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.

Photo by Linda Hamilton

Tampa Bay Lightning fans have been buzzing since the news of Guy Boucher’s dismissal broke yesterday. Who is the guy who will take his spot behind the bench? A veteran like Lindy Ruff or the wildly successful AHL coach already in the organization? Per Darren Dreger of TSN, Steve Yzerman’s man is Syracuse Crunch head coach Jon Cooper. Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times stated that no contract has been signed, so nothing is official as of yet.

Sports radio is already buzzing about the prospect. Is this the right move for the struggling Lightning? Should they have taken on a more experienced coach like Lindy Ruff? The point is a bit moot at this point. Cooper’s success with the Admirals and now the Crunch put him on the radar of a lot of teams. If he didn’t become a head coach at the NHL level, there was a very real possibility he would have done so somewhere else.

The shortened season will hopefully give him time to acclimatize to the NHL and the locker room dynamics here. A number of his guys are already up with the Bolts. Ideally the veterans will buy in based on their success.

Update: And it’s official. Jon Cooper becomes the eighth head coach in Lightning history. Cooper should have his first game with the Bolts at Friday’s home game against the Devils.

Photo by Linda Hamilton

It seems as though it’s been predicted all season long, but it’s finally happened. The Lightning have fired Guy Boucher as their head coach this morning. Assistant coaches Dan LaCroix and Martin Raymond will handle coaching duties behind the bench in tonight’s game at Winnipeg.

Boucher leaves the Lightning with a record of 84-62-16. After experiencing wild success in his first season as head coach, the Lightning never seemed to live up to the promise of the 2011 playoffs. As of today, the Bolts are 13-17-1 and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.

GM Steven Yzerman issued the following statement when announcing the news:

Via the Official Lightning Website:

“Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done. But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise.”

» Continue reading “Lightning Release Guy Boucher As Head Coach”

Brian Lee Photo by Linda Hamilton

There it is. The Lightning have placed defenseman Brian Lee on waivers. The news comes courtesy of Darren Dreger of TSN and Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.  The young defenseman has had more than his fair share of struggles this season. Add in the beating the fan base have been giving him and this isn’t terribly surprising news. Especially with what the Bolts did yesterday.

The move is most likely a result of college prospect Andrej Sustr’s signing yesterday. Per Steve Yzerman, there’s no guarantee that Sustr will see any NHL action but that is definitely their intention going forward. Sustr is eligible to play with the Syracuse Crunch for the remainder of the season.

Anders Lindback Photo by Alexis Boucher

Whew. It was a busy day when it comes to Lightning news. Best to jump right in.

-When Anders Lindback left last night’s game against the Leafs, it didn’t look good. He went in in relief for a struggling Mathieu Garon, and left almost as quickly. The team issued the bad news earlier today. Lindback is out indefinitely with a right ankle sprain. With a little over a month left in the season, it’s pretty safe to say he’s done for the year.

-In light of Lindback’s injury, Cedrick Desjardins has been recalled from the Syracuse Crunch. Twitter buzz suggests Guy Boucher is planning on going with Garon in net for both Saturday and Sunday’s games. Richard Panik has also been recalled due to Ryan Malone’s shoulder injury.

- Tampa signed NCAA free agent defenseman Andrej Sustr to a two year entry level contract. The 22 year old Czech blueliner is literally a huge signing, as he is 6’8″ and 225 pounds.  If his name sounds familiar, you may have seen him at last summer’s prospect camp. The University of Nebraska-Omaha Maverick recorded nine goals, 25 points, and 53 penalty minutes through 39 games this season.

-Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Joffrey Lupul was suspended 2 games for his hit to Victor Hedman’s head Wednesday night. The league’s suspension video can be seen here.

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”

Vincent Lecavalier Photo by Linda Hamilton

Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier wasn’t out on the ice for morning skate today and for good reason. Per the team, Vinny is out indefinitely with an unspecified lower body injury and has been placed on injured reserve. It doesn’t sound like surgery is necessary, but the IR move does mean he’ll be out a minimum of 7 days.  The injury appears to have been sustained in the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Panthers.

As with most things in life, you take the good with the bad. In losing Lecavalier, the Lightning lose their leader. Vinny was also second on the team in face off percentage and leading the squad in hits. He also sees a significant amount of time on the power play. That’s bad.

The good? Center Tyler Johnson has been called up from the Syracuse Crunch and will make his NHL debut tonight against the New York Islanders. Through 59 games with the Crunch, Johnson has 31 goals and 57 points. 11 of those goals came on the power play. He did take part in the Lightning’s abbreviated training camp in January before the start of the season. Johnson will wear #63 on his sweater this evening.

So what happens now? The Lightning continue to struggle or they channel the Ottawa Senators and keep right on playing. The latter is infinitely more appealing.

Eric Neilson is waiting for your call. Photo credit: @JimSarosy

Here we thought little could be done to top whatever minds at the Lightning who brought us this fantastic commercial. Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, definitely managed to raise the stakes.

Yup, that photo is from Syracuse COO Jim Sarosy. That is right winger Eric Neilson perched seductively on top of the net. It’s eye catching, funny, and just a little naughty. Something we all want in our hockey.

Were we not more than 1,000 miles away from Syracuse, we would definitely be calling for tickets. To support the team, but also to support this amazing ad.

Radko Gudas Photo Credit: Syracuse Crunch Facebook Page

It’s been a long time coming, but many Lightning fans are cheering this afternoon with the news that defenseman Radko Gudas was recalled by the parent club this afternoon. The gritty blueliner has made a name for himself with hard hits, fights, and a beard so outstanding it recently inspired a theme night at a Syracuse Crunch game.

For those who aren’t too familiar with Gudas, here’s a brief tutorial. Originally selected by Tampa in the 3rd round of the 2010 NHL Entry draft. The Czech native played for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL before joining the then Lightning AHL Affiliate in Norfolk. He played two seasons with the Admirals including last year’s Calder Cup winning campaign. He represented the Eastern Conference at this year’s All Star Event. Through 57 games with the Crunch this year Radko has 4 goals, 20 points, and 207 penalty minutes.

A little trivia for you: he will be the first player in Lightning history to don the number 75 on his sweater.

Words alone can’t convey the magnificence of Gudas. Buckle up and enjoy:

» Continue reading “Fear The Beard: Lightning Recall Radko Gudas”

Mathieu Garon Photo by Linda Hamilton

Early in the second period of last night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mathieu Garon moved to his left to make a save on Evgeni Malkin. As he drifted across the crease, it was clear that something was wrong. Tommy Mulligan came out to talk to the netminder for a moment before Garon gingerly left the ice under his own power. Anders Lindback went in in relief and Lightning fans are left with linger questions about another groin injury for Garon. A torn did end his 2011-12 season in March of last year. The team’s word so far is an undisclosed lower body injury, but it’s easy to read between the lines.

The injury brings roster moves. The team has officially announced that Cedrick Desjardins has been recalled from the Syracuse Crunch. Desjardins was re-acquired by the Lightning in mid-February. He’s plaed 28 AHL games this season, amassing a 2.70 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times relayed coach Guy Boucher’s statement that Anders Lindback will get the start in goal tonight against the New Jersey Devils.