Find My TBLightning Writings on Bolts By The Bay!

Fans, I have been accepted to write on Bolts By The Bay! My policies say that I cannot make Tampa Bay Lightning related posts on any other blogs, including my personal one. Therefore, you will not see any more Lightning posts here. However, I will continue to provide my analysis on other NHL teams, along with other teams in other sports. As always, stay tuned fans!

11/6: Tampa Bay Lightning 4 Florida Panthers 3

Once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a slow start on the road against the rival Florida Panthers. It looked as if the Panthers would once again dominate the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning have been having trouble playing on the road, as they had a 2-4-2 mark away from home headed into Sunday. It looked like they would add another loss to that record early on in the game. Just 1:49 into the game, the Panthers scored a powerplay goal. The shot came campbell at the low slot and deflected off of Lightning forward Nate Thompson and into the net. Garon had almost no chance to stop this shot. The Panthers continued their dominance against the Lightning and scored a second goal at 13:05 of the first. Skille led the Panthers out of the Lightning zone in transition and earned a 2-on-1 break. Skille made a perfect pass to Kopecky, who one timed it past Garon for the second goal. The Lightning still could not figure out the Panthers. Just over two minutes later, the Panthers had another chance to score. Kulikov intercepted a pass from Lightning center Lecavalier and passed it to Santorelli, who was on the left wing. He skated the puck in and wristed the puck through defender Kubina and over the shoulder of a seemingly unsuspecting Garon for a 3-0 lead. Garon would be pulled and replaced by Roloson. The Panthers would continue to dominate the rest of the period, ending with a 16 to 9 shot advantage. The Lightning would not surrender another goal however.

The Panthers continued to dominate the flow of the game into the second period, but Dwayne Roloson stayed solid with key saves for the Lightning. The Bolts would eventually restructure themselves and finally make a mark on the scoreboard. While on the powerplay, Brewer fired a low wrist shot towards the net. There was traffic in front of Panthers goalie Theodore, including Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone. The rebound came off of Theodore and to Malone. Malone handled the puck, and stuffed it into to the net to cut the lead down to 2. About 90 seconds later, the Lightning had another goal, this one a little prettier than the one before it. Lightning defender Gilroy received the puck at the point, with Panthers forward Versteeg chasing him down. Gilroy faked a slapshot and spun around Versteeg. He skated all the way below the goal line and crossed the puck through the crease to an unguarded Stamkos who tapped it in for his league-leading (tied with Toronto's Phil Kessel) 10th goal of the year.

After controlling the end of the second period, the Lightning came out pressing for the tying goal in the third period. They finally got it at the 8:11 mark. Brewer fired a slapshot from the left point that was right on Jose Theodore, who couldn't control the rebound. There was a mad scramble for the puck, and Downie, on his knees, would snap the puck past Theodore hitting the right post. The puck bounced to Purcell however, who barely got it over the goal line for the tying goal. Lightning Coach Guy Boucher continued to be aggressive, sending the big guns Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Stamkos out on the next shift. The three almost combined several times for a go ahead goal, but Theodore was there to save the game multiple times for the Panthers, including an amazing glove save against a backhander by Downie with under a minute left in the 3rd.

Both goalies came out to play in the overtime period. Theodore made several saves against St. Louis and Stamkos, including a semi-breakaway for St. Louis. Roloson made a huge stop with less than seconds left, when a Panthers passing combination managed to get Stephen Weiss loose from the crowd and in alone on Roloson. Rolo stayed with him though, and made a toe save, preserving the game for the Lightning. So, after all of the insanity settled, the two teams would head to a shootout. After three stops by Theodore on Stamkos, Downie, and Purcell, Moore would break through. Roloson made the final save on former Bolt Sean Bergenheim, of all people, and the Lightning managed a come back win against the Florida Panthers.

Gabe's Notes: This was the first win for the Lightning against the Panthers in three tries this year; The Lightning are now 3-4-2 on the road; Stamkos remains hot, as he now has 15 points in 14 games; Campbell and Santorelli both scored their first goals of the season for the Panthers; Roloson was a perfect 27-27 in saves in relief of Garon, who was 9-11; Hedman was out due to an 'upper body injury'; Defenseman Matt Gilroy led the team in ice time with 24:03; Malone left the game with an injury; The Lightning are only two points behind the division leading Capitals.

Upcoming Games

Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-2, 16 pts): 11/9 vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Versus)
Florida Panthers (6-4-3, 15 pts): 11/8 @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Three Stars

1) Dwayne Roloson (27 for 27 saves)
2) Steven Stamkos (1G, 1A, 6 Shots)
3) Teddy Purcell (1G, 2 Shots)

Video Highlights

Tampa Bay Lightning Marty St. Louis Interivew

Marty St. Louis talks to us about the last game vs. the Chicago Blackhawks. Some great music in the background. I really love listening to Marty, he offers a calming influence.

11/4: Tampa Bay Lightning 5 Chicago Blackhawks 4 F/OT

The Tampa Bay Lightning pulled off a 5-4 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Stamkos scored a hat trick, Connolly managed to tap in his second career goal, and Lecavalier won the game with a pretty goal in overtime. More details on the Lightning's official site.

