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Devils raze Lightning

New Jersey pounds Tampa Bay 7-1 to complete a four-game season sweep by an aggregate 25-4.

[AP photo] Hard to find a good goalie moment in a 7-1 loss, but this one: Kevin Weekes makes save No. 1,475, a Tampa Bay season record.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 28, 2001

TAMPA -- The Lightning played the Devils four times this season, and four times Tampa Bay got its butt kicked.

The difference Tuesday night was that the defending Stanley Cup champs kicked so hard during their 7-1 blowout victory before an announced 14,876 at the Ice Palace, they probably left an imprint.

"We want to take a step forward every night and get better as a team," Lightning forward Ben Clymer said. "But this gives us an idea we still have a lot of hard work to put in to be the team we want to be and know we can be."

The Devils have had that effect on a lot of teams lately. They won a team-record 13 straight before losing Sunday to the Penguins. But the effects seem to expand exponentially when they face the Lightning.

New Jersey, which has won 14 of its past 15 and a team-record seven straight on the road, outscored Tampa Bay 25-4 in the teams' four meetings. That indicates New Jersey's prowess and a flaw in the way Tampa Bay approached those games.

Coach John Tortorella spoke of how the Lightning broke down on basic coverages. And it didn't help that Tampa Bay decided to forgo its forecheck.

But defenseman Cory Sarich said those breakdowns occurred because Tampa Bay, which has lost three straight but is 7-4-0-1 in its past 12, is simply in awe of New Jersey.

[AP photo] Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Nils Ekman crashes into New Jersey Devils goaltender John Vanbiesbrouk.

"We don't play our best against them," Sarich said. "We play intimidated on the ice. We were no way near the team we've been the past two weeks. Way too much respect. You've got to have some, but you've got to have body contact."

Compare that with how New Jersey prepared for a team that had given it no trouble in three previous games.

"We didn't underestimate them," forward Bobby Holik said. "We knew they had had some success, so we knew we had to play well for 60 minutes. They were able to hang in there for 20 or 25."

Sarich said: "Everybody is so uptight. The passes are off. When the legs aren't moving and the passes are off, it makes it tough."

And that's when the tough got going.

New Jersey scored three goals in the second and third periods.

Alexander Mogilny scored twice, giving him 37 goals. Scott Niedermayer had a goal and two assists.

Holik had a goal and three assists. John Vanbiesbrouck made 25 saves as New Jersey outshot the Lightning 35-26. And the Devils went 2-for-3 on the power play.

"I think they were a little intimidated. It seemed that way, anyway," said Mogilny, who has four goals and five assists against the Lightning this season. "But this is a young team, and we scored a lot of goals."

Even Fredrik Modin's 32nd, which made the score 1-1 31 seconds into the second, perfectly fit the game. The left wing was trying to pass to Ryan Johnson in the slot, but New Jersey defenseman Brian Rafalski deflected the puck past Vanbiesbrouck.

Good thing Tampa Bay goaltender Kevin Weekes stood on his head, or the score could have been much worse.

Holik is still wondering how Weekes got a glove on his point-blank shot with 3.8 seconds left in the first. Only Petr Sykora's power play goal with 32.5 seconds left was questionable.

"I thought Weekes was outstanding," Tortorella said.

"He kept us from scoring 12," Holik said.

If that was the high point of the evening for the Lightning, you know something went terribly wrong.

Tortorella said it is important that Tampa Bay now does something right.

"We don't want to fall apart and lose all our confidence," he said. "We'd like to win a few games here and feel good about ourselves.

"Are we ready to take a step against this team?"

For the fourth time, "No."

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