Tampa Bay Lightning

If there’s one part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s game that rarely gets criticized, it’s the scoring. And that’s not going to surprise anyone, considering the Bolts boasted this year’s first and second ranked scorers league-wide (I say this with apologies to Sidney Crosby fans). Tampa Bay scored 148 goals this season, far and away the most by any non-playoff team, and yet their goal differential was -2 (also the best of non-playoff teams, it should be pointed out). In my last batch of report cards (grading the role players), I touched on the idea that Tampa Bay’s problems can’t be pinned completely on the defense/goaltending. It’s easy to think about hockey in compartments – scorers score, defenders defend, goaltenders tend goal. But it’s not that simple. I would submit to you the argument that the #1 problem for Tampa Bay, the granddaddy of all problems, a veritable Bowser of problems that waits at the end of a long string of Goombas and Koopas if you will, is a lack of defensively responsible forwards. Such thinking makes me wonder if the Bolts don’t have their eye on Sasha Barkov in the upcoming draft. While either Jonathan Drouin or Nate MacKinnon would make a sexier pick, Barkov, just 18, already has a reputation for being defensively aware. But the problem isn’t so simple. The weird fact that haunts the Tampa Bay Lightning is they have a slew of forwards that want to be defensively responsible. April 4, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) carries the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC center. The Lightning defeat the Hurricanes 5-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports Let’s use Steven Stamkos as an example. Stamkos has stated that he has a goal to be one of the best two-way forwards in the league. And let me tell you, there’s no lack of will. There’s no laziness in Stamkos’s defensive game. Nor, obviously, is there any lack of talent. And yet time after time he finds himself in slightly the wrong place at slightly the wrong time, and a puck goes into the wrong net. Stamkos, despite scoring more goals than anyone in the league over the last few years, still struggles to break a 0 plus/minus rating. There’s a certain point where these things can’t be chalked up to coincidence. What Stamkos lacks is simple knowledge. He’s a smart guy – it’s going to come over time, but he’s going to need someone, or several someones, to show him the way. I bring this up because it’s going to be a common thread through this examination of Tampa Bay’s scoring forwards. Martin St. Louis led the league in scoring, but he couldn’t break a 0 plus/minus rating. Vincent Lecavalier: -5. Meanwhile, the ratings of the bottom six forwards aren’t that bad when you consider how few goals those lines score (which is in line with their expectations). Bearing all that in mind, let’s have a look at the Lightning scorers. If you’re wondering why I’ve deemed these specific six players scorers, please refer to my article on Role Players for an explanation. The Scorers (Listed numerically…) #4 Vincent Lecavalier (GP) 39 (G) 10 (A)22 (PTS) 32 (+/-)-5 (PIM) 10 (ATOI)17:52 If you’ve read my articles throughout the year, you’ve probably noticed Lecavalier is my favorite whipping boy. And you’ve probably noticed how stellar I thought he played at the first of the season (I maintain that he was Tampa Bay’s best player up until his initial foot injury). What Lecavalier did through those first ten games or so was show us the kind of player he can be. The Bolts need a premiere two-way player, and a big-time physical forward, and for a while Lecavalier was both. There are a lot of theories out there saying Lecavalier’s play dropped off because of a number of injuries he accumulated through the season, ultimate

Team USA finished off its experience at the 2013 IIHF World Championships in victorious fashion on Sunday afternoon. The American side brought home the bronze medal, its first since 2004, as it defeated Finland 3-2 in a shootout in the third pl...

