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.

Alex Killorn Photo by Alexis Boucher

It was difficult to know what to expect out of the Tampa Bay Lightning headed into last night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. The first game under the tutelage of a new head coach and Andrej Sustr making his NHL debut on the blue line.  It may be late in the season, but a new era was dawning for the hockey club.

The teams scored 5 goals in about 8 minutes in the second period. Three for New Jersey, two for the Lightning. Steven Stamkos recoreded his 24th and 25th goals of the season.  Nate Thompson notched his 7th of the year in the second as well.

Alex Killorn brought the drama when he scored with 15 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. Teddy Purcell and Victor Hedman scored in the shootout, Mathieu Garon stopped the two Devs he faced, and that’s all she wrote. It will be interesting to see what the team brings to the table for Tuesday’s game after more practice time with Jon Cooper.

» Continue reading “Lightning Down The Devils, Thompson Suspended”

Photo by Alexis Boucher

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the tenth edition of the Lightning’s Hockey ‘N Heels. An annual event geared towards the female members of the fan base, it’s a great opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at the game we love. This year’s event was a little bit different given the shortened season, but it may have been my favorite of the three I’ve attended. Instead of trekking around the building, the event took place entirely in the locker room with four different stations.

» Continue reading “Lightning Host Hockey ‘N Heels 2013″

Tyler Johnson Photo by Alexis Boucher

As the third period was about to get underway at the Tampa Bay Times Forum last night, the scoring summary was shown on the video board as per usual. What was a but of a change was the names showing up on that list. Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, and Cory Conacher. All recently played for the Syracuse Crunch. All have joined the parent club and have been impossible to ignore on the ice.

Johnson scored his first NHL goal last night and also registered an assist. Sadly there were no fisticuffs to complete the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, but the W is more important. Ondrej Palat also scored his first NHL goal last night as well. The “green” players lead the Bolts to a 4-1 victory over the division rival Carolina Hurricanes.

Take a look at Johnson’s goal. The hard work of that line helped the Lightning to open the scoring. The magic these guys were creating in the AHL has definitely translated to the bigger stage of the NHL. It couldn’t come at a better time for Tampa Bay.

» Continue reading “Luck O’ The Crunch: Rookies Lead Lightning to 4-1 Win”

Anders Lindback Photo by Alexis Boucher

The Lightning are extremely lucky to have pulled out a win against the Panthers tonight. Tampa registered just 13 shots on goal through the whole entire game. We’ve been remembering moments over the team’s 20 year history this season and they made it again tonight. They registered the lowest number of shots in franchise history. On the other end of the ice, Anders Lindback faced 39 shots. How on earth did the Bolts end up winning 3-2? Lindback stopped 37 of the Panthers chances.

It’s going to be difficult for some to give credit where it’s due, but Lindback stole this game for the Lightning. That can’t even be argued.

» Continue reading “Lindback Leads The Lightning In 3-2 Win Against Florida”

Nate Thompson Photo By Linda Hamilton

Tonight saw the Lightning defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 in what has been their most complete effort in recent memory. No exaggeration there. A lot of the mistakes that plagued them through the first three games of their road trip were addressed. Fewer turn overs, they were dominant in the face off circle, and were throwing hits. Add on scoring from the grinders and this was a very entertaining game to watch.

Here are some of the things that stood out this evening:

» Continue reading “Shout At The Devil: Lightning Snap Losing Streak In New Jersey”

Photo by Alexis Boucher

Instead of getting mired down in another loss, let’s look at the positive. The Lightning had their strongest first period in recent memory. They converted on the power play twice in the first period. Mathieu Garon stopped 24 shots. Alex Killorn had a hell of a game in his return to Boston. There were definite positives, but the end result remained the same with a loss in regulation.

The first period had all of the fire the Bolts were lacking against the Rangers. Fast on the puck, physical, and went to work quickly on the man advantage. Steven Stamkos opened the scoring with his 15th goal of the season just 5:32 into the game. How he got this past Khudobin on that angle, we may never know. Seriously, his left foot was behind the goal line.

» Continue reading “Grin & Bear It: Lightning Improve, But Lose 3-2 In Boston”

Cory Conacher Photo by Alexis Boucher

Three glimmers of light could soon give way to an entire sky full of shining stars.  This lame analogy is in reference to the three Lightning rookies currently on the roster – Alex Killorn, Cory Conacher, and Richard Panik – and how their success at the NHL level could be indicative of what’s to come for this franchise.  » Continue reading “Lightning Rookies Providing A Glimpse Of The Near Future”

It’s always nice to make new friends. Photo by Alexis Boucher

After the overtime victory in Sunrise on Saturday, a lot of questions faced the Lightning going into their brief home stand. Would they be able to continue that momentum? Would they reap the benefits of having a practice session on Monday? Would the scoring continue or would they fall back into bad habits? It’s still a mighty small sample size, but Tampa seemed to find their stride in front of a vastly pro-Toronto crowd. They answered the bell and continued to put the puck on net, defeating the Leafs 4-2.

When I say the crowd was pro-Toronto… it felt like we were in Canada. I asked my friend if this means we get free health care now. Nature of the beast with a hockey team in Florida. So many snowbirds live down here during the winter anyways. For those who aren’t part time residents, it may be easier and cheaper to get tickets here. No hard feelings, everyone was well behaved. But there was a lady behind me who thought that ever Maple Leafs player was Phil Kessel. Riiiiight.

» Continue reading “No Leafs No: Lightning Bolt Past Toronto 4-2″

Alex Killorn Photo by Alexis Boucher

One of the most enjoyable things about being a long time fan of a sports team is seeing guys who have been in the system live their dreams. That’s exactly what’s happening with forward Alex Killorn. Originally drafted by the Bolts in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, it’s been a long journey to the parent club. After many trips to prospect camps and four years at Harvard, Alex is already making a splash in his young NHL career.

His first NHL goal came in Saturday’s victory against the Florida Panthers and it was an absolute beauty.

» Continue reading “Alex Killorn. He’s So Hot Right Now (For The Lightning)”