SB Nation - Antero Niittymaki

The first of six -- Tampa Bay hosts Washington (preview)

John Fontana — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:27:14 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

WHERE: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa,. Florida
WHEN: 7:30 PM EST
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 620 WDAE (radio)

First place, Southeast Division. First Place, Eastern conference. 29 games, 42 points.

The Washington Capitals are the mountain to climb for any team looking to show they are due some respect. They're the mountain to climb is you want to show the world you are legit. That's exactly how the Lightning should be approaching this game - as outsiders in the NHL standings, trying to prove something to themselves and the world.

The popular memo in Tampa is that Alex Ovechkin is back. And angry... I'll skip that, thanks. Yes, Ovechkin is one of the premiere players in the world but he's not the entirety of the Washington Capitals threat. Mike Green on defense, Alexander Semin Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich... They're all a threat in one way another (as is the rest of their roster), and all contributing to the Capitals this season.

But even the Capitals are behind someone in the President's Trophy race this season: The San Jose Sharks.

And who beat the San Jose Sharks? Oh yeah, that's right, the Tampa Bay Lightning did.

From our side of things, the question really is the message that Rick Tocchet will be sending the team with who starts in net tonight. Is it Jekyll-and-Hyde Mike Smith, who is coming off his shutout win against the Islanders and has a habit of falling flat coming off victories? Or is it Antero Niittymaki, the more steady-hand in net who has a 29-6-4 record against the Southeast division all-time? Smith's spectacular inconsistency is not what the Bolts should be hoping for in net if coach Rick Tocchet decides to go with him as starting goalie.

[Note by John Fontana, 12/07/09 1:12 PM EST ] It will be Mike Smith in net tonight.

And will the Lightning's defense, regardless of who starts in net, stand up in front of their own goal or hang their netminder out to dry?

The Capitals boast the #1 power play unit int he league, with a near-quarter conversion rate (24.6%). Their penalty kill rate is a lot lower but still sound enough at 79%. The team is averaging nearly 32 shots on goal a night (31.7) and allowing nearly 31 (30.5).

Odds are Semyon Varlamov starts in goal for the Capitals tonight. He's 11-1-2 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.36 GAA.

This is the first of ~~eight~~ six meetings between the teams. The question is, will the Lightning approach this game as playoff-caliber, or just another one of 82?

Other Previews

Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview

TSN

Japers' Rink

New Jersey Devils Win with Late Tip-in Goal over Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2

John Fischer — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:27:09 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Tampa Bay Lightning's goalie Antero Niittymaki is seen here actually having to do something. Zach Parise looks on as part of a Devils offense that really wasn't much of a threat tonight. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

Browse more photos »

I am ardent believer that a not-so-good-looking win is superior to a "good" loss. I don't have the pretension of "playing beautifully" or that it is better to be "attacking" and lose rather than "hold back" and win. This is a results-oriented business and on that alone, I'm glad the New Jersey Devils defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2. It is the first regulation win over Tampa Bay this season and makes the season series 3-0-0 in the Devils' favor. All thanks to a Jamie Langenbrunner tip on a shot by Andy Greene with 38 seconds left to play. Don't tell me there's no drama with the Devils. In any case, the win is especially nice to have with a more intriguing opponent coming to the Rock tomorrow in the Detroit Red Wings.

That all said, this was definitely not a great win for the Devils. I felt their performance could have and should have been better, especially on offense. I'll explain further after the jump. NHL.com has their recap up with links to the boxscore, highlights, and more stats. For the Lightning perspective, check out Raw Charge later (tomorrow morning?) for a recap. Needless to say, given that the game was won with a

On a quick, pre-jump note, Tom Gulitti reports some potentially bad news. I didn't notice during the game, but Colin White wasn't available for the last 8 minutes of the game. According to Gulitti he left due to "lower body soreness," and he is questionable for tomorrow. I honestly felt he had an OK game, a few hits, a few takeaways, and good positioning. He's been part of the "big 4" since the loss of Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin, and his presence will be missed if he is significantly injured.

Let's cut right to what I found most frustrating about the game: the offense. It wasn't exactly a great game for Tampa Bay either. Both teams struggled to put shots on net, with Tampa Bay coming up ahead 24-19. But extra attention should be pointed to the home team first. The Devils' offense was particularly frustrating to watch. Tepid would be the nicest way I could describe their effort. In the first period, their forecheck was looking good, the Devils maintained more possession, and I felt they were just a bit off in their shooting. No problem there; but in the second period, they basically fell flat. I think they went 14-15 minutes with only one shot on net in the second before registering a few near the end. That's simply unacceptable.

After 40 minutes of hockey, the Devils had a whopping 11 shots on net and were down 1-0. Thankfully, the Devils' defense and Martin Brodeur held up well after Vincent Lecavalier's wraparound goal in the second. Yet, New Jersey completely forgot about concepts such as "aiming shots at the net," "taking the puck in yourself on an odd man rush," and "setting up in the opponent's zone" throughout the second. Antero Niittymaki had to stand on his head in the last Devils-Lightning game; but tonight, he just had to wait until the Devils actually threatened with a shot!

Thankfully, the offense was gifted three straight power plays by the Lightning to in the first half of the third, and even they took advantage. Brian Rolston let loose with a bomb right after Rob Niedermayer won the faceoff, which proved two things. First, winning faceoffs in your opponent's zone is very beneficial. Second, Brian Rolston's slapshot is a legitimate threat. While the Devils didn't do much with the second power play, Nicklas Bergfors was the target of a Tampa Bay giveaway to the slot by David Hale (good work by Vladimir Zharkov for forcing that play). While he was gifted the scoring chance, Bergfors did well for taking full advantage and putting the puck through Antero Niittymaki's goal. Despite 40 minutes of "not much," the Devils went up 2-1.