Bronze Medal Match Finland 2 vs. USA 3 (SO) Ben Bishop, USA, DNP Tournament totals: 5 GP, 3-2-0, 0 SO, 2.83 GAA, .876 sv% Matt Carle, USA, 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 2 SOG Tournament totals: 10 GP, 0-2-2, E, 0 PIM Nate Thompson, USA, 0-0-0, E, 0 PIM, 2 SOG Tournament totals: 10 GP, 1-2-3, +1, 8 PIM Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk scored in the 4th round of the shootout to lift USA to a 3-2 win over Finland and a Bronze Medal at the IIHF World Championships. USA held a 2 goal lead heading into the Third Period on markers by Nashville's Craig Smith and Colorado's Paul Stastny, but Lauri Korpokoski scored a pair of goals in the final frame to force extra hockey. Ben Bishop sat backup for Team USA. The result is an excellent one for USA, which has often struggled in international tournaments outside the Olympics and World Cup, but is slightly bittersweet after their loss to Switzerland in the Semifinals. In the day's other match, Sweden pummeled Cinderella Switzerland 5-1 to win the Gold Medal Match. read more

Semifinal Round Switzerland 3 vs. USA 0 Ben Bishop, USA, DNP Tournament totals: 5 GP, 3-2-0, 0 SO, 2.83 GAA, .876 sv% Matt Carle, USA, 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 1 SOG Tournament totals: 9 GP, 0-2-2, +1, 0 PIM Nate Thompson, USA, 0-0-0, E, 0 PIM, 1 SOG Tournament totals: 9 GP, 1-2-3, +1, 8 PIM Former Blues draft pick Reto Berra stopped all 29 shots he faced to send unlikely Switzerland to the Gold Medal Match of the IIHF World Championships. Berra received 1 goal and 1 assist of support from Islanders first rounder Nino Neiderreiter in the victory. Ben Bishop sat backup to Anaheim draft pick John Gibson for Team USA. Switzerland will play Sweden in the Gold Medal Match. USA will conclude their tournament against Finland in the Bronze Medal Match tomorrow. read more

Maybe you've noticed over the past few days that Raw Charge and other sites on the SB Nation network have been having technical difficulties? They've been loading, but have been sporadic. Network issues had hit not only SB Nation but it's sister network sites - TheVerge.com and Polygon.com. As of around 4:30 EDT this morning, those issues should be resolved, with thanks and praise to the Vox Media tech team who have been trying to remedy things for the majority of the week. Tampa Bay Lightning News Earlier this week, Martin St. Louis was nominated for the Lady Byng [Bolts by the Bay] Bolt Prospects gives out a weekly "Prospect of the Week" award for the top player in the Lightning system (...below the NHL team level). This week, the accolade goes to three players and not just one [Bolt Prospects] Syracuse Crunch News The Crunch have swept their way into the Eastern Conference Finals [Syracuse.com] Wanna see highlights? Clicky! Clicky! [YouTube Syracuse Crunch channel] Syracuse has gone 7-0 in the playoffs thus far, which is an AHL record. The Lightning's AHL affiliate has swept the past four playoff series, dating back to last year's Norfolk Admirals [Syracuse.com] Eric Neilsen should not look into a career as a lounge singer any time soon [Syracuse.com] Alex does not approve of Chairman How's venting on fan turnout [Chairman How's Glorious Army] NHL and General Hockey News We mentioned the OHL grand finale playoff game was Monday night, and forgot to tell you the end result on Tuesday: The London Knights beat the Barrie Colts with a tenth of a second left in regulation. [Toronto Sun] BB&T Center - aka the Litter Box in South Florida - is getting a new scoreboard...on the public dime. [Miami Herald] The scandal with Mayor Rob Ford in Toronto has raised the spectacle that a prominent hockey analyst is a crackhead... In which case Battle of California points out five specific hockey analysts who could (or probably are) smoking crack [Battle of California] Developer Bruce Ratner suggests the NHL would approve of the relocated Islanders to play six home games a season at Nassau Coliseum after they move to Brooklyn [Islanders Point Blank] These 2013 NHL mock drafts are starting to get odd; either it's turning into anyone's-guess after the #1 pick, or people don't know much about organizational needs / wants. [DC Mock Draft Database] The United States squares off with undefeated Switzerland today in the IIHF World Championships, here's a preview [The United States of Hockey] The finalists for the Jack Adams Award (given to the top coach in the NHL) were announced yesterday. Mike Keenan, Ted Nolan and Terry Crisp were not among them. [SB Nation] NBC is carrying today's Chicago Blackhawks / Detroit Red Wings playoff game... They are also carrying the Preakness Stakes later this afternoon. What happens if the game goes to overtime? Will it be pre-empted by horsies? [Steve Lepore Via Twitter]

