Tampa Bay Lightning News

Tampa Bay Lightning's big 3 carries a heavy load
Comment
March 18
St. Petersburg Times
 
"If there was any doubt how heavily the Lightning leans on Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier to carry it offensively, it was dispelled the past two games. Only one goal among them, and Tampa Bay lost twice 2-1. "I don't care who you are, that's a lot of pressure," coach Rick Tocchet said. "I don't think it's fair for them to put pressure on themselves every game that they have to score or we lose." But that is how this season has gone. Stamkos, with a team-best 42 goals; St. Louis, with 24, and Lecavalier, with 20, have 86 of the team's 183. That is 47 percent, the most of any team from its top three scorers. The only team close: the Sharks, with 44.1 percent of their 220 ..."
Steve Downie fined $1,000 for hit on Crosby
Comment
March 17
Tampa Tribune
 (scroll down)
"Tampa Bay RW Steve Downie said he had a phone conversation with NHL senior vice president Colin Campbell, the league's disciplinarian, on Tuesday morning regarding a play on Sunday in which the leg of Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby got pinned under Downie as the two fell to the ice on the opening shift. Downie has been reportedly been fined $1,000 by the league for the hit, which he said happened unintentionally when the two were tangled up coming down the left-wing side into the Tampa Bay defensive zone."
Former Senators exec Mlakar interested in Lightning CEO job
Comment
March 17
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Add Roy Mlakar to those who could be considered for the Lightning's CEO job. "I definitely want to get back in the game," he said. "I think (Tampa Bay) is a great franchise." Mlakar (pronounced ma-LAHK-er), 59, has an impressive resume. He spent 13 seasons with the Senators as president and CEO, and helped build the franchise into one of the league's most profitable and successful. Though let go in June as part of a shakeup after the team missed the playoffs for the first time while he was there, Mlakar was praised in the media for his work and community service. Mlakar was president of the Kings for two seasons, an executive vice president for five and was part of the effort to bring ..."
Tampa Bay Lightning falls 2-1 to Phoenix Coyotes
Comment
March 17
St. Petersburg Times
 
"This is what it has come down to for the Lightning: "We're looking for anything," coach Rick Tocchet said, "a puck going off a guy's face, anything to get yourself going." Because if the team keeps going as it did in Tuesday night's 2-1 loss to the Coyotes at the St. Pete Times Forum, it is going nowhere but home after the regular season. Tampa Bay has hit a dry spell at a very bad time, scoring one goal and losing by one in consecutive games. The consequences are dire as the Lightning (28-29-12), on a 2-8-1 streak and below .500 for the first time since Jan. 19, fell to 11th in the East with 13 games left, six points behind the eighth-place Bruins for the final playoff spot. "You don't ..."
Lightning bid to host another All-Star Game
Comment
March 17
Tampa Tribune
 
"The likes of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, along with a number of other top NHL stars, could be sharing the same locker room with Steven Stamkos and Vinny Lecavalier in the near future. The Lightning have submitted a bid to host the All-Star Game in either 2011, 2012 or 2013, a team official confirmed Tuesday. The team, along with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Tampa Bay & Company, which is Tampa Bay's Convention and Visitors Bureau, hope to land the area a second All-Star weekend. The Lightning hosted the event in 1999. "We consider the All-Star Game one of the marquee events in all of hockey," team spokesman Bill Wickett said. "Our community would love the opportunity to bring ..."
Lightning dig deeper hole with 2-1 loss to Coyotes
Comment
March 17
Tampa Tribune
 
"A sign behind the end boards closest to the Lightning bench read "Playoffs or Bust." After a 2-1 loss to Phoenix on Tuesday, a pin-hole has opened up in Tampa Bay's playoff bubble that could lead toward a slow, steady descent down the standings in the final 13 games of the season. "You don't want to have to go to the last 10 games of the season having to win all 10, but we are starting to put ourselves in that position," left wing Brandon Bochenski said. How the Lightning have gotten to this point has been more like the anvil dropping on Wile E. Coyote's head. As recently as Feb. 6, Tampa Bay was in the sixth position in the Eastern Conference standings. Since that time, the Lightning have ..."
Stamkos expects to play against Coyotes tonight
Comment
March 17
Tampa Tribune
 