Yet after that, Tampa Bay decided that they should respond with some aggressive offense and got the Devils into a dooming cycle of clear-line change-clear from their own zone. So the Devils contributed next to no offense after their second goal and the Lightning were attempting to do the same with mixed results. Sometimes, this works for New Jersey. Tonight, it didn't. Eventually, Tampa Bay got the benefit of a power play of their own (Mark Fraser with a hook) and they, get this, set up a play. It was a beautiful quick series of passes that left Steve Downie all alone on Brodeur's flank for the easiest goal he'll score for a while and the game's equalizer. Of course only then did the Devils wake up and try to make some plays happen (most notably Matt Halischuk nearly putting in his own rebound, but was denied by a desparate Bolt defender).

Then the tip from Langenbrunner came in and that was the game. Yet as a final piece of evidence of how poor the Devils' attack was tonight, the Devils could have scored on the empty net but Patrik Elias missed. Need more proof? Check this out. Not one Devil had more than 2 shots on net. Not Parise, not Zajac, not Elias, not anyone. 2 was the max for any one player across the team. Here's another ugly stat: the Devils had 19 shots on net, 9 shots blocked, and 14 miss the net entirely in tonight's game. That's right, the Devils didn't even put half of their attempted shots on net. That's really unacceptable against any team, in my view.

I'm writing all this now and even I'm wondering how in the world they pulled off this win. I'm looking at this highlight video and I'm still amazed the Devils pulled this one out. I can't complain too much about the defense or Martin Brodeur; but the offense was really a sore spot tonight. I almost want to say that they won in spite of the lack of shots on net.

I do have to give credit to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Not that they should categorize their effort as great, or feel that they were "robbed." They didn't build on much of anything after the Vincent Lecavalier goal and outside of Steve Downie's goal, their power play was easily snuffed by the Devils' PK. Taking three straight penalties in the third period - one about a minute in, one right after Rolston scored, and one after the second penalty was killed - is definitely worthy of criticism. The awful, awful give away by David Hale definitely sticks out like a sore thumb. And despite Tampa Bay relying heavily on the their top two lines, they put up only 24 shots on Martin Brodeur.

But after a poor Boston game, their defense held up fairly well. They were very poised in their own zone, and especially on their blueline. It was very noticible that the Devils had to dump the puck a lot tonight, especially in the second period, because a Tampa Bay player was always on a Devil attempting to enter the zone. A few of them made big plays that saved some goals (I believe it was Krajicek who ensured Matt Halischuk's late drive didn't result in a goal off the rebound?). After reading about how poor they were, I felt they did pretty good tonight. And while he didn't get a lot of work, it's not like the three goals against were Antero Niittymaki's fault. He had no real chance on Rolston's blast or Langenbrunner's tip in; and while the Bergfors goal went between his legs, he was really hung out to dry on that one. I felt he was OK.

On the Devils side, I do have to give some credit to the call-ups from Lowell. Vladimir Zharkov and Matt Halischuk were flying out there, looking to leave a lasting impression on the Devils coaches. If not to convince them to stay up in New Jersey, then to convince management that they will be ready for the NHL very, very soon. Halischuk came close to scoring and he looked poised out there. Zharkov was good on the forecheck and forced a turnover that led to Bergfors' goal, earning his first assist in the NHL. And I do mean earn, you could easily tell that he was giving his all out there on the rink. We'll definitely see him in Devils red sooner rather than later. Rod Pelley got back into the lineup and threw 5 hits in 10 minutes to show that he can handle playing on an "energy" fourth line, as well as try to keep his job. On defense, Mark Fraser was steady in the 11:17 he played, but he took a dumb hooking call late in the game. Matthew Corrente looked solid but only got 6:17 because he was in the box twice for fighting - he wanted to show he can be "tough" when necessary. Corrente has been OK in limited minutes so far in his call up, you can get a sense that he can develop into a very strong defenseman in the future. They all stood out in my eyes tonight in one way or another. It'll be a tough decision to see who goes down as Jay Pandolfo and Johnny Oduya come back.

Again, this was not a great win, but it was a win and that's the important thing. No rest for the weary, though; as Detroit comes to the Rock tomorrow night. Thanks to all the readers and commenters out there. I'll have to comment a bit less as using my phone sometimes makes me miss some of the action as I frantically tap at the keys during breaks in the action. Still, I appreciate those who read and participated. Please leave all your comments about tonight's game in the, well, comments.

Lightning between The Rock and a hard place; Tampa Bay at New Jersey Devils preview

John Fontana — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:39:07 -0000

More photos » by Mike Carlson - AP

Browse more photos »

WHERE: The Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
WHEN: 7:00 PM EST
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 620 WDAE (radio)

The latest M.O. in the local press and blogosphere (Damian Cristodero, Jon Jordan, et al) is offensive production and Vincent Lecavalier. Been there, done that, doing it again.

What isn't being questioned, going into tonight's game versus the Devils in Newark, is the repeated disjointed efforts by the Lightning. What isn't being stated is that the Bolts are a mess in their own zone and as guilty of allowing "soft goals" as their netminders -- all because of failures to clear the zone, control rebounds, control the slot, etc.

Watching the debacle in Boston on Wednesday and witnessing the Bruins efforts in their own zone compared to the Lightning's efforts in theirs, it was a tell-tale sign of something that is wrong in Tampa Bay: despite having a revamped defense, and a defensive specialist on the coaching staff, you could see they more often resembled the Keystone Kops than a cohesive unit, working together to protect their own end.

The best offense is a good defense, and with a poor defense, it's leading to a poor offense. That's where the blame lies, not on production numbers for Martin St. Louis (oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to get on lack-of-production, St. Louis' goal total is just as dirty a number as the team captain), Lecavalier and others on offense.

Yes, Martin St. Louis is generating assists. That's the defense of St. Louis' lack of scoring that is commonly used. "Marty's being productive, you can't compare him to Vinny!" But if you want to use this excuse, then you need to apply it for both forwards. Yup, Vincent Lecavalier is doing the exact same thing as Martin St. Louis in generating offense through assists:

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Martin St. Louis	5	23	28	-6	4

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Vincent Lecavalier	5	16	21	-4	18

There is a bigger issue here than "need more from" any member of the offense. There is a much, much bigger issue... But to blame the players is so much easier than to do the work and look at the repeated failings on ice for the Lightning.

