. "I thought I had showed them that I belong here."

OTHER MOVES: The team put forward Stan Drulia (sore back) on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Kristian Kudroc from the Vipers.

VINNY RETURNS: Captain Vinny Lecavalier returned for Tuesday's game against Phoenix at the Ice Palace, his fractured left foot sore but manageable.

"It's going to be sore for the rest of our 26 games," Lecavalier said. "I just have to ice it and treat it well."

Lecavalier is fourth on the team with 35 points (15 goals, 19 assists) but had one goal in 16 games when hurt Jan. 12 against the Flyers.

"It will be good to finally get back," he said. "Starting in Tampa and playing a good team like Phoenix, I'm very motivated to play a good game and help the team as much as possible."

PLUS/MINUS: Going into Tuesday, Lecavalier was fourth from the bottom of the league at minus-20. Sarich was next to last. Bringing up the rear at minus-23 was the Rangers' Mark Messier.

POINT TAKEN: After a review by the NHL, center Brad Richards was awarded an assist on Matthew Barnaby's goal Saturday against the Bruins. Right wing Mike Johnson's assist was taken away. That gave Richards 45 points. His 29 assists tied Chris Gratton's team record for rookies.

ODDS AND ENDS: Defenseman Sergey Gusev and forward Thomas Ziegler were healthy scratches. ... Pavel Kubina played in his 200th NHL game.

-- DAMIAN CRISTODERO