Lackluster Thunder gets routed

      The goal judges at the Thomas & Mack Center had to wave white towels Friday because the goal lights were inoperable.
      It was, in a way, symbolic of the Thunder's effort in a 7-3 loss to the Utah Grizzlies, because it seemed early on that the Thunder, too, was waving a white towel in surrender.
      The Thunder put up little resistance and gave virtually no help to goaltender Tim Cheveldae, who wasn't as sharp as he was in a 2-1 shootout win over Milwaukee on Tuesday but who could hardly be blamed for the onslaught.
      As part of its ongoing "Join the Team" promotion, the Thunder on Friday gave a fan the opportunity to run a practice session. That person will have a lot of work to do trying to improve the team's defensive zone coverage based on Friday's performance.
      The Grizzlies played without star goaltender Wade Flaherty and center Kip Miller, who were called up by the New York Islanders; high-scoring center Len Barrie, who was acquired in a trade with San Antonio earlier in the day and couldn't make it to Las Vegas; and tough two-way center Chris Taylor, at home with the flu.
      But it didn't matter, as the Thunder played as if it could care less about winning. The Thunder didn't play particularly hard in the win over Milwaukee, either, and that concerned defenseman Steve Bancroft, who has had a brilliant season but who struggled along with the rest of the Thunder on Friday.
      "We came home after that long road trip and I guess some guys thought that just because we were at home, we were going to win games," Bancroft said. "Do we think teams are going to just hand us games because we're playing at home? This is two bad games in a row. We really shouldn't have gotten a point the other night, let alone two. We were lucky. But we can't have this. We've got to come out heart and soul (tonight) in Utah. We'll see who wants to play."
      The Thunder got the first goal, when Rodrigo Lavinsh carried the puck down low and dealt it through the crease to Joe Day, who was unchecked. Day simply had to redirect it into the net at 3:09 to put Las Vegas on top.
      But there were early signs that the Thunder was in trouble. The Grizzlies kept popping men open in the offensive end and it was only a matter of time before they broke through.
      John LeBlanc converted back-to-back within five minutes to put the Grizzlies ahead and then Mark Lawrence made it a 3-1 game with a power-play goal at 15:07.
      The Grizzlies rarely had to fight to get open; the Thunder seemed content with just putting a hand on them and not doing anything else to stop the Utah forwards.
      Las Vegas coach Chris McSorley said the explanation for the loss was simple but troubling. He suggested changes could be in order.
      "I felt the team wasn't committed to playing as hard as it's capable of," McSorley said quietly outside a somber dressing room. "Early individual mistakes got us chasing the score clock all night. We never recovered.
      "I don't work for patient people, and I lack that attribute as well. I believe in the guys, and I believe in their spirit to excel. But it wasn't there tonight. It's time to rebound and get the commitment back on track. We definitely had more gas in the tank."