The team goes into this game having lost three of their past five (four when you count an OTL as a loss). They've been outscored 7-1 in their past two games and 11-4 since their victory against the New York Rangers. The Ranger game, just a week ago, was a popular motivator with fans, thinking the team had turned the corner. Everything since then has been counter to that.

On the other side of the ice, the Devils have won 3 of their past five. Their last game was an ugly loss to the Vancouver Canucks They're at the top of the Eastern Conference under Jacques Lemaire... Of course, having defeated the Lightning twice already this season has contributed to that.

The Devils are converting 21% of their power plays, good for 12th in the league. They're also boasting the ninth-ranked penalty kill unit in the league (82.7%). Netminding, as always for the Devils, is solid with Martin Brodeur in net (the likely starter tonight. Brodeur has a .921 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA in 23 starts this season.

Antero Niittymaki will be between the pipes tonight for the Lightning. Blair Jones (who was called up this morning by Tampa Bay) will be in the lineup tonight for the Bolts. He has not played an NHL game since December 2007. Matt Smaby and Todd Fedoruk will be scratched. Another defenseman (David Hale or Kurtis Foster) will be scratched as a game time decision.

John Fischer over at In Lou We Trust has a lot more on tonight's game from a Devils perspective. It also includes a few questions pointed to Raw Charge about the Lightning that we took some time to give our thoughts on. Head on over there and give it a read..

Other Previews

Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview

TSN

In Lou We Trust

Game 26 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - 12/4/2009

John Fischer — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:00:16 -0000

by Mike Carlson - AP

Zach Parise was able to check Victor Hedman away in their last game on October 31, 2009. Parise will lead the Devils offense against Hedman's defense tonight. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

View full size photo »

The Time: 7 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+ for the TV; 660 AM WFAN for the radio

Toys for Tots Night: Bring in a toy, make a kid's holiday special. Do some good at the Rock.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (17-7-1) vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-8-8)

The Last Devils Game: It was an ugly one at the Rock. The New Jersey Devils conceded 3 early, pulled within two, but the Vancouver Canucks put the game away in the third period. The Devils gave the Canucks the chances to score and they got it done. It was an ugly game and a bad loss, in my opinion.

The Last Lightning Game: Tampa Bay went up to Boston and just were decisively beaten by the Bruins 4-1. The loss is the Lightning's second straight loss and was generally considered to be a lackluster performance by the Bolts. Cassie McClellan certainly wasn't happy with the team's performance from her recap at Raw Charge. Sounds a bit like this team I saw on Wednesday...

The Last Devils-Lightning Game: Back on Halloween, the Devils went down to Tampa Bay and basically bossed them around the rink. The Devils were then undefeated on the road and were just dominating the game against the Lightning in all aspects except for the score. Antero Niittymaki stood on his head, Steve Stamkos got a bit of a fluke goal, and the game eventually went into the shootout. The Devils got the job done and kept their road winning streak alive. I recapped the game in a positive fashion here; on the other side, Raw Charge had an understandably different take but rightfully praised Niittymaki.

The Goal: The Devils must send a message with a win. Please read the comments to my recap of the Vancouver game. The first 5 of them take an understanding view of the loss. As bad as it was, it seems like it'll be OK if they beat Tampa Bay. I agree with them. Jacques Lemaire worked over the team in practice today and according to Gulitti's report on it, the players seem to understand how bad they really were last night. Tonight they need to show that they have learned from their errors and they have a chance to do so. If they don't, well, Saturday's game against Detroit could lead to more misery.

Read on for my preview of the game, including a guess at the lineup, some additional thoughts, and some further insight into the Tampa Bay Lightning thanks to John Fontana and Cassie McClellan of Raw Charge.

Here's a quick list of improvements I'd like to see against Tampa Bay after that Vancouver loss:

Defensemen clearing opposing forwards from standing in front of the goaltender. This is where it's somewhat OK to take a call. (coughMOTTAUcough)
Skaters making passes in range of their targets.
Skaters making passes to players who are open instead of being surrounded/covered by multiple opposing players.
Forwards not named Zach Parise and Travis Zajac attempting more shots on net, especially if down in the game.
Skaters dumping the puck into the zone during a line change if they have no options (coughROLSTONcough)
Defensemen playing the open man on a 2-on-1 instead of the puck carrier (coughWHITEcough)
A lozenge for all this coughing.

Now, the lineup for tonight's game will be of interest as Jay Pandolfo and Johnny Oduya are getting back into the swing of things. According to Tom Gulitti's report from practice, they might play against Tampa Bay. Lemaire, Oduya, and Pandolfo aren't sure, but all three seem to agree that they're getting closer to returning. In a word, they're game-time decisions. I would think that if they are close enough to play, they'll definitely play against Detroit on Saturday if they're not in tonight. The Devils will have to make a roster move to add both players, though, so I'd keep an eye on Gulitti and Chere tomorrow not only to see if either player will return but to see if anyone is sent back to Lowell. Gulitti has a good summary of who would be subject to waivers if sent down in the comments to this post:

Of the possible candidates to be sent down, Zharkov, Corrente and Halischuk do not have to clear waivers.

Pelley, Pikkarainen, Leblond (whose conditioning stint should expire tomorrow), Frase[r], and Peters would have to clear waivers.

If Oduya comes back, I expect Corrente to go down to make room. If Leblond has to come back up from his conditioning stint, then I'd expect Zharkov go back to Lowell in response. No sense putting players on waivers if it can be avoided. Both Corrente and Zharkov got a taste of the NHL and can go back to Lowell where they'll get more minutes for development. Though, I wonder if anyone would honestly snap up Andrew Peters on the waiver wire.