"Sophomore center Steven Stamkos did not skate Tuesday morning, but intends to be ready to play tonight. Stamkos suffered a lower back contusion Sunday against Pittsburgh, and though he played the entire game after being hit on the opening shift, he woke up with a stiff back on Monday and received two hours of treatment. Stamkos intended to skate on this morning, but was held off the ice for precautionary reasons and received more treatment. "We've got another six or seven hours before the game and Mully (team trainer Tom Mulligan) felt it was better to get him more therapy," Lightning head coach Rick Tocchet said. "It's obviously an important part of the season and he's a big part of our ..."
Lightning left wing Ryan Malone out 10-14 days after knee surgery
Comment
March 17
St. Petersburg Times
 
"The Tampa Bay Lightning announced Tuesday that left wing Ryan Malone will be out 10 to 14 days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The team said Malone will continue to undergo treatment for a separate upper-body injury that has kept him out of three of the past four games."
Lightning center Steven Stamkos confident he's 'good to go'
Comment
March 16
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Steven Stamkos admitted he did not sleep well Sunday night. Constant pain that keeps one from finding a comfortable position will do that. But the Lightning's star center seemed confident the lower-back contusion that limited his ice time and effectiveness in Sunday's loss to the Penguins will not keep him from playing tonight against the Coyotes at the St. Pete Times Forum. "I think I'll be good to go," Stamkos said. "I can't see myself not playing." Good news for a team clinging to playoff hopes while suddenly needing extra ice and Ace bandages in the training room. Left wing Ryan Malone (upper body) missed three of the past four games. Center Zenon Konopka (mild disc herniation) missed ..."
Lecavalier steps up his game, but it's likely not enough
Comment
March 15
Tampa Tribune
 
"Fair is fair. Just before the Tampa Bay Lightning came out of the Olympic break, a lot of people were wondering whether Vinny Lecavalier would step up and out of his miserable first 60 games or so of this season and help get the Bolts back to the playoffs. Fair is fair. Well, he is playing better, a lot better. That needs to be noted. Fair is fair. Vinny has five goals in six games, including the only Bolts goal in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a raucous, sold-out Forum. He's a 20-goal scorer again, and that's something, at least. "Obviously, we would have liked to have played like this all year," Lecavalier said. "I guess it's all about bringing it at the right time. We ..."
Lightning center Steven Stamkos hurting but hopes to play
Comment
March 15
St. Petersburg Times
 
"C Steven Stamkos figured Penguins D Brooks Orpik would use his stick to try to block Stamkos' shot. But Orpik "finished his check," as Stamkos put it, and Stamkos slammed into the boards. The result: a bruised back that had Stamkos walking stiffly after the game. It is unclear if he will play Tuesday against the Coyotes. "It's going to take something pretty substantial," Stamkos said when asked if he might sit out. "I'm going to battle through it, and, hopefully, it feels better. I'm 99 percent positive I'm going to play." Sunday was a rough day for the Lightning injury report. D Mattias Ohlund, hurt Thursday against the Maple Leafs, is out indefinitely with a left-ankle sprain. C Zenon ..."
Lightning falls 2-1 to Pittsburgh Penguins
Comment
March 15
St. Petersburg Times
 
"No one questions how hard the Lightning worked in Sunday's game with the Penguins or how much it wanted to win. But when breaking down the 2-1 loss at the St. Pete Times Forum, this cannot be ignored: Tampa Bay went a stretch of 23 minutes, 4 seconds without a shot. No coincidence that in that span, which began with 5:26 remaining in the second period and ended with 2:22 left in the third, Pittsburgh scored twice — Sergei Gonchar's winner came on the power play 5:17 into the third — to overcome a 1-0 deficit. "That's not good, obviously," wing Mark Parrish said. "You just have to find a way to get it on net. Even if it's a wrister from the blue line, guys crashing the net, any way you can ..."
Break gives Lecavalier lift
Comment
March 15
Tampa Tribune
 
