By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
TAMPA — For the Lightning, the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Penguins has become a period-by-period, or even a shift-to-shift, affair.
That is because after Wednesday night's 3-2 double-overtime loss in front of a sellout crowd of 20,326 at the St. Pete Times Forum, Pittsburgh has a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
It also has a potential series-clinching Game 5 on Saturday at the Consol Energy Center.
"Shift to shift, 20 minutes by 20 minutes," Lightning left wing Simon Gagne said. "Focus on the first period, then focus on the second, not thinking about forcing stuff. We have to focus on the game we're going to play Saturday. We have to focus on that one game."
Gagne went through the same situation last season with the Flyers, who came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Bruins in an East semifinal. Still, Gagne said that selling his teammates on the potential for victory would be difficult immediately after such an emotional loss.
"The good thing is we have two days between games," Gagne said, "and a day off (today) to recover and think a little bit about what is going on and recharge the battery."
The draining contest ended 3:38 into the second extra period when James Neal simply flung a puck at the net from a sharp angle and it went in off goaltender Dwayne Roloson's glove.
It was the second soft goal Roloson allowed in the game. The other was Tyler Kennedy's tally 8:14 into the first period, Pittsburgh's first power-play goal of the series on its 16th try.
That the Lightning was even in this game was a minor miracle. It was outshot 53-31. Its power play that entered the game 4-for-11 was 0-for-4, and the Penguins were so positionally sound, Tampa Bay could hardly generate any offense.
But Roloson was brilliant between his two soft goals, and his 50 saves included some game-savers that allowed Tampa Bay to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the final 23 minutes.
Marty St. Louis' goal with 2:46 left in the second period, in which he deked past defenseman Ben Lovejoy and beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, made it 2-1.
Sean Bergenheim's goal with 3:17 left in regulation, off a scramble in front and with a St. Louis assist, sent the game to overtime.
"I can't find any words for what he's doing out there," coach Guy Boucher said of St. Louis. "He's a machine out there."
So was Roloson until Neal's goal.
"It just knuckled and goes off my glove, crossbar and in," Roloson said. "It happens. It's ugly."
Said Neal, who got his first career playoff goal and just his second of any kind with the Penguins since being acquired in February: "As long as you keep shooting, one is going to find its way to the back of the net. I didn't have the angle, but it managed to find its way in."
It is a lesson Boucher wishes his players would learn. His team has been outshot 159-111.
"It's been the focus of a lot of our meetings," Boucher said. "Our guys are teeing it up, and they're trying to aim all the time.
"All year long we're a team that put a lot of pucks on net. And right now we're waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect shot."
Here is what Tampa Bay faces: Of the 230 previous NHL teams that fell behind 3-1 in a seven-game series, only 23 (9.6 percent) have come back to win.
That the Lightning won Game 2 in Pittsburgh helps.
"It's possible," Gagne said, "if we focus shift by shift."
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