Anyway, on paper, one would think this game would be a start for Yann Danis with Detroit coming on Saturday. I'm going to guess that's not happening if Lemaire gave Brodeur most of the work in practice, per Gulitti's report. Of course, this too will be a gameday decision, so keep tabs on the news for the up to date information. With 4 games next week, Danis could factor in then.

That all said, here's my guess at the Devils' lineup. This assumes both Pandolfo and Oduya come back. Still, I assure you, this guess will likely be wrong.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Niclas Bergfors
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Jamie Langenbrunner
Jay Pandolfo - Rob Niedermayer - Matt Halischuk
Andrew Peters - Dean McAmmond - Ilkka Pikkarainen

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Johnny Oduya

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

On that note, let us turn to tonight's opponent. They are a team that the Devils have beaten twice, but only by the shootout. They are a team that keeps games close, but doesn't necessarily win a lot of them (4-1-8). They are a team led by these three up top:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Steven Stamkos	26	17	12	29	0	14	7	1	2	84	20.2
2009 - Martin St. Louis	26	5	23	28	-6	4	3	0	0	83	6.0
2009 - Vincent Lecavalier	26	5	16	21	-4	18	0	0	0	95	5.3

They are the successful hockey team in Florida, they are the Tampa Bay Lightning. To learn more about tonight's opponent, I asked John Fontana and Cassie McClellan of Raw Charge some questions and they were more than happy to answer them.

Question #1. In the first game between the Devils and the Lightning, the Devils scored a last-second equalizer to put the game into overtime and won via a shootout. In the second game, the Devils bossed the Lightning around, but Antero Niittymaki and a fluke Steve Stamkos shot forced yet another shootout. Now the season series comes to New Jersey, do you think the Lightning will be able to keep the game close for a third time?

JF: Lets go back and give a bit of recent history -- the Lightning played in a total of 39 one-goal games last season (10-11-18). This season, they've played in 13 one-goal games (as of Tuesday night, going 4-1-8). So it's been the Lightning's bane as well as the reason they are competitive this season: how well the team plays in these close matchups is what either propels the team forward or sets them back. The Bolts have 16 points through these close games. 13 games out of 25 were one goal games -- two against the Devils as you noted. Odds are, the game will be close. Though it's more likely with Antero Niittymaki in net (4-1-3) than with Mike Smith (0-0-5). So who starts in net will be a factor.

Question #2. Steve Stamkos is having a marvelous season in terms of production (and scored this amazing goal), and he's only in his second year of hockey. Doesn't he know that sophomore hockey players are supposed to slump? But seriously, what has he improved on from his rookie year that you have noticed? Moreover, is he getting plenty of help from Martin St. Louis, who has a ridiculous number of assists now?

JF: He seems to have more jump on the puck than last year, more aggression with offense. Of course, this time last year the kid-gloves were still on Stamkos and (then interim) head coach Rick Tocchet hadn't turned young Stamkos loose. He has not been held back at all and seems fearless on ice.

It's not just Marty feeding Stamkos, however. St. Louis has been a factor for both Stamkos and LW Ryan Malone's goal production. Vincent Lecavalier has chipped in with assists to Stamkos' PP goals. But honestly, back to the Marty-Stamkos connection, you can see the two have a clear rapport on the ice and on the bench. And watching
Stamkos' jump it almost feels like St. Louis is tutoring him as they go. There's a similarity in attack that reminds me of vintage Marty St. Louis.

Question #3. Prior to Wednesday's game, the Tampa Bay Lightning have one of the worst penalty killing units in the league. Their success rate was 77.6%, the third lowest in the league. What do you think the Lightning need to do to address this flaw in their game? Other than trying to avoid taking penalties? (Note: Tampa Bay has the second highest PIM/G at 17.4 prior to Wednesday's games; 9th in times shorthanded with 107)

JF: Well, you say "other than take less penalties" but it starts there. Getting back to basics and playing a sound game without committing penalties that put the team at a disadvantage would be the first way to really improve on things.

But there are other basics in the game that the Bolts have struggled with and continue struggling with during a penalty kills, which only leads to opponents scoring: the team fails at clearing it's own zone, they give up way too many shots and fail to control rebounds (leading to more chances for opponents and more shots on goal). It's a vicious circle that ends up putting more pressure on goaltending. If the Bolts want to improve, they need to limit shots and clear the zone. They need to give their goalies breathing room. Yeah, it's a difficult task on the penalty kill, but it's a necessity.

Question #4. Now that the Lightning are well into their season, as is the rest of the league, how do you like Mattias Ohlund's performance so far this season? As I understand it, he's leading the Lightning blueline, he leads the team in average time on ice with 24:15, but are you happy with him as the team's #1 defenseman?

JF: Ohlund missed the last seven of eight games with an ankle injury, but besides that -- he's been stable in net and has helped guide the D, and especially rookie (and fellow Swede) Victor Hedman. The downside to having an aggressive streak and spreading influence is being penalized; which goes back to the above issue.

Question #5. Rather than ask about tonight's game, how about a long term prediction? Do you think the Tampa Bay Lightning will make the playoffs?

JF: The Bolts need to improve the consistency of their game to truly secure a playoff berth. This goes back to the one-goal-game issue that I spoke of above. If the Bolts start playing more disciplined hockey and get better contributions from all members of the team, there should be no issue with the Bolts making the playoffs. On the other hand, with how the team is playing (very middle-of-the-pack), they are this close to backing into the playoffs as the eighth seed, and this close to securing prime tee-times in April. It can go either way right now if the status-quo remains the same.

Big thanks to John and Cassie of Raw Charge for responding. Reading that Antero Niittymaki may be the starter concerns me because he was absolutely massive in the last Tampa Bay-New Jersey game. I don't want to see him do that well again. I also am not looking forward to seeing "vintage Marty St. Louis" from Steve Stamkos for the next 10-20 years.