"Most within the Lightning camp believe they've been watching a more energized and more involved Vinny Lecavalier the past couple weeks. At the very least, they've been watching a more productive Lecavalier. Lecavalier scored his fifth goal in six games during the Lightning's 2-1 loss to the Penguins on Sunday, and Lightning coach Rick Tocchet is among those who likes what he's seeing from his captain. "I don't know if maybe he just needed that little mental rest or what, but ever since the Olympic break he's really stepped it up," Tocchet said of Lecavalier, who credits the break for his recent scoring surge. "It really did help," Lecavalier said of the time off. "It was nice to get away ..."
Lightning pay for penalties, fall to Penguins
Comment
March 15
Tampa Tribune
 
"Funny thing about the Pittsburgh Penguins: Despite all their world class firepower, their power play is nothing more than ordinary. It's been operating at about 17 percent efficiency this year - 21st in the league - but even an ordinary power play can hurt you if you give it enough opportunities. Just ask the Tampa Bay Lightning. They gave the Penguins three straight power-play chances early in the third period Sunday and the Penguins used those chances to finish off a rally that gave them a 2-1 victory at the St. Pete Times Forum. "We played hard, we played well; we just gave them too many chances on the power play and that was the difference," said Lightning center Paul Szczechura, who ..."
Tampa Bay's Malone won't play against Pens today
Comment
March 14
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Tampa Bay left winger Ryan Malone, a former Penguin, will sit out the game against his old team at 5:08 p.m. today at the St. Pete Times Forum. Lightning coach Rick Tocchet confirmed this morning that Malone will not dress for the third time in four games because of an unspecified injury. Malone, whose rights were traded to Tampa Bay in 2008, is the Lightning's No. 4 scorer, with 21 goals and 23 assists in 65 games,"
St. Louis still among the elite
Comment
March 14
Tampa Tribune
 
"While Steven Stamkos has deservedly received plenty of attention for his recent play, he will be the first to tell you linemate Marty St. Louis has been a big part of pushing Stamkos to such lofty heights. It has been that way, really, since St. Louis landed in Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2000-01 after being cast away by Calgary. He has been the heart and soul of the franchise for a decade. This year, St. Louis is putting together another Hart-worthy season. When St. Louis won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2003-04, he was the driving force behind a championship team. Twice he won player of the month awards, in succession, while going on to lead the league with 94 points. It was, to say ..."
Vinny Lecavalier on Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke: 'A dirty player'
Comment
March 14
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Vinny Lecavalier generally stays away from controversy. That is why it was so note"
Lightning wing Mark Parrish resurrects his career at big cost
Comment
March 14
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Mark Parrish always will regret not being home when his son, Turner, was born. Instead, he was hundreds of miles away, in Binghamton, N.Y., playing minor-league hockey. Parrish flew home to Minneapolis the next day. But though the hospital reunion with wife Nicholle and their 2-year-old daughter, Gianna, was satisfying, and his introduction to Turner emotional, it was a reminder of how much the resurrection of his career has cost. "That," he said of missing Turner's birth, "was the low point." That is why Saturday was so special. The family Parrish said he had seen only 21 days since Jan. 1, the day after Turner arrived, flew to Tampa to begin an extended visit. It was the first time they ..."
Penguins: Tampa finds its new star
Comment
March 14
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"It's not that no one saw Steven Stamkos coming. Face it, when a guy is the first player selected in his draft year and his new team builds an advertising campaign around him months before he takes his first shift in the league, well, flying under the radar is pretty much out of the question. But almost no one expected Stamkos, a second-year center with Tampa Bay, to have such a profound impact so early in his pro career. "I knew he was going to be good," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. "I didn't know he would develop this quickly." Forget developing. Stamkos, who turned 20 Feb. 7, seems to have skipped that stage and gone straight to dominating. Going into the games Saturday night, he ..."
Stamkos gets plenty of attention
Comment
March 13
Tampa Tribune
 
