By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Staying dedicated
Lightning players said they dedicated their first-round playoff victory over the Penguins to assistant coach Wayne Fleming, right, who is recovering in an Irvine, Calif., hospital after surgery for a malignant brain tumor. But D Randy Jones said, "The dedication didn't stop because we were done with Round 1. We're playing this entire playoffs for Flemmer. He's in a pretty big battle right now and we're doing whatever we can to support him. He's in our thoughts and prayers, and we're playing for him. This is a big family and he's part of it. Your thoughts and prayers are with him, and you're thinking about him, but he'd want us to focus 100 percent and work hard, and that's what we have to do."
Back at you
With the Capitals, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing this semifinal series three games to none and on the verge of another early playoff exit entering Wednesday, coach Bruce Boudreau was asked if he believed his job was on the line. "Is your job on the line?" Boudreau retorted. Presumably the answer was no. "Then I don't want to answer that."
Quote to note
"You focus on what that team has done in the past and what they've been, and you'll be lost in what you're supposed to do now. If the Red Sox would have thought that their 40-year (World Series championship) drought was going to last another 100 years, they never would have won. I'm a big believer in today is today. It's a choice we make to act on it."
Lightning coach Guy Boucher, on being in the moment
Three stars
SEAN BERGENHEIM: The Lightning wing continued his hot postseason with a pair of second-period goals. He leads the Lightning with seven.
DOMINIC MOORE: The Lightning's so-called checking center added to his point total with three assists. He has nine helpers in the postseason.
STEVE DOWNIE: The Lightning wing had two more assists and is tied with Teddy Purcell for the team lead with 10.
Number of the day
3 Players since 2003 with more multigoal playoff games than Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier's six: The Sharks' Patrick Marleau (seven), the Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg (eight) and the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa (eight).
Tickets
An announcement about Eastern Conference final tickets will be made shortly. Whether the Lightning plays the Bruins or Flyers, it will again be the lower-seeded team and host Games 3 and 4 and a potential Game 6. Dates are to be determined.
The series Lightning wins 4-0
Game 1, Lightning 4, Capitals 2: Line of Downie-Bergenheim-Moore comes up big again.
Game 2, Lightning 3, Capitals 2 (OT): Vinny Lecavalier gets the winner.
Game 3, Lightning 4, Capitals 3: Goals by Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone in the third erase 3-2 deficit.
Game 4, Lightning 5, Capitals 3: Lightning gets two more goals from Sean Bergenheim, both in the second period; the first gives it a lead it never relinquishes.