SB Nation - Steven Stamkos

Tampa Bay Lightning Game 32: at the Chicago Blackhawks

Cassie McClellan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:00:30 -0000

More photos » by John Smierciak - AP

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0.

Despite the score, it wasn’t a bad game by the Lightning. And when I say "bad", I mean "awful". They did some good things, but weren’t lucky enough to convert anything.

Of course, they were out-shot – 29-18 in this instance. And the overall team faceoff winning percentage wasn’t that great at 44%. But they did get some scoring chances early on. And their penalty killing looked very good, especially with the two back-to-back five-on-threes that they had to kill off.

But the power play was ineffective, they took far too many undisciplined penalties, and the defense could play well everywhere but right in front of Antero Niittymaki.

And then there’s the lack of scoring.

The players were making the effort to score, however. Kurtis Foster had five shots, Martin St. Louis and Stephane Veilleux each had three shots, and Steven Stamkos with his bum wrist had two shots on goal. On the scorer’s sheet, the official tally for Vincent Lecavalier was only one shot on goal, but that doesn’t count the three attempted but blocked shots he had, and the two missed shots he took as well.

The problem with scoring is that they’re a perimeter team. The only player willing to consistently put himself in front of the net is Ryan Malone – which is why he has so many goals this season. No one else is willing to take the abuse required to camp out in front of the other team’s goalie. Everyone else is more than happy to stay to the outside and take those long shots that most goalies see coming from a mile away.

The problem with the defense is that the defensemen are jumping into plays and leaving the back end exposed to breakaways, while the forwards are playing too deep. No one’s setting up plays – they all just dive in and hope for the best. You can’t have that. You have to have some kind of on-ice structure spelled out and executed. Guys have got to play their positions at all times, not try to force scoring and therefore giving up their defensive positioning. Scoring is just half of the game.

The next game is at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, 15 December, at 8 pm Eastern.

Lightning vs Blackhawks coverage [SB Nation]

Second City Hockey [SB Nation Chicago Blackhawk's site]

Lightning vs Blackhawks recap [TSN]

Lightning vs Blackhawks boxscore [TSN]

Poll

Should head coach Rick Tocchet be considered on the hot seat?

Tampa Bay Lightning Game 31: at the Colorado Avalanche

Cassie McClellan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:17:10 -0000

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in a shootout.

I've made no secret of the fact that I grew up on the West Coast. Colorado was one of my favorite teams, so it'll probably come as no surprise that I've seen quite a few Avalanche games on TV. And I have to say that, of all of the games that I've seen played in Colorado, this Lightning team was the most affected by the elevation change that I have ever seen.

It comes down to poor ice time management. Part of that were the coaches, but part of that were also the players. They were taking regular length shifts for much of the game, and you can't do that in Denver - and that was a coaching issue. Icing the puck without thinking and not clearing their own zone - that was the player issue. And it cost them the game because they were too tired by the third to really keep the lead.

This was a very winnable game for the Lightning. They were playing fairly well, few penalties were being called, and they were getting some great offensive chances. Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Steve Downie played great together. In fact, they scored the only goal for the Lightning: Downie got the goal and Lecavalier and St. Louis the assists.

Despite not having played for three games, Antero Niittymaki looked very fresh and very on. The goal that he allowed by the Avs was more of a defensive breakdown than anything else. Which, again, came back to poor ice-time management - when you're tired you're not thinking as clearly as you perhaps should be. Even still, Niittymaki kept the team in the game, even in the third when Colorado had 18 shots for the period.

And why were Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone even in this game? They'd both left the previous game with injuries and were listed as day-to-day. What would it have hurt had they sat this game out? Especially Stamkos, whose injury was bad enough to warrant a trip to the x-ray machine.

Give them some time to heal before you put them back into the line of fire - even if they say they're okay. You can't trust an athlete to give you an honest answer if you ask them if they're okay after going down. I should know; I've been there. They all lie so they can play. All. Of. Them. Even if they can't walk, they'll tell you that they're alright. Seriously.

Overall, it was the altitude that did them in. Which I found interesting, especially considering that Rick Tocchet was an assistant coach in Colorado for a while. You would think that he would have been more careful because of that. As you would've thought that Alex Tanguay - a long-time member of the Avalanche - would've warned his teammates. And maybe they did, but circumstances got the better of them. It's hard to say.

The next game is Sunday, 13 December, at the Chicago Blackhawks. Game time is 7 pm Eastern.

Lightning vs Avalanche coverage [SB Nation]

Mile High Hockey [SB Nation Colorado Avalanche site]

Lightning vs Avalanche recap [TSN]

Lightning vs Avalanche boxscore [TSN]

Team Canada Watch: Centre

Chemmy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:20:26 -0000

Maybe the deepest position for Team Canada, what five cent(re/er)s do you take to Vancouver this year? Invitees include guys like Vincent Lecavalier and Eric Staal who haven't impressed this season but ignore players like Steven Stamkos (30pts in 30GP).