But in these responses lies opportunities for the Devils. I want to see the Devils draw calls and make their PK try and keep the game close. I know the Devils power play didn't look good against Vancouver; I know they didn't score with a minute long 5-on-3; but the game was already lost at that point. I'm confident the Devils can break through and assert themselves if Tampa Bay lives up to their stat of taking far more calls than they should.

All the same, even if the power play is pointless, the Devils need to go into this game and make a point. A win in regulation would be the right way to go about it. Like most NHL games, it won't be easy unless the opposition chooses to make it easy - and you can't plan on having that happen. Hopefully the Devils will give a far better performance and result tonight.

I'll be setting up the GameThread and commenting remotely from the Rock. (Pray for Steve as he has to endure the New Jersey Nets.) Please leave all your thoughts, updated news, questions, and complaints in the comments for tonight's game or the Lightning here. Go Devils!

2010 Olympic Hockey Preview:The Tampa Bay Lightning

Cassie McClellan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:00:38 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

View full size photo »

The Olympics will be played in Vancouver during the last half of February 2010, and the national rosters are expected to be announced in about a month. Here's a list of potential Lightning players who could participate for their respective countries. All of the players listed have some kind of previous major international hockey tournament experience.

Canada

The problem with picking players for Canada is that Canadians make up over 50% of the players in the NHL. The talent pool is just so large that they could literally field three teams – and have at least two of them medal. So with competition for spots being so fierce, drastic decisions will be made. Guys who would be a shoe-in for any other national team won’t make it on to Team Canada.

In – Steven Stamkos. You’ve got to believe that, with the start he’s had so far this season, he’ll be on the team. And probably as a center (or centre, if you will), which is one of the most competitive positions on the roster. Though, the option may also be there for him to play wing, if necessary. Stamkos has played in a World Juniors Championship and a World Championship.

Bubble – Martin St. Louis. Normally, he’d be on this squad in a heartbeat. But having scored only five goals so far this season, it’s hard to say for sure that he will be. If they’re looking for leadership and a character guy who can contribute in a supportive role, then he will. If they’re looking for just goal scoring, then he won’t. Only the fact that the majority of wingers scoring goals in the NHL this season are left wingers is keeping him in the mix, since Marty plays right wing. He has played for Canada in a World Cup, two World Championships, and on their 2006 Olympic team.

Out – Vincent Lecavalier, Alex Tanguay, Steve Downie. Yes, I said Steve Downie. All of these players have international experience with Team Canada. Tanguay and Downie have both played for Canada in the World Juniors Championship, while Lecavalier has not only played in World Juniors but also in the World Championships, World Cup, and was on the last Olympic squad as an auxiliary player. So far this season, these three guys have not played well enough to crack the overly talented Canadian lineup.

Czech Republic

Out – Lukas Krajicek. I don’t know enough about the Czech team to really make this call, but I’m going to guess that he’ll be a no-go. Krajíček has played well at times, but has also been invisible at others. He just hasn’t been very consistent this season or last season. Krajíček’s chances will probably depend on how many quality defensemen are available for the Czech team. He has played for the Czech World Juniors team and a World Championships team.

Finland

In – Antero Niittymäki. All you have to look at are his statistics for this season. He is sixth in the NHL in goals against, and second in the NHL for save percentage. Sure, his overall record isn’t the best – he’s 6-3-3 this season – but the team he plays on is 10-7-8 25-games in. Niittymäki’s national experience includes having played in World Juniors and the World Championships. He also played in the 2006 Olympics on a silver-medal winning Finnish team, personally winning the tournament MVP as well as being named to the Olympic Tournament’s All-Star Team.

Slovakia

In – Andrej Meszaros. Meszároš has been playing really well recently, particularly in Mattias Öhlund’s absence, so that certainly ups his chances at making the Slovak Olympic team. Another factor that strongly suggests he’ll play for his national team are the many international tournaments he’s already participated in. He’s played in two World Juniors tournaments, two World Chapionships, and took part in the last Olympics. Add to that that he’s only 24 years old, and he’s a definite candidate for the Olympics.

Sweden

In – Mattias Öhlund. No one else on the Lightning roster has played hockey for his country more than Mattias. While his recent ankle injury might have hobbled him momentarily, no other Bolt is more likely to play in the Olympics than he is. Read it and weep, kids: 1994 World Juniors, 1995 World Juniors, 1996 World Juniors, 1997 World Championships, 1998 Olympics, 1998 World Championships, 2001 World Championships, 2002 Olympics, 2005 World Cup, 2006 Olympics. I’m not sure what his personal medal count is, but he does at least own one Olympic gold medal.

Bubble – Victor Hedman. Sweden has a number of good defensemen – both in the NHL and in Europe – so it’s hard to say whether or not the soon-to-be 19-year-old rookie will get the call. He might have to wait his turn until the next Olympics in Russia in 2014, assuming that the NHL participates in those. Even if Hedman gets his chance this February, he likely won’t play much, simply because of seniority. He has played in two World Junior Championships thus far in is hockey career.

United States

In – Ryan Malone. Invited to the USA Hockey Olympic Orientation Camp in Chicago last August, Malone has proven that he deserved not only deserved that invite, but that he should be on the Olympic team. He has 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points in 25 games. Malone has participated in two World Championships.

Bubble – Jeff Halpern. Halpern is a longtime participant with USA Hockey. He is only second to Öhlund on this list in the number of times he’s played in international tournaments. He was not invited to the US Olympic Orientation Camp, however. His resurgence playing now as a winger instead of at his natural position, center, may have helped his cause.

From Chris to Oskars: Meet Your Philadelphia Flyers 2010 Olympic Hopefuls

Travis Hughes — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:40:04 -0000

Chris Pronger skates for Team Canada at the Salt Lake City games in 2002.

View full size photo »

If you ever poke around at the new SBNation.com (and if you don't, then what are you doing with your life?), you've no doubt noticed SBN Hockey's running feature over the last week or so. Each site on the network has taken a look at their respective team, noting which players are locks to make their national teams and which players have outside chances at traveling to Vancouver next month.

