The Lightning’s Place On The Cup Photo by Linda Hamilton

It pretty much goes without saying that I love the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hockey may just be a game, but that game and this team have transformed my life in ways I didn’t know possible. I have made lifelong friends, moved to a city that has become my home, and found my way back to writing after years away. Sons of Andreychuk has been a big part of my life for the last two years. It is with a bit of a heavy heart that I pass along that this will be my last update on this site.

The last two years have been tumultuous for the Bolts. From the insane glory of coming within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals to struggling for consistency. We’ve been here through it all, the good and bad. I want to thank everyone who has visited, commented, and shared this blog. It hasn’t always been serious, but it’s definitely been fun. This isn’t the end for us, not by a long shot. Keep cheering and you can definitely still find us out there on the interwebs.

On that note, we wish you a fond farewell. Go Lightning.

Photo by Alexis Boucher

It’s difficult to know where to even begin with tonight’s game. There was a whole lot of bad from start to finish. Whether it was allowing 41 shots, giving Evgeni Malkin space to work his magic, and missing good offensive opportunities. If it sounds like a broken record, that’s because a lot of these issues have plagued the Bolts all season. Pittsburgh came away with two points in an absolute beat down.

Guy Boucher may be gone, but Jon Cooper is dealing with an offense that continues to try to be too fancy. Instead of putting the puck on net, they’re dipsy doodling around with passes. Getting too complicated leads to turn overs and a lot of scoring changes for the opposition. It also means the Lightning lose quality chances to score their own goals. This has to be addressed.

As for the Lightning’s goals, all three came with the man advantage. Teddy Purcell scored twice and Brett Connolly scored his first of the year. The success on the power play is pretty much the only good thing that happened tonight.

This is a lesson to us all. The Lightning have a long way to go to be able to stand with the elite teams in the league. There’s a lot of work ahead of them this summer, that’s for sure.

Photo: Cut For A Cure

Several members of the Tampa Bay Lightning lost a fair amount of hair this evening at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Vinny Lecavalier, Teddy Purcell, B.J. Crombeen, Alex Killorn, and Matt Carle formed Team Lightning in the 4th Annual Cut For A Cure charity Challenge.

The event sees people from all over the Bay area raising money to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The Bolts have also selected the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation as an additional recipient of the funds they raise. Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, we can see what the guys look at after shedding their locks.

Just because the shaving has already taken place doesn’t mean the fundraising has ended. You can still show your support for this extremely worthy cause through May 3rd here. In a very touching gesture, the players are participating in memory of former teammate Dominic Moore’s late wife Katie.

Pierre Cedric Labrie Photo by Linda Hamilton

It was a momentous evening at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Lightning started off their two game home stand with a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Ben Bishop stood strong (and tall) in his fourth straight start for the Bolts. Tampa showed resiliency and ended the night with two points.

A number of congratulations are in order.  Mark Barberio made his NHL debut. Marty St. Louis recorded the 900th point of his career with an assist on Vinny Lecavalier’s goal. Pierre-Cedric Labrie scored his first career NHL goal in the 2nd. Steven Stamkos scored his 26th goal of the season and cemented the win.

The Lightning remain a work in progress. Bishop faced 33 shots. He managed to stop 31 of them, but that’s a pretty high number. There were also a large number of turn overs that afforded the Senators some quality scoring chances. Luckily that didn’t happen, but it is a bit concerning. Nothing to dwell on too much, this season is what it is. It’s only after Cooper has the team for a training camp and with steady practice time that we’ll know the identity he wants them to possess.

-Marty’s 900th point ties him with Tony Amonte at 97th place on the NHL all time points list.

-Ryan Malone made his return to the line up. Bugsy recorded 15:43 in ice time, two penalty minutes, and 1 shot on goal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins come to town on Thursday. Here’s hoping the Lightning are ready to cause some trouble for the Atlantic Division Champions.

Mark Barberio Photo by Linda Hamilton

Sunday night’s loss against the Washington Capitals pretty much sealed the season for the Lightning. They were playing well enough to win but mistakes hounded them and two points against a division rival were lost. So what now?  The front office seems to be signaling that they are starting to get a feel for next season’s blue line. Defenseman Mark Barberio was called up today, Matt Taormina was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch.

Through 70 games with the Crunch this season, Barberio has eight goals and 44 points. He leads all Syracuse defensemen in goals, points, and assists.

In a stroke of luck, Barberio’s parents were going to vacation in Florida soon and were able to come down a bit early to see their son play. He is expected to make his NHL debut in tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

Nate Thompson Photo by Linda Hamilton

This was a game the Lightning needed to win. Scratch that. They’re all games they need to win if they want to even think about bumping into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Turn overs and mental mistakes were hallmarks of this evening’s game against the Islanders. The Bolts did show some resiliency and tied the game twice, but ended up falling short and losing 4-2.

New York struck first and Richard Panik evened the score about five minutes into the second period. Josh Bailey pushed the Isles ahead again, but Matt Carle tied it yet again. What seemed to seal the deal was the third New York goal. Ben Bishop was screened and didn’t even see the puck until it was already behind him. Right through the five hole. An empty net goal in the final seconds of the game put the kibosh on any hopes of Tampa come back.

Other than the third goal, Bishop did have a pretty solid game. The problem for the Bolts was that Evgeni Nabokov had an excellent game at the other end of the ice. Tampa got quite a few excellent chances but couldn’t get past the veteran netminder, particularly on the power play. The Lightning were 0-3 on the night with the man advantage.

The Bolts were without Victor Hedman, still out with a lower body injury. Matt Taormina was recalled from the Syracuse Crunch to fill in and wore #55.

