Tampa Bay Sports Blog

Game 1 – St Louis:

Meeting Sully Friday before the game was interesting.  The team has had to go through several transitions this season:  Melrose – Tocchet – Shoulder Surgeries (defenseman revolving door) – Trade Deadline.  We heard the game plan, and then we heard about what to look for on the ice from both teams.  Past problems mentioned included the defense passing the puck too many times in the defensive zone, instead of one pass and get it the puck up the ice.  Also, the Lightning only has 9-players with NHL experience.  The rest have limited or no experience.  Ouch!

The coaches challenged the Lightning players with taking the diagonal passes away from the St Louis Blues and crowding their goalie from inside the dots so he couldn’t see.  The crowding wouldn’t stop the initial save, but more times than not it would allow a rebound shot to get by the opposing goalie.  Unfortunately, the best person at crowding the goalie, Bugsy (Ryan Malone), was out with the flu.  The Lightning also needed to improve on the power play.  They were ranked near the bottom, moved all the way up to 16^th in the league, and fell back down towards the bottom when Mesaros and Ranger left for shoulder surgeries.

The Lightning also had to deal with a goalie who was ranked 6^th and is now ranked 2^nd in the league in goals against average, a team that ranked 10^th in power play percentage, and 9^th in penalty kills.  Recchi is gone; Roberts sat out.  We may have seen him play his last game on March 1^st.  Is he contemplating retiring before the end of the season or do the Lightning not want to pay the $10,000 per game stipend he receives for each game he plays. 

The game begins.  The first two periods were lack luster – neither team seemed to want the puck giving it up in each defensive zone.  Players still passed the puck too many times in the defensive zone.  The Lightning never had any defensemen helping Ramo in front of the net.  The lucky bounces went the Blue’s way and they were ahead 2-0.  A totally different Lightning team showed up for the third period.  The Lightning didn’t play dead, they didn’t give up, and they kept trying to do what they needed to win the game.  St Louis and Pettinger each scored, and with less than a minute left in regulation, the improving rookie, Stamkos scored the tying goal.  Alas, Boyes from the Blues scored within 1-minute of overtime to win the game.

Game 2 – Carolina:

Not too much to say here!  Again, players still gave the puck away too many times in the defensive zone.  Carolina scored 3-times in the first and 6-times in the second period.  Not only did Staal have a hat trick, he scored 4-goals and had 6-points in the game.  Ruutu and Cole didn’t fair too badly either.  St Louis scored in the first, Lecavalier and Malone scored goals in the third, where it appeared the Hurricanes had let up a little.  The only Lightning player who looked like he was playing for his life was Arty (guess he read the St Pete Times with his coffee that morning).

Big question – who will be here next year?  They can’t trade 21-players . . . or can they?

Technorati Tags: Andrej Meszaros, Barry Melrose, Evgeny Artyukhin, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Martin St. Louis, Mike Sullivan, Paul Ranger, Rick Tocchet, Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vinny Lecavalier

The game against Pittsburgh included terrible passing by both teams – the bounces and breaks all seemed to go the Penguin’s way. Fleury had 33-shots fired at him and he made some very good saves giving up only 1-goal. Ramo also had 33-shots fired at him but there was no defense to help him defend the rebounds. The coaches can only tell players how to play; the players have to stick to the game plan. So many times, there were cross-ice passes with the opposition in between causing many lost possessions and scoring chances. Although in the 3^rd period, the Lightning finally got their act together and passed to the weak side and the cross-ice passes were successful because there were no Penguins in the area. Even though we out-shot the Penguins, it was too little to late.

Not that it changed the game but it appeared Dan O’Rourke had a hair you-know-where when Prospal complained about being dumped (it should have been a penalty – it was quite a mess). After the next play, Prospal continued to complain and O’Rourke slapped him with and unsportsmanlike penalty allowing the Penguins to score on the power play.

Recchi’s absence was felt (the team scratched him and Roberts so they wouldn’t get hurt before the trade deadline – Malik has been hurt all year). It’s a downer to know we finally got two scoring lines (Lecavalier, Prospal, and Malone) and (Recchi, St Louis, and Stamkos) and now they are going to trade him. He may be 41, but he is out playing the younger lads! Seeing Recchi and St Louis playing point to the improving Stamkos is exciting!

A side note: Arty is such a good skater but he skates so fast he goes faster than the puck and cannot control it. We lost a lot of scoring opportunities because Arty ended up behind the net with the puck. He did have a few good hits (maybe he is getting over being gun-shy from his suspension). He needs to go for it.

We only have 7-players (9 if you count Prospal who went to Philly, and Smaby who came up from the minors several times last year) who played on the 2007-2008 team. So out of a roster of 29 people that doesn’t allow for much ‘communication’ on the ice, especially with a revolving door bringing 45-different players on the team this year (including a wannabe coach and interim coach who I feel deserves the full title). I do have to say the AHL guys who called up during the year have shown a lot of grit, desire, and potential. Szczechura was especially fast and very good with the puck. Smaby has been a great addition to the defense so there is hope for next year as long as we don’t trade the whole team away again.