While most of the Flyers are Canadian -- seriously, it's absurd the number of Canadians on this roster -- and will have trouble cracking a stacked roster, there are some who will make it. Of course, there are also other players who will make the squad in other countries, and you might be surprised at who has a shot.

After the jump, we'll break down the Flyers roster and see who has a chance at representing their country in Vancouver this February.

Team Canada

The pressure is on for the host country. After a disappointing showing in 2006 at Turin that saw Canada come home without a medal, anything less than the gold will be unacceptable north of the border.

Chris Pronger: There's absolutely no doubt that Pronger will be representing Canada in Vancouver. He's an experienced Olympian, winning the gold with Canada at Salt Lake City in 2002. He also played for his country in the 2006 Turin games and the 1998 Nagano games, as well as in the 1997 World Championships and the 1993 World Junior Championships. Pronger, along with former Anaheim teammate Scott Niedermayer, will be expected to lead the Canadian blueline. Packing His Bags.
Mike Richards: It's hard to see how Canada could keep Richards off the roster. The captain of the Canadian team that won the World Junior Championship in 2005, Richards has played internationally on three different occasions. Packing His Bags.
Jeff Carter: While not as strong a lock as Richards, Carter still has a very strong shot at making the team this year. He's versatile, obviously proven in the NHL, and he's got international experience, winning the WJC gold with Richards in '05. A Solid Bet.
Simon Gagne: It appears that Gagne will be held out by injury. He was probably about as likely to make the team as Carter prior to sustaining his injury during the Flyers season, but considering he won't be playing hockey when Team Canada announces their roster this month, it's hard to imagine Gagne will get another chance to represent his country. It's a shame, too, considering he played for Canada in the 2006 and 2002 Games. Staying Home.
Also staying home: Arron Asham, Blair Betts, Danny Briere, Dan Carcillo, Riley Cote, Claude Giroux, Ray Emery, Scott Hartnell, Ian Laperriere, Jon Kalinski, Darroll Powe, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent

Team USA

USA is expected to ice a much younger team than they have in recent Olympic games. Only six players over the age of 30 were invited to their summer camp, and there's no guarantee that all of those players will make the team. Guys like Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, and Brian Rolston were left out of camp as general manager Brian Burke tries to create a younger team that can bring USA Hockey back to the summit.

There are only three Americans on the Flyers roster. They'll announce the roster on NBC during the Winter Classic.

James van Riemsdyk: JVR wasn't invited to USA's summer camp and he wasn't even expected to make the Flyers this season. But to say the 19-year-old has been impressive in the early stages of his pro career is an understatement, and there's no doubt he's at least opened some eyes with the USA brass. Will that get him a roster spot, though? It's tough to say. It's true that the youth movement on the team is here to stay, but it might be a little too early for JVR. He's got a lot of other players to beat out, but he deserves consideration and he'll likely get it. 50/50.
Matt Carle: He wasn't invited to the summer orientation camp either, but when you lead NHL defenseman in plus/minus, you'll open some eyes as well. He'd be a dark horse candidate for sure, and he could be dismissed as a player padded by playing with Chris Pronger. But when you look at some of the other players that attended the summer camp -- Tom Gilbert, Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, -- you could see Carle getting a spot over some of those guys. A Possibility.
Staying home: Brian Boucher

Team Finland

Led by goaltender Antero Niittymaki, Finland won the silver medal at Turin in 2006, beating Canada in the process. They aren't favorites to medal in Vancouver, but to say they couldn't surprise would be severely underestimating the Fins.

Kimmo Timonen: Kimmo is an absolute lock for Team Finland. He's their best defenseman, no doubt. There's really not much else to say. He's to Finland as he is to the Flyers -- a solid rock of a defenseman that can be counted on to play huge minutes. Packing His Bags.
Mika Pyorala: He made the preliminary roster over the summer, and making the Flyers certainly helps his chances to make the Olympic roster. He's not a lock at this point, but general manager Jari Kurri has been to Philadelphia to watch Pyorala play and has said good things about his play -- "he's a smart player at both ends of the ice," "you know what you are getting with him." Solid endorsements. Wouldn't Be Surprised.
Former Flyers To Watch: Antero Niittymaki, Joni Pitkanen, Ossi Vaananen, Sami Kapanen

Team Latvia

Probably the weakest team in the Olympics, NHL.com didn't even bother to preview them in their series over the summer. It's understandable, though. They have very little NHL talent on their roster, but one of those players does play for Philadelphia.

Oskars Bartulis: Even as an AHL player, Bartulis was one of the best Latvian players in North America. Now that he's in the NHL and playing solidly, it seems as though Bartulis will suit up for his country in February. He's played in pre-tournament games for Latvia, but didn't play in the World Championships. Things have changed now that he's made the jump to the NHL, and you can be sure that the Latvian brass won't let Bartulis go unnoticed. A Strong Bet.

Team Norway

They surprised by qualifying for Olympics, but could they stage an upset or two? There is only one Norwegian in the NHL. He plays in Philadelphia.

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen: Tollefsen has been injured for most of the season, but he is expected to be fine by February, so it would be an utter shock if he wasn't named to Team Norway. Packing His Bags.
Former Flyers To Watch: Patrick Thoresen

Team Sweden

Former Flyers To Watch: Peter Forsberg

Tampa Bay Game 25: versus the Colorado Avalanche

Cassie McClellan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:13:42 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Browse more photos »

The Tampa Bay Lightning were shut out for the first time this season by the Colorado Avalanche 3-0.

The Lightning all looked fairly disinterested in this game. The few exceptions to that were Mattias Ohlund, who just returned from injury, as well as Andrej Meszaros, Vincent Lecavalier, Zenon Konopka, Victor Hedman at times, and Steven Stamkos towards the end of the game. Antero Niittymaki played a steady, but hardly fantastic, game.