By Jeremy Houghtaling With a one goal lead and the third period winding down, Matt Taormina found the puck on his stick and looked for an open shot. After his first attempt was blocked, the Syracuse Crunch defenseman drove toward the net wristed another toward the Springfield Falcons' net. He lost track of it there. "I shot and I didn't hear anything until the crowd reacted," Taormina said. "I finally knew it actually went in." The goal put the exclamation point on Syracuse's 5-2 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Onondaga County War Memorial Friday, as the Crunch swept the Falcons 4-0 to move on to the conference finals. "They were pressing, they could feel it," Syracuse coach Rob Zettler said of Springfield. "Then Taormina steps up and scores that goal, it's huge. It put a stamp on it for us." read more

Syracuse punches their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, and they've made it look easy to this point. SPR-2 SYR-5 Syracuse Wins the Series 4-0 Cedrick Desjardins allowed 2 goals on 30 shots for the victory. First Period SYR Wyman, (1) (Devos), 6:04 SYR Barberio, (3) (Namestnikov, Panik), 7:52 Second Period SPR Craig, (2) (Savard, Jenner), 2:38 (PP) SYR Wyman, (2) (Brown, Cote), 17:20 Third Period SPR Joudrey, (1) (Savard, Jenner), 8:35 SYR Taormina, (1) (Connolly), 9:45 SYR Sexton, (2) (Namestnikov), 18:01 (EN) J.T. Wyman, Mark Barberio, and Matt Taormina were the game's three stars. You would think with the PTP line held to just 1 point that Springfield would finally get a win in the series, right? Wrong. Syracuse's second and third lines carried the mail and delivered the squad to the next round. The core of this team that was also in Norfolk for their championship run last season, AKA SyraNo, has won 17 straight playoff games. It's a ridiculous level of success that will be difficult for the league and the media to officially recognize because of the affiliation change. But, it's one of those things that really, in my opinion, gives this group the argument to say they're one of the best in league history. In fact, if they "repeat", I'd say they probably are the best multi-season collection of players in AHL history. Syracuse's next opponent will probably be top seeded Providence, which holds a 3-1 series lead over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a Penguins win tonight. This is where taking care of an opponent and getting the sweep can pay dividends. Every game Wilkes-Barre/Scranton can extend that series depletes Providence's energy and possibly leads to more injuries while Syracuse can conserve theirs and stay healthy. There's the added dimension of Boston still being alive in the playoffs and injury call-ups that comes into play, too. Playoff hockey can be about attrition, and bear in mind Providence went the distance in their first round series against Hershey, too. Advantage Syracuse if Providence can't handle their business in Game Five of their series tomorrow. Box score from TheAHL.com. read more