Nate Thompson returned to the line up after serving a two game suspension. It was Nate’s 300th career NHL game. Oddly fitting that it came against the Islanders. Thompson played for the Islanders before the Lightning claimed him off waivers in January of 2010.

Tampa has no time to dwell. They meet the division rival Capitals tomorrow night in Washington. Right now they are six points out of the playoff picture but can make up a lot of ground with a win in our nation’s capital.

Martin St. Louis Photo by Linda Hamilton

A Lightning goalie pitched a shut out in their debut game with the club while wearing their old team’s mask. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Dwayne Roloson did it in his first game with the Bolts in 2011. Ben Bishop joins those ranks tonight after backstopping a 5-0 Tampa Bay victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. Even more impressive, Big Ben faced 45 shots over the course of the game.

The entire team had a different personality. Bishop was quick, moves extremely well for being such a big guy. Jon Cooper allows the offense to be extremely creative and that made this one a whole lot of fun to watch. An offensive flurry in the second period saw Teddy Purcell, Tom Pyatt, and Keith Aulie score. Marty St. Louis and Benoit Pouliot extended the lead in the third.

- Captain Vinny Lecavalier made his return to the line up after missing nine games.

-Victor Hedman sustained a lower body injury and did not return to the game after the first period. He is listed as day to day.

Another solid win that ties Tampa with Carolina in the Southeast division standings. The Bolts head off to meet the Islanders on Saturday.

Photo by Alexis Boucher

With all signs pointing towards today’s trade deadline being uneventful, there were more than a few surprising moves leading up to 3 pm. The Lightning joined in as well, making headlines with a shocking trade. Their quest for a number one goaltender sent them to Ottawa and a goalie they expressed interest in last year, 6’8″ Ben Bishop. In return, the Senators acquired forward Cory Conacher and a fourth round draft pick. This was a head scratcher for many fans, the jury here remains out until we see exactly what we’re working with.

There have been some other moves so far this week as well. Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bolts picked up a seventh round draft pick and forward Adam Hall. Yes, the very same Adam Hall that the ‘Canes claimed off of waivers on March 16th. To make things even more confusing, the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Hall off of waivers today. No one would have been surprised to hear he was dealt back to the Bolts yet again, but it looks like he’s sticking on Broad Street for now.

Today also saw a number of roster shifts between Tampa and Syracuse. Brett Connolly and Dana Tyrell were called up from the Crunch. Cedrick Desjardins, Andrej Sustr, Mike Angelidis, and Ondrej Palat are on their way back to the ‘Cuse. Moves done most likely to bolster the Crunch ahead of the AHL playoffs.

Cory Conacher Photo by Linda Hamilton

You have to give to get.  These words ring eternally true in the sports world, but they do little to soothe the sting of a fan favorite departed.

Cory Conacher was traded, along with a 4th round pick, to the Ottawa Senators for large goaltender Ben Bishop.  The need for a competent goaltender, both this year (while Anders Lindback is injured) and next year when Mathieu Garon is on a couch somewhere, was obvious.  That being said, a large majority of Lightning fans were outraged to see Conacher going the other way.  Instead of long-winded paragraphs, here are some observations in bullet form:

Facts:

• Conacher is a terrific young player.  He was the AHL MVP last year and is the leading scorer for the Senators after today’s trade.
• He was a part of a surplus-within-a-surplus.  Tampa has a glut of talented young forwards and a further glut of smallish ones.
• After starting hot, teams got the book on him and he struggled.  This is to be expected, but his ice time had been even further diminished after Jon Cooper took over behind the Lightning bench.

Opinions:

• Not surrendering a high pick is the best thing about this deal.  Tampa will more than likely pick in the top 15 this summer.
• I really like Conacher’s game – but this trade is a win based on simple economics. Tampa dealt from a surplus to address a deficit.  None of Garon, Cedrick Desjardins or Riku Helenius inspire a lot of confidence behind Lindback.
• Conacher will play well in Ottawa this season, much like Steve Downie did after being traded to Colorado last season.  It’s anyone’s guess beyond that, but the young man certainly has the tools to succeed.

Bottom line:

Ok, so this isn’t bulleted.  Whatever.  Fans have every right to be outraged by this trade – Conacher was a fan favorite and he’s sure to be the same at every stop in his NHL career.  For that reason, over and above his obvious talent, it’s difficult to comprehend that he’s gone after less than one NHL season.  That being said, the competition between Bishop and Lindback could propel both players to new heights – which is impressive, given that Lindback is the small one at 6′ 6″.  The Lightning should be able to replace Conacher too – take your pick from Ondrej Palat, Brett Connolly, J.T. Brown, Tyler Johnson, the list goes on.  Whether anyone can captivate the Lightning faithful like Conacher did in such a short time – that is the greatest unknown.

Photo by Alexis Boucher

Another game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, another shootout. Unfortunately things didn’t go in the Bolts’ favor this time. They managed to earn a point, but with the season slipping away that second one is key. Tampa managed to rally from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, showing a resilience that hasn’t always been present this season.

The score sheet looked a little different this evening. For starters, Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis’ names weren’t on it. Tom Pyatt and Alex Killorn scored both of Tampa’s goals. Victor Hedman, Matt Carle, and Teddy Purcell registered the helpers. The Bolts did stage an offensive flurry, getting 41 shots on goal in regulation.

The team looked a little more tempered than in Friday’s victory. Jon Cooper is getting more practice time and that’s only a good thing. With a three game road trip looming , the remainder of this week will likely determine if the Bolts make the post season or have an early summer. They have been resilient, but they need to come ready to play.