In my mind there are two stone cold locks to play Center on Team Canada: Joe Thornton and Sidney Crosby. That leaves us two full time spots and an alternate.

So who are the big candidates left?

Ryan Getzlaf

#15 / Center / Anaheim Ducks

Height: 6-4

Weight: 221

Born: May 10, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Ryan Getzlaf	6	30	36	4	29

3rd in scoring amongst Canadian NHL centers, Getzlaf also has the benefit of playing with Corey Perry. Bringing along good winger-center combos should increase Canada's chances of scoring more than ten goals a game which is why I'm going to leave Patrick Marleau off this list. Capable of playing both center and wing he's feasted on the power play with Heatley and Thornton. I'd bring all three because they're comfortable with each other.

Brad Richards

#91 / Center / Dallas Stars

Height: 6-0

Weight: 192

Born: May 02, 1980

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Richards	9	26	35	1	2

I haven't heard anything about Brad Richards this year but he's playing dominant hockey right now. A slick passer without an Olympian winger, I think B. Richards should be able to be plugged in with almost anybody (Iginla?) and make it work.

Mike Richards

#18 / Center / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Feb 11, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Mike Richards	13	12	25	5	38

Despite claims he was having a bad season, Mike Richards' numbers look solid to me. M. Richards' is a good two way player and comes bundled with Jeff Carter (also a Center I'd move to wing) which gives Canada an amazing penalty killing duo up front. Philly leads the league in shorthanded goals perenially for a reason.

Steven Stamkos

#91 / Center / Tampa Bay Lightning

Height: 6-1

Weight: 196

Born: Feb 07, 1990

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Steven Stamkos	17	13	30	-2	16

Stamkos wasn't invited to camp. Huge numbers though; sixth in the NHL in goals, 4th in power play goals. Probably gets left home this year but if he keeps developing he'll be a lock to play in Sochi barring an NHL ban.

Paul Stastny

#26 / Center / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 27, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Paul Stastny	8	24	32	6	20

Paul Stastny wasn't invited to Team Canada's camp either, but along with Stamkos represents a much stronger candidate than either Eric Staal or Vincent Lecavalier. Stastny's performance this year has helped Colorado get past the loss of Burnaby Joe and is a large reason Avalanche fans forgot the word "rebuild" in a hurry. Edit: Stastny was born in Quebec and is listed as a Canadian by NHL.com, but apparently plays for Team USA in the Olympics. Good for Kessel I suppose. I'll make it up to you with two more options:

Marc Savard

#91 / Center / Boston Bruins

Height: 5-10

Weight: 191

Born: Jul 17, 1977

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Marc Savard	8	6	14	1	8

No invite for Savard, he's firing on all cylinders after missing a bunch of time to start the year. It seems Hockey Canada isn't enamored with Savard and his injuries this year make him even more of a long shot.

Patrice Bergeron

#37 / Center / Boston Bruins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 194

Born: Jul 24, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Patrice Bergeron	8	16	24	2	10

Now that his fragile head hasn't been smashed in years Patrice Bergeron is quietly putting up some solid numbers.

So which five guys do I bring? Thornton, Crosby, M. Richards, Getzlaf and B. Richards is my fill in guy. How about you, who are you bringing and why?

Alpine Lightning: Bolts at Colorado Avalanche preview (UPDATED)

John Fontana — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:19:27 -0000

WHERE: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
WHEN: 9 PM EST
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 620 WDAE (Radio)

The big failure of the recent six of nine games at home was the lack of points picked up in the standings by the Lightning. Nine games, five points picked up in the standings. 2-1-4.

That is not going to cut it if the Lightning are serious about making the playoffs this season.

In fact the Bolts have been lucky. The Florida Panthers are still behind them in the standings, but the Kitties are within striking distance of passing the Bolts... Well, if they stop taking out their own players... Still, it's the Bolts who are guilty of under-performing in most (if not all) areas of their game, and it will come back to haunt them unless things change.

Tonight's the second match-up between the Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche this season, and within the past two weeks at that. You might recall the Bolts being goose-egged by the Avs in Tampa at the end of November. The Avs are in the midst of a lengthy home stand, playing seven of eight at home. They opened that series up on Tuesday with a shutout loss to the Wild. They'll be looking to get back into the swing of things tonight.

From DDC at Mile High Hockey:

Meanwhile, the Avalanche are expected to get Craig Anderson back from a neck injury suffered in Florida. Anderson hasn't finished a game since...November 30th against the Lightning. Peter Budaj has been better-than-solid in Anderson's place (1.26 GAA, .956 Sv%), but that doesn't mean the Avalanche won't get a morale boost from the return of Anderson.