"With the season hanging in the balance, the play of Steven Stamkos has risen to a new level. The second-year pivot entered Friday with a league-best seven-game goal streak and a 17-game point streak, the second-longest in the league this season. His 42 goals on the season are the third-most in franchise history, and his 18 power-play goals are a team record. He has done most of that damage in the past six weeks as Tampa Bay has tried to challenge for a playoff spot. "What I like about this streak is that with the pressure of our team trying to win, a kid like him, these are pressure games and he's coming up big," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. "That's tough to play under pressure ..."
Bolts show 'passion' in win over Capitals
Comment
March 13
Tampa Tribune
 
"Tampa Bay played the near model game Friday, should a run to the postseason be in the works. The Lightning knocked off NHL-leading Washington 3-2 to move into ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, four points behind eighth-place Boston and six points behind Montreal. Antero Niittymaki stopped 28 shots, defenseman Matt Walker had a goal and an assist, and the Lightning blocked 20 shots and dished out 30 hits in handing the Capitals their first regulation loss at home since Dec. 28. It was just Washington's third regulation loss since Jan. 5, with two of them coming at the hands of the Lightning. It was Tampa Bay's second win in the past nine games, and snapped a seven-game ..."
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik gets show of local support
Comment
March 13
St. Petersburg Times
 
"In late 2007, Tom Scarritt and fellow Tampa attorney Steve Burton tried, but failed, to form an investment group to buy the Lightning from Palace Sports"
Tampa Bay Lightning beats Washington Capitals 3-2
Comment
March 13
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Antero Niitty"
Washington Capitals lose to lowly Tampa Bay Lightning in first game since clinching Southeast Division
Comment
March 13
Washington Post
 
"One day after they became the first team to secure a division title this season, the Washington Capitals' bid to be the first to reach 100 points was put on hold temporarily in a 3-2 loss to the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night at Verizon Center. Two of the least likely players helped prevent the Capitals from reaching that milestone, as the Lightning's Matt Walker scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period after Brandon Bochenski tied it at 1 in the first. Those two players entered the game with two goals combined. Walker beat Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov at 11 minutes 30 seconds with a slap shot almost immediately after a faceoff in Washington's zone. ..."
Leafs can only drool over Tampa's Stamkos
Comment
March 12
Toronto Star
 columnist Rosie DiManno
"Now, Colton Orr may be an entirely fine fellow and precisely as advertised, pugilistic defender of the Maple Leaf realm, with probably his own adoring fan faction. But when the scoreboard un-spools a highlight reel for a player with two (2) goals and two (2) assists on the season – albeit third overall in league penalty minutes (183) – a cynical observer might suggest Toronto is scraping the bottom of the video-meritorious barrel, just as it is creeping along bedrock bottom of the NHL standings, a race to the abyss that will be contended come Pat Quinn's sadsack Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. Not to dump on Orr and his ilk. At this point in another lost Maple Leafs campaign, all ..."
Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier calls Pens' Matt Cooke "a dirty player"
Comment
March 12
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier the other day said the shoulder-to-head hit Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke put on Boston's Marc Savard made him "sick." But now that the NHL has decided the hit, which was not penalized, does not warrant a suspension or fine, Lecavalier took it a bit further, saying he is "upset" Cooke was not disciplined and that the left wing is a dirty player. It was Cooke's hit on Lecavalier, who was not carrying the puck in April 2008, that separated Lecavalier's shoulder, which needed surgery. "It's upsetting, and it has nothing to do with what happened to me," Lecavalier said Thursday. "I just can't believe the league is letting him get away with that, a guy ..."
Who might be the Tampa Bay Lightning's CEO under new owner Jeff Vinik?
Comment
March 12
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Lightning owner Jeff Vinik said last week during his introductory news conference that his "biggest focus" is bringing in a "world-class CEO to preside over the organization." The person does not have to have a hockey background, Vinik said, but must possess "great business experience." Who out there fits the profile? A possible starting point: • Jim Lites, 57: He is managing the seat licensing program for the NFL's Giants but has an extensive hockey background. He was president of the Stars from 1993-2006 and spent 11 years as an executive vice president of the Red Wings. Lites has ties to Jac Sperling, the Wild governor who guided Vinik through the process of purchasing the Lightning. ..."
Maple Leafs beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in overtime
Comment
March 12
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Remember the guys in the old black-and-white movies who got stuck in quicksand? Whatever they did to get out, they still were sucked slowly down. That kind of sums up the Lightning, which showed resiliency Thursday night to overcome two one-goal deficits but fell 4-3 in overtime to the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre to drop another point back in the playoff race. "We need every last point we can get," defenseman Mike Lundin said. "By not getting these points, we're digging ourselves deeper." Tampa Bay (27-28-11), on a 1-6-1 streak and winless in five straight on the road, is six points and two teams behind the Bruins — who beat the Flyers on Thursday — for the last playoff spot in ..."
Lightning's Lecavalier blasts Penguins' Cooke
Comment
March 12
Tampa Tribune
 
