Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Wayne Fleming is undergoing at least eight hours of surgery today at an Irvine, Calif., hospital to address a malignant brain tumor that was diagnosed before the playoffs. Players said the news is not a distraction, but it does add another layer to a story that includes the Lightning dedicating the playoffs to someone they call a member of their family.

As defenseman Randy Jones said, "This is a big family and he's a big part of it. Your thoughts and prayers are with him and you're thinking about him."

But Jones said Fleming would not want to be a distraction for tonight's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against Capitals.

"He'd want us to go and focus 100 percent on this game and work hard, and that's what we have to do."

Tampa Bay players and coaches already had dedicated the first round of the playoffs to Fleming, and have the puck used to finish off Game 7 against the Penguins. But Jones said the dedication "doesn't stop just because we're done with round one. 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.

No doubt, Fleming would be proud of his penalty kill. The squad he coached all season has killed 45 of 56 penalties in the playoffs and 30 straight. Marty Raymond has taken over while Fleming is away from the team.