Versus AHL Eastern Conference SemifinalsGame FourListen Live on The Fan 1260 Where: OnonDaga County War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, New YorkWhen: 7:00 PM EDTMedia: 1260 AM (radio) The Syracuse Crunch have the potential to close out the AHL Semifinal round tonight with a victory over the Springfield Falcons. Taking their dominant 3-0 series lead into tonight, the focus should be on the Top Gun line of Ondrej Palat, Tyrler Johnson and Richard Panik and their ability to score not only goals but many MANY goals. Yet, that might not be the case. The focus should be on Springfield's goalie situation too; can Curtis McElhinney find his center and his focus and stop a few Crunch shots on the way and bring the Falcons back into this series? Yeah, that drama is there too... That narrative is something to explore and examine as the game progresses, but it's not the focus... At least to some. No, the focus is on attendance, where it shouldn't be. Wednesday's shutout win for the Crunch drew a small crowd -- somewhere north of 3,200 for the 6,000+ seat War Memorial. No one would be making this a story if not for Howard Dolgon, Crunch owner, voicing his displeasure with the small crowd. He went off on a rant on Wednesday, post game, and continued to stand by it on Thursday. That violated the most basic rules of running a public business - don't alienate your customers via criticism. Shaming fans will sooner compell people not to show up than to be shamed into buying more tickets that directly profit you. I think Tampa Bay fans can relate to this? The Rays? The Bucs? Shame, shame... Yes, the Crunch product is akin to the Lightning of 2004 - a potential champion. The difference being this is the minor leagues in a college town that is smaller than the greater Tampa Bay metro area. That's not trying to criticise Syracuse as so much defend it. Residents have lives outside of hockey and sports, and with fewer peoeple to draw from -- even playoff games won't always lure capacity crowds. It's not liek the Crunch are at the bottom of the AHL in playoff attendance. Everyone is drawing small crowds. It's not something to get worked up over. It's also not something to shame your patrons over either. But I digress. Gametime is 7 PM and I've ran long. Game on.

IN A GALAXY NOT SO FAR AWAY… Leave it to your Tampa Bay Lightning to host Darth Maul at a Bolts game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Seriously, this really did happen. As you may recall, last season – on February 16, 2012 to be exact – the ...

Quarterfinal Round: Russia 3 vs. USA 8 Ben Bishop, USA, DNP Tournament totals: 5 GP, 3-2-0, 0 SO, 2.83 GAA, .876 sv% Matt Carle, USA, 0-0-0, +2, 0 PIM, 2 SOG Tournament totals: 8 GP, 0-2-2, +2, 0 PIM Nate Thompson, USA, 1-0-1, +1, 0 PIM, 2 SOG Tournament totals: 8 GP, 1-2-3, +1, 8 PIM Vasily Koshechkin, Russia, DNP Tournament totals: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 0 SO, 2.04 GAA, .895 sv% USA recovered from their 4-1 loss in the final game of the round robin by clubbing Russia 8-3 in the Quarterfinals. Colorado's Paul Stastny had 2 goals and 2 assists to help Team USA en route to the snowman. Nashville's Craig Smith also chipped in 5 helpers. Ex-Lightning first rounder Alex Svitov had a goal in defeat for the Russians, but also posted an ugly -4 rating. Vasily Koshechkin did not suit up in the match for the Russians. Ben Bishop sat backup to young John Gibson for Team USA. Finland 4 vs. Slovakia 3 Jaroslav Janus, Slovakia, DNP Tournament totals: 2 GP, 0-2-0, 0 SO, 3.00 GAA, .875 sv% Tournament star Petri Kontiola had 2 goals and 3 points as Finland squeaked by Slovakia 4-3 to advance to the tournament Semifinals. Ex-NHLer Branislav Mezei had 3 assists in defeat for the Slovakians. Jaroslav Janus did not suit up in the match. Canada 2 vs. Sweden 3 (SO) Steven Stamkos, Canada, 1-0-1, +1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG Tournament totals: 8 GP, 7-5-12, +6, 6 PIM Buffalo's Jhonas Enroth recorded 39 saves to lead Sweden to a 3-2 shootout win over Team Canada. Steven Stamkos scored the opening goal of the match on the power play for Canada, but did not take an attempt in the shootout session. Ex-Lightning netminder Mike Smith made 30 saves in defeat. The tournament is now over for the Russians, Slovakians, and Canadians. Team USA advances to face Switzerland on Saturday in one Semifinal match while co-host nations Sweden and Finland will square off in a rivalry match in the other Semifinal tilt. read more