"Normally non-controversial with his comments, Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier did not hold back when it came to discussing Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cooke gave Lecavalier a blind-side hit at the end of the 2007-08 season, forcing Lecavalier to have reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder. When Lecavalier found out Cooke was not suspended for a blind-side, shoulder-to-head hit on Boston's Marc Savard — which was a focal point at this week's general managers' meetings — Lecavalier was surprised. "I can't believe it. This guy's been doing that his whole career to a lot of guys. He's been hurting a lot of guys," Lecavalier said. "Take Marc Savard. He's going to be out for the rest of ..."
Lightning fall in overtime to Toronto
Comment
March 12
Tampa Tribune
 
"While the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to attempt to make a playoff push, they keep getting shoved further down the Eastern Conference standings. With just one win in the past eight games - after Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto - Tampa Bay sits six points behind Boston for the final playoff spot with 16 games left on the schedule. And with each point lost, the road gets that much more complicated to navigate back up the standings. "We have to go on a streak, we have to, everyone knows that," said center Steven Stamkos, who scored for the seventh consecutive game while extending his points streak to 18 games. It was hard to fault the effort put forth against a Toronto team loaded ..."
With postseason hopes fading, the Tampa Bay Lightning must get better goaltending, defense to make push
Comment
March 11
St. Petersburg Times
 
"There may never be a better description of what a goaltender goes through during a playoff push than what the Lightning's Mike Smith came up with Wednesday. "There's no more pressure than we're used to," he said. "It's just magnified whether we play good or bad. "If you play well, you're a hero. If you don't play well, the spotlight is on you, saying, 'What's going on?' " That is the question with which Tampa Bay's goalies have been dealing. Consider that during the team's 1-6-0 skid, Smith and Antero Niittymaki have a combined 4.69 goals-against average and .851 save percentage. During the 7-1-1 surge that came before, they had a 1.29 GAA and .958 save percentage. What makes the ..."
Bolts' Lecavalier incredulous Cooke not suspended
Comment
March 11
Tampa Tribune
 
"Nearly two years ago, Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier took a blind-side hit from then-Washington forward Matt Cooke that forced him to undergo surgery to repair a labrum in his right shoulder. So when Lecavalier found out Wednesday that Cooke, now with Pittsburgh, did not receive any supplemental discipline for a blind-side hit to the head of Boston's Marc Savard on Saturday, Lecavalier was disappointed. "I can't believe it. This guy's been doing that his whole career to a lot of guys, he's been hurting a lot of guys," he said. "Take Marc Savard. He's going to be out for the rest of the season. I can't believe they're doing nothing about it. They're protecting the wrong guy; that's for ..."
Milestone not biggest goal for Lightning's Stamkos
Comment
March 11
Tampa Tribune
 