There are many people who think that if Vinny’s not scoring, then he’s not doing anything. I know that I mention that I think he played well often enough, and it’s because he has. His only role on the team isn’t only to score. While that’s a large part of his job, that’s not all of it. I skip the obvious goal scoring problems and see him doing the other parts of his job well – such as faceoffs, defense, playmaking, and leadership. The scoring part will come – or it won’t. That’s sometimes how it goes. Unfortunately, not many people can see beyond the goal scoring with him, or lack thereof.

But people sure can see beyond Martin St. Louis’ similar goal scoring problems, can’t they? I think that they’re both great players, each in their way. It’s just the double-standard that really gets to me.

The team slept-walked thru most of this game. It wasn’t until the third – and not even really until the last half of the third – that the Lightning started playing and dominating the game. The problem at that point was that they were passing more than they were shooting.

Not to take anything away from rookie Matt Duchene's two goals, but Colorado did not play that great a game. The Lightning dominated play and controlled the puck for long stretches of the game, but just didn’t shoot. Or, if they did shoot, it was usually wide or blocked. It was as if they were just throwing pucks at the net without bothering to look. They were just going through the motions instead of being deliberate about it. And the passing was as sloppy as the shooting.

Due to a quirk in the schedule, the Lightning will be playing the Avalanche again this season. They visit Colorado 11 December. Perhaps they Bolts will be able to get back a little of what they missed in this game.

There were a lot of penalties in the game. Some of that was due to the sloppy play, and some of that were valid penalties. Konopka tried to fire up the team with a fight, but not even that got them going. But, you’ve got to give it to Konopka – his heart is bigger than himself. He’ll do anything to help out his teammates, even sacrificing himself to do it.

The next game is Wednesday, 2 December at the Boston Bruins. The start time is 7 pm Eastern. I expect Mike Smith will probably get the start.

Lightning seek to melt Avalanche in Tampa (game preview)

John Fontana — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:40:06 -0000

WHERE: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
WHEN: 7:30 PM EST
MEDIA: Sun Sports (Cable), 620 WDAE (Radio)

It's been just about a year since the Lightning and Avalanche last faced off at Times Palace, and for those who can't recall what happened -- a rather great game was ruined by referee's travesty:

In a year's time, I'm still pissed off over this incident... But my anger is not directed at the Colorado Avalanche in any way, shape or form (nor has it ever)... No, it's directed at the refs on ice and Stephen Walkom's asinine remark heralding the judgments on ice as the right call.

But enough of that. It's over and done with, it happened. It shouldn't play into anything that happens tonight in Tampa as the Avs and Lightning face off for the first of two meetings this season. The Bolts are coming off their sloppy overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night and the Avs are reeling, going 2-5-3 in their past 10 games after a hot-hot start to surprise just about everyone in the NHL. The Avalanche are starting a 5 game road trip (perfect time for a vacation to sunny Florida!) and have lost wing David Jones to a torn ACL.

If Mike Smith starts in net, it will only confirm Cassie McClellan's suspicions that Tocchet has a preference for Mike over Antero Niittymaki. Smith has played a more-down-than-up season so far in net. Flashes of brilliance have been less consistent than an over-aggressive, bone-headed play or two. I've remarked during game threads that Smith reminds me, at times, of former Lightning goaltender John Grahame. Of course, Smith has yet to make a mistake comparable to this:

from October 21st, 2005 vs. the Ottawa Senators

...But his play has not earned him the right to play three games in a row.

It looks like Mattias Ohlund is going to be back int eh lineup tonight for the Lightning, Mike Lundin's been sent down.... again. Lundin, -2 in four games with the Bolts this season, has had a steady amount of ice time in his four starts, with over 20 minutes in Friday's win against the Rangers and over 17 the loss to Dallas. He was +1 in those two games. Matt Smaby will be returning to Tampa, though, and hopefully will be seeing his first playing time of the season this week.

The Avalanche have 33 points this season, which is just less than half of what they had all of last season. They currently have the league's 20th ranked power play unity (19.4%) and 16th ranked penalty kill (79.6%). Much like the Bolts, the Avs have been depending on their netminder to put them over the top... and with the team allowing over 32 shots a game, strong goaltending becomes a necessity.

Rookie Matt Duchene, the 1st rounder who was selected just after Victor Hedman in this year's draft, has 12 points in 27 games and is a -10 for the Avalanche... Paul Stastny is the team's points leader with 25 (6 goals, 19 assists). Milan Hejduk leads the team in goal-scoring this seasonw ith 11.

Other Previews:

Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview

TSN.ca

Mile High Hockey

More holiday weekend hockey: Lightning at Stars game preview

John Fontana — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:48:22 -0000

More photos » by Mike Carlson - AP

Browse more photos »

WHERE: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
WHEN: 8:30 PM EST
MEDIA: WTOG CW-44 (local), 620 WDAE (radio)

Coming off their most consistent and most dominant game of the season, Friday night's 5-1 victory against the New York Rangers, the Lightning have gone to Texas to face off against the Dallas Stars tonight in a cross-conference shootout.

Like the Lightning, the Stars were in action last night... But instead of being victors, they were the victims instead; being drubbed 5-2 by the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona. So the good news goign into tonights game is both teams have had travel to get to tonight's game. The bad news is one team will be playing to redeem themselves and that makes them extra dangerous.

There's no word yet just who starts between the pipes for the Lightning tonight. Do you start the hot hand in Mike Smith, who played well last night? Or do you start the hotter hand in Antero Niittymaki, who happens to lead the league in save percentage (.932 )? That will be settled in the next few hours as head coach Rick Tocchet puts together his lineup.

Another question is if defenseman Mattias Ohlund will return tonight or perhaps Monday versus the Colorado Avalanche back in Tampa? Ohlund has missed the last six games with an ankle injury, and while Tocchet has said that Ohlund is close to returning, it remains to be seen how close. The Bolts don't need to push it, as they have enough able-bodied defensemen to cover for Ohlund as he heals, but it would nice to get the team's defensive leader back onto the ice.