It’ll be interesting to see whom we end up with after 3 pm today (could we possibly break the 50-player mark for this year’s roster?). I try to make myself feel better by thinking perhaps the Lightning will resign Recchi to a 1-year contract during the summer since he will be a free agent and the tutelage of Stamkos can continue.

Patti

Technorati Tags: AHL, Barry Melrose, Dan O'Rourke, Evgeny Artyukhin, Karri Ramo, Marc-Andre Fleury, Marek Malik, Mark Recchi, Martin St. Louis, Paul Szczechura, Pittsburg Penguins, Rick Tocchet, Ryan Malone, Steve Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vinny Lecavalier

I’ve been attempting to watch as many Lightning games as possible this season as I work 60 hours a week and I find myself wondering, why? If there were Rays, Bucs, Magic and Lightning games on all at the same time, they basically go in that order as I choose to watch them. My first love is baseball and so on, but I love my hometown teams and have stuck with them through thick and thin. I’m really having a hard time with the Lightning though. It’s not just because they’re bad, it’s because there is no direction. I gave the Rays too much attention under Naimoli because they were going nowhere and I knew it, but stuck with them. I give the Bucs too much attention now because Gruden gave me a Super Bowl and I try to pretend he’s not as big a piece of crap as he his because of it, but I stick with them. The Magic give me every reason to believe now, but those Grant Hill years were tough.

The Lightning aren’t giving me anything right now and I keep looking for the silver lining. The problem is that I’m having trouble holding on to it. I posted before that I’m optimistic about them, and I still am, but I’m having a real hard time keeping that attitude. They play well on some nights and that gets me a little. Rick Tocchet is a very likable coach who seems to be the type of guy we want here, and that’s good. The problems still linger though.

The first problem is the ownership. They have been a cluster fuck since they got here. The hiring and firing of the Mullet, the trade of Dan Boyle,the constant rotation of players in and out, and now more Vinny crap. I have no problem with ownership moving a crazy amount of guys if they’re trying to find their way, that’s acceptable. I do have a problem with them moving Vinny right now though.

If they pull this crap on Vinny it will destroy every relationship with the players they have, or could have in the future. Don’t sign a guy to big extension, tell him he won’t get traded, and then trade him. I already wonder if there is any ethics left in our society, please don’t make it any worse. I’m one of the few in the area that thinks Vinny has underachieved since his arrival, but I don’t see the need to move him now. If they would have done it in the off season, I could have accepted it, but to do it now is just dumb. You’re not going to get enough in return now to justify the move and make this team competitive, so please don’t do it.

I truly believe that Oren Koules and company could improve their standing here if they don’t move Vinny. We all know the circus that has invaded town since Koules got here and we know how bad this team has played, but if they go nuts and move the face of the franchise now, I don’t see how they recover. There’s no shot of them turning around and selling the team for more money either so that’s out. Maybe these are just rumors like in the past, but I believe them more now because our ownership is so stupid. We’ll see what happens, but I’m still clinging on for dear life with this franchise and I hope they give me something more to hang on to before I start recording Seinfeld reruns over Lightning games.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Dan Boyle, Grant Hill, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Gruden, Oren Koules, Orlando Magic, Rick Tocchet, Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Vinny Lecavalier

The Bolts have been a bad team for a couple seasons now and they have become a laughing stock inside the NHL with the circus that they created since acquired by Oren Koules. They are playing better lately but still aren’t anywhere close to the realm of contention and yet I still believe they will be soon. Why? I have come up with some reasons, though they may be lame, and I’ll lay them out for you.

• I like Rick Tocchet. He has the kind of personality that makes you believe he’s got things going in the right direction. He’s a disciplinarian but he seems to have a good relationship with his players and that shows the type of people skills you want in a coach and the team plays hard for him. We’ll see if his plan works, but I like him up top for now.
• We still have Marty and Vinny. Anytime a team has two scoring machines like these guys, they could get hot and jump into contention any minute. Vinny has been hampered with a bad shoulder and looks to have lost something, but he’s not old and I think we all believe he’ll take off at some point. The problem with that statement by itself is that we all have been sort of waiting for the huge season since his arrival. Vinny works hard and has a good attitude but it seems like he’s content with being a star and not a superstar. Vinny has never put together one of those seasons where he just completely distances himself from the rest of the pack and yet for some reason we still believe he will. Puzzler. Marty is Marty and there’s no denying what he is, the ultimate hockey player in someone else’s body. Hope carries us here.
• The defense and goaltenders have showed improvement. There have been a couple solid performances but it hasn’t been consistent enough yet to say they get it, but they look to be on their way. We’re all waiting for them to show more than flashes of it, but the spurts give us hope.