"Many a second-year player fears the curse of the sophomore slump. For Steven Stamkos, however, his second season has been sensational. As he returns to his hometown tonight to face the Maple Leafs, the top pick in the 2008 draft is third in the league in goals with 41, trailing only Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. With nine goals in the final 17 games of the season, Stamkos would become a member of an exclusive club of 50-goal scorers. With the roll Stamkos has been on the past six weeks, there is little reason to believe the 20-year-old won't be able to pull it off. Since Jan. 21, Stamkos has scored 16 goals in 16 games. He comes into tonight having scored in six games in a row - the ..."
Bolts aren't even putting up a fight to make playoffs
Comment
March 10
Tampa Tribune
 
"Stop us if you've heard this before about the Lighting, and you have, several thousand times. The Bolts are all belted into their flying coffin for the rest of the season, with a 5-3 loss in Montreal - yes, another road loss to another team they used to be chasing for the right to get smoked by the Capitals in the opening round of the NHL playoffs. The feel-good vibe that existed about a week before the Olympic break is good and dead, replaced by six losses in seven games, replaced by back stabbing and infighting between GM Brian Lawton and coach Rick Tocchet. The official start of the Jeff Vinik ownership era brought no immediate relief. Yes, you can look at the goalies. They have ..."
Lightning's Steven Stamkos hits road on a hot streak
Comment
March 10
St. Petersburg Times
 
"For Steven Stamkos, 40 goals was supposed to be an end point, a milestone set for himself before the season. As it turns out, it might just be a stepping stone to 50. "It's definitely reachable, the way things are going," said the Lightning center, who notched his 40th on Saturday against the Thrashers and, with 18 games left, is on pace for 51. "It's definitely in the back of my mind. It would be special." This already is a special time for the 20-year-old, arguably the league's hottest player. His 16-game points streak, with 15 goals and 14 assists, is the NHL's longest active. He was named the second star for the week ending Sunday with five goals, six points in three games, and he is ..."
Hit against boards was scary for Tampa Bay Lightning's Marty St. Louis
Comment
March 10
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Lightning LW Marty St. Louis said he lost his equilibrium for about 45 seconds and had trouble skating after the back of his head hit the end boards Saturday when he was run over by Atlanta's Clarke MacArthur. "Was it a scary moment? Absolutely," he said Tuesday. "When you're on the ice and you can't put one foot in front and your family is in the stands, it's hard." But it was not a concussion, St. Louis said, as on Monday he raised his heart rate on the stationary bike to more than 170 without ill effects and took a neurological test he said was normal. St. Louis, who entered Tuesday fifth in the league with 78 points, played against the Canadiens in his 373rd consecutive game, the ..."
Lightning falls 5-3 against Montreal Canadiens
Comment
March 10
St. Petersburg Times
 
"If the Lightning misses the playoffs, and that is increasingly likely, its embarrassing road record will be the cause. With just nine wins and 23 points, Tampa Bay is the worst road team in the East, and Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre reinforced that reality. "It's alarming when you only have nine wins on the road," coach Rick Tocchet said. What should really be alarming is the way this season is slipping away. The Lightning (27-27-11) has lost six of seven and is 1-3-0 since the Olympic break, when all the talk was about a playoff push. Instead, 11th in the conference and five points behind the Bruins for the final playoff spot with 17 games left, the team has been ..."
After passing tests, Bolts' St. Louis is in lineup
Comment
March 10
Tampa Tribune
 
"Three days after having his head knocked into the end boards, the Lightning's Marty St. Louis felt no lingering effects Tuesday from the blow delivered by Atlanta's Clarke McArthur. After skating for the first time Tuesday morning, St. Louis was back in the lineup Tuesday night at Montreal in a game critical to the Lightning's playoff hopes. Tampa Bay did not practice Sunday, and St. Louis rode a stationary bike Monday to gauge how he would feel is he exerted himself. He also had a neurological test to determine whether he had sustained a concussion. St. Louis passed both tests, and he said he felt fine after skating for the first time Tuesday morning. In the waning minutes of the ..."
Lightning hit a roadblock in loss to Canadiens
Comment
March 10
Tampa Tribune
 
