Sunday, April 17, 2011
Associated Press
BRANDON, FLA.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s first playoff win in four years restored some of the confidence they will need to have continued success against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Their 5-1 victory Friday evened the first-round series at a game apiece. The best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup shifts to Tampa for Game 3 on Monday.
Neither team practiced Saturday, although Penguins coach Dan Bylsma spent part of the day watching video and analyzing how Tampa Bay was able to get on track after being shut down by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in a 3-0 series-opening loss.
“Playoff series take on a ride of emotions. They came back and answered in Game 2,” Bylsma said in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins will work out today before flying to Florida.
“They are going home ... and we have to re-gather ourselves, get back and go in there and understand how important it is to play our very best game and get a win in Tampa Bay. They have to do the same thing and get ready for Game 3.”
In other words, neither team can afford to dwell on what’s happened so far, a mindset that served the fifth-seeded Lightning well after being frustrated by Fleury’s acrobatic 32-save performance in the opener.
“At playoff time you’ve got to act like you have amnesia,” said goalie Dwayne Roloson, who made 14 of his 35 stops in the final period. “You’ve got to forget what happened in the past and focus on the now.”
The loss snapped the five-game winning streak the fourth-seeded Penguins had dating to the final week of the regular season.
To regain the edge against Tampa Bay, as well as have any chance of make a run deep into the playoffs without injured star Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh will have to revive its power play.
The Penguins are 0 for 13 in the playoffs and 6 of 79 over the past 25 games.
“We’re not too worried. ... We know we’ve got a good team, and we know we’ve got to go there and steal a win and hopefully take two out of there,” forward Arron Asham said. “We have confidence. ... We’re confident with everyone; we’ve just got to get back to our game.”
Game 4 is Wednesday also at the St. Pete Times.