Inconsistency Plagued The 2009-10 Tampa Bay Lightning

John Fontana at SB Nation's Tampa Bay Lightning blog, Raw Charge, is frustrated with the inconsistency that his team displayed time and time again over the course of the 2009-10 season.

And so goes the story of the Lightning season as a whole.  All too often, just when it looks like the ship has been righted and they're going to contend, something like last Saturday happens.  The Bolts go into an important game and instead of competing, they regress and recoil.  They've achieved this feat of mediocrity too many times this season:  the promise of finally turning the corner turns into falling flat on their faces when it counts the most.

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Before the Olympic break, the Bolts could have put a ribbon on their playoff drive by competing in the final three games of February.

Instead of competing, the Lightning ceded ground to the Bruins and Rangers while dropping all three of those remaining games.  These losses would be part of the grander 2-11-1 streak that took the Lightning out of playoff contention over the past month.

The weakness of the Eastern Conference, where mediocrity abounds, had given the Lightning so many chances to stay in the race.  Yet the pattern of the season said that every time the Lightning had realized an important victory, they were to follow it up with a lackluster effort at a crucial juncture.

Click on over to Raw Charge to feel the pain of Bolts fans.