Avs suffer frightening flashback

DENVER - Thirty games into the season, the Colorado Avalanche got a look at its former self.

It wasn't a happy reunion.

The Avs' 2-2 tie against Tampa Bay at the Pepsi Center Monday night was their first stumble of the season against one of the NHL's bottom-dwellers. This incarnation of the Avs had sworn to take these games seriously, to stop their old pattern of taking the Tampa Bays of the league lightly.

"This was frustrating," said Avs forward Adam Deadmarsh. "We weren't skating well and we played pretty stupid. It cost us."

They left this game with a consolation point in the standings, which keeps them atop the league with their 21-5-4 record, but with a nasty taste in their mouths all the same.

Coming off a four-game road swing, the Avs admitted being sluggish and uninspired. They had been so looking forward to playing 10 of their next 11 games at home and it was hard to ask for a more gracious welcome home than the Lightning, which had won only two games on the road in its 9-14-2 start.

In the first minute of the second period, Avs center Peter Forsberg skated rings around the Lightning and set up Chris Drury's goal to go up 1-0.

Forsberg had skated around the back of the Tampa Bay net, tried to stuff in a wraparound shot, got his own rebound, skated back around the net and while the defense collapsed on him, snapped a perfect pass across the crease to a wide-open Drury.

Then, later in the period after the Lightning had tied it on a turnover-induced goal by Alexander Kharitonov, Forsberg had a short- handed goal disallowed. Later, the refs came over to say they goofed.

Still, the Avs went up 2-1 on a 5-on-3 goal by Ray Bourque before a desultory third period cost them the win.

Avs forward Stephane Yelle dragged down Tampa Bay forward Vincent Lecavalier and landed in the box with 3:16 left in the third. A harmless shot by the Lightning ended up in the net less than 30 seconds later when Avs defensemen Bourque and Aaron Miller whiffed on clearing it.

Goalie David Aebischer was circumspect about it, probably because he played well and couldn't absorb much blame for the tie.

"It's tough," he said. "But that's hockey."

It used to be Avs hockey, part of their game they hoped they had banished to the past.

- Lynn Zinser may be reached at 636-0376 or lzinser@gazette.com

Edited and headline Larry McFarland

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