By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hungry for more
For six months, Lightning television announcers Rick Peckham and Bobby "The Chief" Taylor call practically every game. But now that Tampa Bay is playing its biggest games of the season, Peckham and Taylor are reduced to spectators. That's because the conference finals are being carried nationally by NBC and Versus, leaving the local broadcasters off the air. "It's like you do all this preparation for the barbecue and all you can eat is the salad," Taylor said. "It's like you're told, 'You can't have any of the steak.' " It will get worse for them next season, when NBC/Versus takes over exclusive coverage of the playoffs beginning in the second round.
Free Cheap Trick concert today
The rock band Cheap Trick will perform on the west plaza of the St. Pete Times Forum after today's Game 4. The concert is free. Fans without a ticket to the 1:30 p.m. game can watch on a big screen on the plaza and stick around for the show.
No tomorrow
If you are reading this, the prediction of elderly California pastor Harold Camping that the world would end today has been a miss so far. A couple of Lightning players, though, were not taking any chances and Friday shared their final plans. "I'm going to go home to my family, play with my kids and make love to my wife one last time," W Ryan Malone said. Said G Mike Smith: "I might drive my car really, really fast on the Gandy Bridge, like, faster than it's ever gone before." So what if he was caught? "Throw me in jail," Smith said. Not that anyone was really worried. "If the world comes to an end," Malone said, "what can we do?"
Quote to note
"You could tell just by his skating and his battles that he really felt good. And to us — to me, anyway — watching him from behind the bench, he looked like a guy who never missed a game. He was right where he left off. … He wasn't cautious. He was confident. He knew he felt good. He knew he was okay and went out there and played like nothing happened."
Bruins coach Claude Julien, on star C Patrice Bergeron, above, who played Game 3 after missing two games with concussion symptoms
Tickets
Today's Game 4 and a potential Game 6 at the St. Pete Times Forum are sold out. Unused team tickets might be released on game days. Check with the box office at (813) 301-6600 and Ticketmaster (outlets, ticketmaster.com, toll-free 1-800-745-3000).
The series
Bruins lead 2-1
Game 1, Lightning 5, Bruins 2: Three goals in 1:25 of the first spark Lightning.
Game 2, Bruins 6, Lightning 5: Bruins score five in the second.
Game 3, Bruins 2, Lightning 0: Bruins prevail in tight defensive game.
Today: at Tampa, 1:30, Ch. 8
Monday: at Boston, 8, Versus
Wednesday: at Tampa, 8, Versus *
Friday: at Boston, 8, Versus *
Radio: 970-AM, except Wednesday, which is 620-AM
* If necessary