The Avalanche are converting 18.9% of their power play opportunities at current, that's good for 18th in the league. The Lightning, in contrast, are converting 18.3% of power play opportunities -- that puts them at 23rd in the NHL. Now factor in the potential that Ryan Malone (4 PP goals this season) and Steven Stamkos (7 PP goals) will be out tonight (as of this writing, this had not yet been determined) and the Bolts are likely at a bigger disadvantage with a man advantage. PP 18, 80.7 PK -15

And on the penalty kill? Colorado has an 80.7 kill-rate, good for 18th in the league. Tampa Bay? 77.5 (26th in the league), along with the second-lowest kill-rate on the road (71.4). Playing that weak a man-down means the Bolts need to be extra vigilant against taking stupid penalties. Members fo the Lightning blue-line have been the usual suspects for being penalizd, but RW Steve Downie has been guilty of playing more reckless as of late - and with his reputation, this only leads to refs all-too-willing to send Downie to the sin bin.

We'll post the starting lineup for the Lightning later in the day. If the trend over the past 9 games holds, the Lightning will likely start Mike Smith in net...

[Note by John Fontana, 12/11/09 3:03 PM EST ] We've got a general guess on the lines tonight. Matt Smaby will be in (his second game this season) as well as Kurtis Foster on defense. Antero Niittymaki will between teh pipes for the Lightning and it LOOKS like Ryan Malone will play. Lukas Krajicek will not play because of his status with the team.

Other Previews

Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview

TSN

Mile High Hockey

Friday links: Wishing for a home ice win tonight edition

averagejoe — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:00:24 -0000

It's Friday. I can't wait for this week to end.

Blues news

The Oilers vs. Blues tonight. Here's a preview. [CBS Sports]
Ty Conklin has done well as a backup. I'm not used to the Blues having a backup who doesn't make me cringe. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
The Oilers are trying to make history in St. Louis. [Toronto Sun]
Pascal Pelletier is pretty happy to get out of the of Syracuse and into the Blues orgnaization. Also, his eyes are very close together. [Peoria Journal Star]
From the good Dr. (drfrankentweed) comes a nice little article on the Eureka fury, Cam Janssen. [Duffer's Dabbles]

Hockey news

Thursday's results. [Yahoo! Sports]
In case you want to watch something while the Blues are on, here are Friday's games. [Yahoo! Sports]
Fenway Park is being set up to play hockey. Stanley Cup of Chowder has some videos of the set up. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
Dominik only roots for teams that can't score goals. Outside of John Tavares and Matt Moulsan, the Islanders are having trouble putting the puck in the net. [Lighthouse Hockey]
Dan Cleary will be out for a month after hurting himself against the Blues. [TSN]
Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone are both day-to-day. Gotta love the NHL injury rules. [TSN]
At 51, Slave Fetisov — one of the Russian Red Wings — will play for CSKA Moscow on Friday. And it's not a stunt. The team actually needs him. [TSN]
Pierre LeBrun wants to copy baseball and have Summer meetings for the NHL. [ESPN]

Other links

I'm pretty sure we have some House fans around here. I'm told this is the show in a nutshell. [Pic]

Video

I don't know if this video is supposed to be a commentary about how movie trailers are pointless, but all I can say is I'd see this movie.

Poor College Student has the weekend shift. Send him links at gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Upper / Lower body injuries - a full bodied scoring blow to the Lightning

John Fontana — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:42:19 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Steven Stamkos left Wednesday's game against the Edmonton Oilers with an upper body injury. He is listed as day-to-day. . (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Ryan Malone and Steven Stamkos are listed as day-to-day with the Lightning after leaving Wednesday night's game with injuries. Malone and Stamkos' injuries were generalized in the ambiguous declarations of "lower body injury" (Malone) and "upper body injury" (Stamkos).

Both players will be with the team in Denver for the Bolts next game against the Avalanche on Friday Night.

While some may panic at the idea the Lightning's two leading scorers are (potentially) out of action for Friday, this becomes the perfect opportunity for other members of the Lightning to step up.

Though it's been suggested the Lightning may make a recall from Norfolk to cover the potential roster deficits, they have the men on-hand to cover the staff loses of Malone and Stamkos: Todd Fedoruk and Kurtis Foster should both start at forward.

Of course, if the injuries are more serious than the day-to-day status (and the health assessment reported by Damian Cristodero at the Times suggested a call up is still likely), then there will indeed be a need for a roster move or two as insurance.

As it stands though, the Bolts may be hurting but their hand has not been forced to make a roster move... Yet.

Tampa Bay Lightning Game 30: versus the Edmonton Oilers

Cassie McClellan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Browse more photos »

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Edmonton Oilers 3-2.

