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There's a penalty for finishing too well?

The Lightning insists it will play hard the rest of the way, even if it should lose a chance at the No. 1 pick.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2001

TAMPA -- There is an interesting sidelight to the Lightning's dramatically improved play.

If the team moves up in the standings -- and going into Wednesday night's games it was just six points out of third place in the Southeast Division -- its opportunity to draft super prospects Jason Spezza and Ilja Kovalchuk will lessen.

Drafting players is always a guessing game, but Spezza and Kovalchuk are two pretty sure bets.

Spezza, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound center, is considered the draft's No. 1 prospect. Kovalchuk, a 6-2, 202-pound Russian wing, is considered the No. 1 prospect in Europe.

"Oh, they'll play in the NHL," Lightning general manager Rick Dudley said. "I would be surprised if they didn't."

The NHL has a weighted lottery for teams that don't make the playoffs. But since teams can move up no more than four positions from the order in which they finished the season, only the bottom five teams have a chance to earn the No. 1 pick. The bottom two teams have, by far, the best chance.

Going into tonight's game with the Maple Leafs at the Ice Palace, Tampa Bay is 29th in the 30-team league, but just four points behind the Thrashers, five behind the Panthers, six behind the Canadiens and seven behind the Blue Jackets.

Pass them all, a tall order with just 12 games remaining, and Tampa Bay is out of the running for the No. 1 pick.

Dudley bristled when asked if the Lightning ever would sandbag to gain draft position.

"At no time will we position ourselves for the draft," he said while watching Wednesday's practice at the Ice Palace. "If those guys down there finish with a bang, that's worth more than anything we can get in the draft."

"There shouldn't be any more talk about that," coach John Tortorella said. "That's ridiculous."

And there is no indication the Lightning is packing it in. In fact, quite the opposite. Tampa Bay is 3-0-0-1 on its current six-game homestand, earning seven of a possible eight points.

It is 4-0-0-1 in its past five home games, and Tuesday battled back from a 3-0 first-period deficit before falling in overtime 5-4 to the Oilers, the NHL's hottest team with a nine-game winning streak.

No, there is no doubt the Lightning is fighting to the end. It is just an interesting situation, especially considering the caliber of Spezza and Kovalchuk, both of whom could play in the NHL next season.

Besides, teams haven't always played fair.

The Devils publicly questioned whether suspicious personnel moves by the Penguins at the end of the 1983-84 season were done to ensure they finished last and could draft Mario Lemieux No. 1.

There also were questions about how the Sharks and Senators handled the race for the bottom in 1992-93. The Senators lost -- or won, depending on your point of view -- and drafted Alexandre Daigle.

The lottery has made that kind of hanky-panky less useful. Even so, Lightning management and players said it would never be part of their game plan.

"I can't even imagine walking into that coaches office and saying, 'Don't win tonight,' " Dudley said.

"It couldn't even be a consideration because you're playing not to win," center Brian Holzinger said. "Everyone has enough pride that we want to do well. Our goal the last two months is just to improve and get a team concept everyone is going to abide by. It's not about draft picks. Teams can finagle their way into position (by trades) if they really want to."

And if the Lightning moves ahead of the Thrashers and Panthers, it will mark the first time since 1995-96 (the team's playoff season), and the second time in its history that it has not finished last or next-to-last in its division.

"We want to send a message," forward Martin St. Louis said. "We want to show the NHL that we're better than a lot of teams.

"What happens, happens. We're playing to win. We're not going to play for a lot of draft picks."

Tonight: Lightning vs. Maple Leafs

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30; Ice Palace, Tampa.

TV/RADIO: Sunshine Network; WDAE-AM 620.

THE LOWDOWN: The Lightning loaned RW Sheldon Keefe to the AHL's Rochester Americans. ... The Maple Leafs are in the midst of six of seven games on the road. ... Entering Wednesday night's games, Maple Leafs F Gary Roberts led the league with a 21.6 shooting percentage (25 goals on 116 shots). ... Lightning C Brad Richards has two goals, three assists in his past two games and leads all rookies with 53 points, 34 assists, 16 power-play assists and 23 power-play points. ... Lightning D Pavel Kubina is expected to play after missing eight games with a dislocated left kneecap. ... D Jassen Cullimore is day-to-day with an abdominal strain. ... The Maple Leafs are 15-14-4-1 on the road. The Lightning is 15-14-3-1 at home. ... Toronto is 5-2-1-1 since coach and general manager Pat Quinn said the team would not trade for Eric Lindros. ... The Lightning has won four of its past six games and is 4-0-0-1 in its past five at home. ... This is the fourth and final meeting of the season (1-1-1). ... The Lightning hasn't beaten the Leafs at home since February 1993, a streak of 10 losses. ... Toronto leads the series 20-7-1 and is 12-1-0 in Tampa. -- Compiled by Damian Cristodero.

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