"With about five minutes remaining in Tuesday night's game, fans inside the Bell Centre pulled out the reliable, "Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye" chant. They might as well have been announcing what has happened to Tampa Bay's playoff chances, rather than celebrating the hometown Montreal Canadiens' 5-3 victory. The Lightning lost for the sixth time in their past seven games, allowing five or more goals in each defeat. With 17 games to play, Tampa Bay is five points behind eighth-place Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff race with two other teams ahead of the Lightning in the standings. While a team is never out of the picture until being officially eliminated, Tuesday's ..."
Lightning offer discounts on 2010-11 season tickets
Comment
March 10
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Tampa Bay Lightning launched the 2010-11 "Bring It Back" season ticket campaign on Tuesday, offering discounted prices to new season-ticket purchases and renewals made by April 3. Renewal customers will save an average of 9.8 percent off 2009-10 prices, with all renewal prices either frozen or reduced. "These are difficult economic times for our fans," said Lightning business advisor Sean Henry. "Our goal is to 'Bring It Back', and first and foremost we need to bring back our fans." Fans who purchase by the deadline will guarantee their seating location for potential home NHL playoff games in 2010, save up to 15% off the face value on those seats and have the opportunity to sign up for ..."
Lightning's Steven Stamkos hits road on a hot streak
Comment
March 9
St. Petersburg Times
 
"For Steven Stamkos, 40 goals was supposed to be an end point, a milestone set for himself before the season. As it turns out, it might just be a stepping stone to 50. "It's definitely reachable, the way things are going," said the Lightning center, who notched his 40th on Saturday against the Thrashers and, with 18 games left, is on pace for 51. "It's definitely in the back of my mind. It would be special." This already is a special time for the 20-year-old, arguably the league's hottest player. His 16-game points streak, with 15 goals and 14 assists, is the NHL's longest active. He was named the second star for the week ending Sunday with five goals, six points in three games, and he is ..."
Purcell getting opportunity to shine with Bolts
Comment
March 9
Tampa Tribune
 
"Talk of Teddy Purcell's sleight of hand with a hockey stick arrived in Tampa long before Purcell ever did. "We have the same agent (Kent Hughes) and for a while there it was like all he ever talked about was Teddy Purcell, Teddy Purcell," Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier said. "He just kept telling me how great his hands were, so I knew about him before he got here." Lightning coach Rick Tocchet knew about him, too. He'd heard about Purcell's magic hands from assistant coach Cap Raeder, who first saw Purcell when he was a scout with the San Jose Sharks. "At first all I really knew about (Purcell) was that he was a kid who needed a chance," Tocchet said of the forward the Lightning picked ..."
Lightning's Stamkos is league's No. 2 star of week
Comment
March 8
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Olympic break didn't slow Steven Stamkos. The Tampa Bay Lightning center scored five goals in his first three games after the break, earning the NHL's second star award for the week that ended Sunday. Colorado Avalanche right wing Chris Stewart was the top star and Florida Panthers defenseman Bryan McCabe the third, the league announced Monday. Stamkos, 20, scored five goals in three games to continue the NHL's longest active points streak to 16 games. He scored twice in a 7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and in a 5-4 loss at Washington. He reached the 40-goal mark with two goals and an assist in a 6-2 victory against the Atlanta Thrashers. With 15 goals in his past 15 games, ..."
Tampa Bay Lightning's Marty St. Louis deemed fine after more evaluation after 'scary' hit
Comment
March 8
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Lightning star W Marty St. Louis is unquestionably an Ironman. He has played in 372 consecutive games, the sixth-longest active streak in the NHL, but he left the ice in the waning minutes of Saturday night's win against the Thrashers after he was leveled by Atlanta W Clarke MacArthur in what coach Rick Tocchet called one of those "scary moments." "My head hit the back of the boards, which confused me a bit," St. Louis said after the game, adding that he felt okay. He said he would be evaluated again Sunday, and team spokesman Bill Wickett said that, "As expected Marty is doing fine. We have nothing new to report.'' The Lightning wouldn't commit to St. Louis' status. The Lightning needs ..."
Downie developing into quite a player
Comment
March 8
Tampa Tribune
 