On a night where the team lost its two top goal scorers, Ryan Malone and Steven Stamkos (both with unknown injuries at the time of publishing), for who knows how long, the Tampa Bay Lightning found something perhaps even more important: their pride.

Tocchet finally put Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis back together – and not just for the power play. On their first shift, Vinny set up Marty with a beautiful pass, and Marty put it home to put the Lightning up 1-0. The only questions that remain are these – why didn’t they get put together far sooner than December, and how long will they play together for? Tocchet likes mixing up lines constantly and is not apparently a patient man. So I wouldn’t expect them to stay together if they go a couple of games without a goal between them.

It was one of the better nights for both players. They were both flying. I think that psychological boost they got from it boosted up the rest of the team as well. When your leaders are happy and playing well, then the rest of the team tends to play well.

Vinny had an outrageous faceoff winning percentage for the game, too. He won 20-9, which is a 69% winning percentage. Zenon Konopka’s winning percentage was better – he won 4-1 (80%) – but he didn’t take anywhere near the number of faceoffs that Vinny did. As a side note, Stamkos has not done very well in the faceoff circle for the past couple of weeks.

Victor Hedman scored his second goal in three games, which is fantastic for a defenseman. He’s been joining the rush more – while not putting the team in jeopardy defensively – and putting in shots. He’s still having some problems with turnovers in the neutral zone, but he’s playing pretty well otherwise. Last season with Modo in the SEL, he scored seven goals in 43 games, so he’s capable of becoming more of an offensive defenseman. I’m not sure he’ll ever become a Mike Green or a Dan Boyle, however. He did have five shots on goal for the game, however.

The second period was sloppy and not played very well. Had the Lightning played the second like they’d played the other two periods of this game, they probably would’ve won it. But they let Edmonton back in with a couple of goals in the second period.

So even if they did lose their top two goal scorers, they found their top players were playing well - together.

Next game is Friday, 11 December, at the Colorado Avalanche. Game time is 9 pm Eastern.

The Copper & Blue [SB Nation Edmonton Oilers site]

Oilers vs Lightning coverage [SB Nation]

Oilers vs Lightning recap [TSN]

Oilers vs Lightning boxscore [TSN]

Tampa Bay Lightning Game 29: versus the Washington Capitals

Cassie McClellan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:52 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

View full size photo »

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Washington Capitals 3-0.

This game was a lot closer than the score suggests - at least for the first two periods. Vincent Lecavalier was by far the best player on the ice for the Lightning. Mike Smith and Ryan Malone came in tied at a close second. They had some jump and were taking it to the Caps. Things were looking promising for a solid finish in the third.

And then they came out flat and lifeless. It was like an entirely different team that played the third period. The Caps were up by three goals at that point - and, to their credit, they didn't allow any goals after that - so the game was still potentially winnable. The Lightning have come back from worse than a three-goal deficit to at least make it to overtime. But something happened during the second period intermission to take the wind out of their sails, and I can't even begin to guess what that might be.

The coaches themselves threw in the towel with seven minutes left in the game by benching their top two lines. No matter how poorly they might be playing, you don't bench your top lines if you think you might have a chance to get back into the game. So it was obvious that the coaches decided that the game was essentially over at that point. Not exactly much of a confidence booster right there.

Bad penalties were a story of the game. The Caps have a great power play, and to give them the opportunities to use it was sloppy thinking. Luckily, they only converted on one of the five opportunities that the Lightning provided for them. Still, having your top guys in the box when you need them on the ice isn't a good way to try to win a game.

Jeff Halpern and Paul Szczechura had an outstanding night in the faceoff circle. Halpern was 6-1 (86%) and Szczechura was 8-2 (80%). They helped pick up the poor faceoff night for Steven Stamkos, who was 4-7 (36%) and Lecavalier, who was 6-10 (38%). That's been pretty typical of Stamkos's faceoff performance lately, tho that has not been so typical of Lecavalier who's usually wins around 50-55% on average.

No matter what the Lightning did, they were unable to solve Semyon Varlamov. He was the true difference maker in this game. Had the Lightning not come up against such a hot goaltender, the final score might've been far different.

The next game is Wednesday, 9 December, versus the Edmonton Oilers. Start time is 7:30 pm Eastern.

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

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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.

SB Nation - Steven Stamkos

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Team Canada Watch: Centre

Ryan Getzlaf

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Brad Richards

#91 / Center / Dallas Stars

Mike Richards

#18 / Center / Philadelphia Flyers

Steven Stamkos

#91 / Center / Tampa Bay Lightning

Paul Stastny

#26 / Center / Colorado Avalanche

Marc Savard

#91 / Center / Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron

#37 / Center / Boston Bruins

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Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

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2010 Olympic Hockey Preview:The Tampa Bay Lightning