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Ludzik tells Lightning it has plenty to work on

Tampa Bay, which struggled against an expansion team, moves on to face the defending Stanley Cup champ.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 21, 2000

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Steve Ludzik had his punch list ready.

The question hadn't even been asked after Friday's practice at Montclair State, and the Lightning coach was listing the things his team needs to improve.

Tampa Bay must limit its opponents' shots on goal, he said. It can do that by better neutral-zone and down-low coverage and by controlling the puck better in the defensive zone.

It must create offensive opportunities by better establishing the forecheck and be more aware of coverages on the backcheck.

Oh, yeah, and the Lightning better get it together quickly because it faces a difficult three-game stretch that begins tonight with the Stanley Cup champion Devils at Continental Airlines Arena and continues Sunday and Wednesday with the Rangers and Red Wings.

"We've got to go hard for the next three games and see what we've got in the tank," Ludzik said.

How quickly things changed.

After well-played games against the Penguins and Thrashers, things were looking up for the Lightning. But after Wednesday night's 6-5 loss to the expansion Wild, the players were, figuratively, anyway, sheepishly looking down at their shuffling feet, hands stuffed deeply into their pockets.

Ludzik juggled his top three lines and the players talked about how the Wild reminded them of what can be accomplished when a team works hard for 60 minutes.

The Lightning knows all this, of course. It just has to do it on a more consistent basis.

"It's mental preparation," right wing Mike Johnson said. "It's accountability to your teammates. It's pride in what you do. That's all the things a team has to have and has to build on."

Defenseman Jassen Cullimore said keeping mental focus and determination is difficult for a team like the Lightning that is building a new identity while trying to shed an old one.

"A team that hasn't been winning, if you have a lapse for two or three minutes, it's harder to get out of it because of the confidence factor," he said.

On the positive side, Tampa Bay has 19 goals, an average of almost four. But it has allowed 19 goals and has been outshot 160-120.

More disturbing to Ludzik and the players was the way the Lightning let down against the Wild after battling to turn a 4-2 third-period deficit into a 4-4 tie.

Getting outworked and outscored 4-1 in a second period in which Tampa Bay was outshot 17-9 was no highlight classic either.

"It's not what they took, it's what we gave them that affected the outcome," left wing Todd Warriner said. "We just didn't show up in our own end."

Sure, teams are going to have off days, and the Wild played a fine game.

But Tampa Bay's shortcomings were magnified because they happened against an expansion team, which is just the kind of team the Lightning must beat regularly if fans are to believe claims of improvement.

And it happened against a team that used the work ethic the Lightning has preached since training camp it must possess to be successful.

Which takes us into tonight's game against the Devils.

It's a good bet New Jersey will be ready -- and mad. It lost 5-2 Thursday night to the Capitals and goaltender Martin Brodeur allowed four goals on 10 shots before he was pulled.

Considering how the Lightning played against the Wild, it should be ready and mad as well.

Like Ludzik said, "Everybody likes to win, you've got to hate to lose."

How will the Lightning come out against the Devils?

"Hopefully better than we did the other night," Cullimore said. "If we come out that way against New Jersey, we're going to be down before we know it."

Tonight: Lightning at Devils

WHEN/WHERE: 7:30; Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, N.J.

TV/RADIO: Sunshine; WDAE-AM 620

THE LOWDOWN: The Devils, the defending Stanley Cup champions, are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Capitals in which Martin Brodeur allowed four goals on 10 shots and was pulled after 13:56 of the second period. It was the first time he had been pulled since April 1998. Brodeur is expected to play tonight. Dan Cloutier will start in goal for the Lightning. The Devils are without F Jason Arnott and D Scott Niedermayer, both of whom are holdouts. New Jersey is 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) on the power play at home and 6-for-20 (30 percent) overall. It has allowed seven power-play goals on 25 chances, a 72 percent kill efficiency. The Devils are 25-6-4 against the Lightning, 15-2-1 at home, and have outscored Tampa Bay 119-67. The Lightning played well at Continental Airlines Arena last season, losing 1-0 and winning 3-1. Tampa Bay D Andrei Zyuzin will play his first game since a two-game conditioning assignment with the IHL's Detroit Vipers. Devils coach Larry Robinson is a Plant City resident.

- Compiled by Damian Cristodero.

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