[Note by John Fontana, 11/28/09 1:59 PM EST ] Mike Smith will start again tonight and Ohlund will remain out.

This game also marks the return to Dallas for former Stars players Smith and Jeff Halpern. On the flip side, this is the first time Dallas' center Brad Richards has hosted his former team since his trade in March 2007. The Bradmaster has been having an excellent season with the Stars and is among the league leaders in assists (23) and points (30). The offensive threat for the Stars does not end there as James Neal, Loui Ericksson and Mike Ribeiro each have broken the 20 point threshold this season.

The Stars are 17th in the league with a 19.5 power play percentage. The Bolts have leap-frogged them after last night's effort versus the Rangers , but only lead them by tenths of a percentage point. The Stars have the 23rd ranked penalty kill unit, with a 78.5 percent kill rate. Theh Bolts PK is up to 77.8% -- 25th in the league.

Other Previews

Tampa Bay Lightning official preview

TSN.ca's game preview.

Check out full Stars coverage at the excellent Defending Big D.

Rangers Pregame: Tortorella returns, Sanguinetti arrives, Scouting the Bolts

Jim Schmiedeberg — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:30:11 -0000

The Rangers have won two in a row. If they win tonight, in the immortal words of Lou Brown in Major League 2: "That's called a winning streak, it has happened before."

It won't be an easy task against the Lightning, who have a 5-1-4 record at home this year, and are 5-2-3 in their last ten games.

As we told you yesterday, Bobby Sanguinetti was brought up from the Hartford Wolfpack, and will make his NHL debut tonight in place of Wade Redden, who is expected to miss a week with an apparent shoulder injury. Looks like Sangs will pair with Gilroy, with Gilroy moving to the left side.

Bobby Sanguinetti

#54 / Defenseman / New York Rangers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 190

Born: Feb 29, 1988

Ales Kotalik and Henrik Lundqvist are playing tonight, according to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants.

Lines for tonight are about the same as Wednesday night, with Kotalik sliding into Voros' spot probably:

Christopher Higgins-Vinny Prospal-Marian Gaborik
Sean Avery-Artem Anisimov-P.A. Parenteau
Enver Lisin-Chris Drury-Ryan Callahan
Donald Brashear-Brian Boyle-Ales Kotalik/Aaron Voros

The Tampa Tribune has a story on John Tortorella that shows his other side.

Don't forget, while the focus has been on Torts' coming back to Tampa, Vinny Prospal will also be returning to the St. Pete Times Forum for the first time since the Lightning bought out his contract. I think we can expect him to play with a big chip on his shoulder tonight as well.

Ok. let's take a look at the Bolts after the jump.......

Lightning Leading Scorer:

Steven Stamkos

#91 / Center / Tampa Bay Lightning

Height: 6-1

Weight: 196

Born: Feb 07, 1990

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Steven Stamkos	22	15	11	26	4	10	6	1	2	0	69	21.7

Lightning Record: 9-6-7 (3rd place, Southeast Division)

Head Coach: Rick Tocchet

SBNation home of the Tampa Bay Lightning: Raw Charge

Notes from Yahoo Sports:

After making his season debut on Sunday in Atlanta, defenseman Mike Lundin was sent back to AHL Norfolk on Monday, only to be recalled to Tampa on Wednesday to play against Toronto. Because of his contract status, Ludin is not subject to waivers until he either spends 30 days with Tampa or appears in 10 games.
Tampa Bay suffered its first regulation loss in 10 homes games at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Lightning are the last team in the Eastern conference to suffer a home loss in regulation.
A 4-3 loss to Toronto is the first time Tampa Bay has lost in regulation to the Leafs in 11 games. The Lightning had been 8-0-2 in the previous 10 meetings.
The four goals allowed by goaltender Antero Niittymaki against Toronto matched a season high Niittymaki had done one other time on Oct. 17 in Pittsburgh. The loss was also the second this season suffered in regulation by Niittymaki in 11 starts.

Lightning co-owner subject to probe. (Toronto Globe and Mail)

The Lightning are coming off a loss at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 on Wednesday night (yikes). Cassie over at Raw Charge has the full recap.

Things to watch for:

The Rangers penalty kill is now first overall, which will make it tough on Tampa's struggling power play.

The Lightning's penalty has also been bad, they are 25th overall in the league. Rangers power play is 8th overall. Rangers look to have a big edge on special teams.

Rangers are 9-3-0 when they score first, Tampa is 6-1-2 when they get on the board before their opponent.

The Lightning have three different players averaging better than a point a game: Ryan Malone, Martin St.Louis, and Steven Stamkos. And oh yeah, Vincent Lecavalier is pretty good too.

Mike Smith is 0-2-1 lifetime against the Rangers, with a GAA of 2.92. Henrik Lundqvist is 4-0 for his career vs. Tampa with an astounding GAA of 1.48.

SB Nation - Antero Niittymaki

The first of six -- Tampa Bay hosts Washington (preview)

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

Other Previews

New Jersey Devils Win with Late Tip-in Goal over Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2

Lightning between The Rock and a hard place; Tampa Bay at New Jersey Devils preview

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

Other Previews

Game 26 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - 12/4/2009

2010 Olympic Hockey Preview:The Tampa Bay Lightning

From Chris to Oskars: Meet Your Philadelphia Flyers 2010 Olympic Hopefuls

Team Canada

Team USA

Team Finland

Team Latvia

Team Norway

Team Sweden

Tampa Bay Game 25: versus the Colorado Avalanche

Lightning seek to melt Avalanche in Tampa (game preview)

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

Other Previews:

More holiday weekend hockey: Lightning at Stars game preview

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

Rangers Pregame: Tortorella returns, Sanguinetti arrives, Scouting the Bolts

Bobby Sanguinetti

#54 / Defenseman / New York Rangers

Steven Stamkos

#91 / Center / Tampa Bay Lightning