"Late in the third period Saturday night, a chant began in the cheap seats and swept across the lower bowl of the St. Pete Times Forum. "Downie, Downie, Downie." As No. 9 skated off from a corner to the penalty box, leaving Thrashers strewn in his wake, Lightning winger Steve Downie gazed straight ahead. He didn't acknowledge the adoring crowd or his teammates banging their sticks on the boards in appreciation of an emerging Bay area love affair. Downie, who turns 23 next month, may be the ultimate blue-collar player in a blue-collar town. "One of the reasons we play so well against the Capitals is that Downie's a loose cannon and they don't know what he's going to do out there," said Coach ..."
New Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik plans to restore the community's passion for hockey
Comment
March 7
St. Petersburg Times
 
"There was a point Friday, amid the questions about hiring a CEO and the due diligence he did before buying the team, that new Lightning owner Jeff Vinik figuratively threw up his hands. "I've been here only 48 hours," he said, laughing, while talking to a small group of reporters after a news conference at the St. Pete Times Forum. "I'm still trying to find the bathrooms." Jokes aside, Vinik wanted to send a message in his first appearance before the Tampa Bay area media. And though the rhetoric was broad, the words had purpose - to put distance between himself and the previous owners, who had serious financial problems and characterized themselves as owner-operators. So Vinik made sure he ..."
Lack of trade-deadline moves by Tampa Bay Lightning puzzling
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March 7
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Lightning GM Brian Lawton said Wednesday that his activity, or lack of it, at the trade deadline will help build the team's future. But what about the players and coaches who are here now? Nothing against the acquisition of wing Teddy Purcell; he sounds like a good guy with plenty of upside. It just seems Lawton could have done more to boost what he hasn't been shy about calling an important push for the playoffs. Look, the argument that Tampa Bay does not have the organizational depth, except in goal, with which to trade is valid, as is that Tampa Bay needs its draft picks to rebuild a minor-league system depleted by a decade of poor selections. But it is under those circumstances that ..."
Tampa Bay Lightning wing Steve Downie gives and gets praise
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March 7
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Lightning RW Steve Downie simply glanced to his right to explain his play of late. There were his linemates, C Steven Stamkos and LW Marty St. Louis. "Two really good players," Downie said after Saturday morning's practice. Yeah, but so, too, is Downie, who extended his career-best scoring streak to 10 games with an assist on St. Louis' first-period goal Saturday against Atlanta. He entered the game with five goals and seven assists in his previous nine games. "Obviously having Marty and Stammer helps," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said, "but (Downie has) got to give himself credit. He's doing the stuff." Tocchet said Downie, 22, has taken his game to another level in his second season in ..."
Tampa Bay Lightning beats Atlanta Thrashers 6-2
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March 7
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Sometimes it's a matter of skill. Sometimes it's a matter of will. Sometimes it's a matter of a fortuitous bounce. And sometimes it's a matter of all three coming together on one play. That's what Lightning forward Marty St. Louis showed on a game-changing goal that helped his team beat the Thrashers 6-2 Saturday night to snap a five-game skid before a raucous crowd at the St. Pete Times Forum that included new owner Jeff Vinik. The Lightning (27-26-11) desperately needed to right itself after falling into 11th place in the East standings, three points behind Southern Division rival Atlanta, which held the eighth, and final, playoff spot. But the Thrashers scored 3:22 into the first ..."