Official Recap: http://bit.ly/u4v8em

11/4: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks

The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off of a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that had head coach Guy Boucher very dissatisfied. During an interview yesterday (11/3) Boucher implied that the team didn't battle hard enough, saying that they would "loose to every single team" if they continued to play with the same lack of effort. Guy Boucher said before the game that he had discussed the team's recent slow starts in the days leading up to the game in Carolina. However, the team didn't respond well, giving up 19 shots in the first period alone. The Lightning will look to respond tonight however, when they face the Chicago Blackhawks in Tampa Bay. For more info and a preview of tonight's game, visit the Lightning's official site: http://t.co/n9R65X2Z

Posted via Blogaway

11/1: Carolina Hurricanes 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 2

On the first day of November, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-2. The story of the night for the Lightning was an emphasis on slow defensive starts on the road. As much as Guy Boucher seemed to be concentrating on that issue, the trend continued. The Lightning started off very slowly in the defensive zone, allowing the Hurricanes to push through their offensive zone with multiple sharp passes in the first period. Dwayne Roloson saved the Lightning in the first however, stopping 18 of 19 shots fired on net by the Hurricanes. Purcell was able to score when a shot from Bergeron was fired from the point. The shot was cleared, but right to Purcell and he beat Cam Ward for the first goal of the night. About three minutes later, the 'Canes scored on the powerplay. Chad LaRose put a rebound into the net, after the original shot managed to get through Roloson.

The 'Canes came out aggressively to start the 2nd period. Within 22 seconds, the 'Canes had the go ahead goal. As the puck was dumped into the Lightning defensive zone, the Hurricanes swarmed in on the fore check, eventually forcing a turnover. Skinner took the puck, skated through the stick checking of Victor Hedman, into to the slot, and fired a shot that beat Roloson to break the tie. Boucher was not happy afterwards. About 5 minutes into the period, the Lightning were on a 2 minute 5-on-3 powerplay. This was a perfect time for the Bolts to tie it, but they could not get the equalizer. However, it was not for lack of effort. Cam Ward made several key stops, including a huge slap shot from Vincent Lecavalier from the high slot. The Lightning seemed to have found their offensive rhythm, as the pelted Cam Ward with shots after the powerplay was over. Then, the Lightning caught a bad break. With the team applying continuous pressure in the offensive zone, Brewer broke his stick while attempting a slap shot. Jokinen picked up the loose puck and moved up the ice with Jeff Skinner. Brewer was back without a stick, and put a hip check into Skinner. The NHL sophomore showed off his figure skating skills, maintaining his balance and passing the puck back to Jokinen. Skinner continued to the net and eventually received a pass for an easy tap in goal to beat Roloson. With about three minutes remaining in the 2nd, Eric Brewer managed to find Lecavalier for a semi-breakaway. Vinny had some space and fired a wicked slap shot on Cam Ward. The shot beat Cam but hit the post and the score remained 3-1 in favor of the 'Canes.

The Lightning, down 2 goals in the 3rd period, made every effort to erase the deficit. The Bolts got the puck on net 13 times during the 3rd, compared to the 'Canes' 4. As the period came closer to ending, the Lightning became more desperate. Then, Martin St. Louis brought the puck with him to the front of the net. Marty's shot was saved and he was dumped onto the ice, but Brett Connolly was there for the rebound goal. This was the first NHL goal for the rookie. The goal lifted the spirits of the Lightning, as they were now back within one goal with over five minutes remaining. About a minute later though, a turnover in the offensive zone sparked a 2-on-1 for the 'Canes into their offensive zone. Tlusty skated the puck in and passed it to LaRose. LaRose was not able to get a solid shot on net, but still managed to get it through a lagging Roloson for a 2nd goal, 4th for the 'Canes on the night. The 'Canes would hang on and close the game by a final score of  4-2.

Lecavalier celebrates Connolly's first goal.

Team Records

Lightning: 5-5-2, 12 pts (next 11/4 vs. Chicago Blackhawks)
Hurricanes: 5-4-3, 13 pts (next 11/4 vs. Washington Capitals)

Three Stars
1st Star: Jeff Skinner
2nd Star: Chad LaRose
3rd Star: Cam Ward

Official Stat Sheet: http://bit.ly/rNoSYi
Images Via Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes team site photo galleries.

Video Highlights

11/1/11 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes

After a solid 1-0 win against Winnipeg (the 12th in a row against the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise for the Bolts), the Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes. After a lackluster start to the season, Dwayne Roloson started for the first time since a 7-4 loss to the Panthers. Roloson was brilliant Saturday night against the Jets, stopping all 28 shots for the Lightning. Vincent Lecavalier had the lone goal for the Lightning, while Stamkos and Brewer had the assists. With the assist, Stamkos is now on a 6-game point streak. For a preview of the Tampa Bay Lightning's game against the Hurricanes tonight, visit the team's official site here: http://bit.ly/sUauvG

Edit: Fixed the link. The above link is a link to the boxscore of the last game. Preview tonight's game here: http://bit.ly/sJCOwP