All in all, we may have just overrated this team the last couple years and that’s why we’ve been disappointed and they just are what they are, but I still take the road of optimism here. Even in laying these points out I’m not convinced myself, but every time I watch this team I think it’s coming. They head to Phoenix for a tough one tomorrow so maybe the good team will show and give us more hope. If not, maybe I just need to drink more when watching this club.

Technorati Tags: Martin St. Louis, Oren Koules, Phoenix Coyotes, Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vinny Lecavalier

Ok, this is going to be a long one as I try to catch up with the mess that is the Tampa Bay Lightning but I’ll do my best to keep it short. I’ll do it in bullets to try and make it easier to follow my rambling. Before the bullet points I’ll point out that the Bolts lost again and the toll is now at 8 straight win-less games. This team does suck right now. Let’s get to it.

• Radim Vrbata requested to go back to his native Czech Republic for “personal reasons” and the Bolts are relieved of his duties and contract for this year. I don’t know what his personal reasons are and, as you know, I don’t get into that but I am left wondering if he would still want to do this if the team were doing well. In the linked article Vrbata’s agent explains good reasons for Radim to request this but it still leaves me dumbfounded. If the team were good I don’t believe this would’ve happened. It’s explained that this relieves the Lightning of the $3 million owed to Vrbata for this season but he gets re-assigned to the Lightning in the summer and they will need to deal with it then. Small problem within larger ones for this messed up squad right now so I won’t dwell on this.

Barry Melrose is a bitter, scorned woman. There’s no other way to put this. He sounds like a whiny bitch now. Let’s try to analyze what he said.

• First Melrose says that ownership fired him because he wouldn’t let them run the team. He says he wasn’t playing the right guys enough and other guys too much. Ok Barry, is ownership not supposed to question what you were doing with their team when you were losing?! You didn’t have anything going in the right direction and everyone, including you, knew that these were going to be hands on owners from the get go. Why shouldn’t they question your decisions when your losing? I’m not defending ownership completely here, but if Melrose claims ignorance here by implying that he didn’t realize that ownership would be involved, he’s dumber than I thought he was.
• Then he says that Rick Tocchet is a puppet for ownership and that they are actually coaching the team. Why aren’t they in the coaches box then Barry? We’ve all seen controlling owners in sports, Daniel Snyder, Mark Cuban, etc., but they don’t call plays. They don’t call line changes, teach defense and they damn sure don’t make in game adjustments. That’s all on the coaches. Now I’m not saying that Tocchet is doing a better job than you Barry, but how can you call him a puppet if you kept the job with them doing the same thing to both of you? Last I checked, you got fired. If you didn’t want to be a puppet you would’ve quit because they were interfering too much, wouldn’t you have tough guy?
• He says that Steven Stamkos isn’t ready for the NHL and he shouldn’t be playing. Again, how come you played him then Barry? It’s not like you said this while you were here. You were one of the guys praising him and his talent. I agree that Stamkos isn’t ready for the NHL, but you can’t say that if you played him and want to pretend that you weren’t a puppet for ownership at the same time. You did the same thing Tocchet is doing, you just have no people skills, which leads to the final point.
• Barry Melrose says that he never got close with any of the players here. Was that ownerships fault too? Did they tell you not to spend time with the players? Did they tell you not to have conversations with guys at practice? Did they tell you that you had to coach guys but never get to know them? No, Barry. This was completely your fault. I could see the owners being controlling, forcing the issue with the highly touted draft pick, even telling you to tread lightly with certain things. I can guarantee all of you that no one told this jerk to not get to know any of the players. That’s all you Barry, and that’s why you got fired. The players probably complained about you because you didn’t get to know any of them and that’s why you didn’t know what any of them were capable of. This is where the scorned woman thing comes in. You sound like the woman that can’t understand why her boyfriend cheated on her. Maybe it was you, maybe he’s just one of those assholes who has to do that, either way, there’s nothing to figure out. It’s over. Move on and find something better. When you got hired here there was a general feeling that you didn’t really want to coach again because you enjoyed being an analyst and were done coaching because you wanted to be. You’re telling us all now that you have always wanted to coach and are pissed off now because you can’t. You conned Oren Koules into believing that you were a good coach who just wanted to be an analyst now and it would take a lot to make you come back. We see now that no one wanted you to coach and that’s why you’ve been an analyst for all these years. If that’s not true then why do you care so much what a messed up ownership group did to you so early in a bad season? You know what Barry, I don’t care if the Lightning lose every game for the rest of the year (as you want them to do you petty bitch), I’m just happy you’re gone. I, Scott Brannelly, call you a bitch. You’re a sorry excuse for a man who wasn’t tough enough to play or coach hockey and I would happily tell you that to your face if you were man enough to meet me.

Ok, last points and I’ll be quick. Rick Tocchet and Steven Stamkos both responded to the idiot Barry Melrose but I’m not going to cover it. If you want to read them you can click here and here. Tocchet doesn’t need to respond because his reputation far exceeds Melrose’s and it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s the coach and he’s got to try and fix a very bad team, tough enough problem as it is. Stamkos doesn’t need to respond because he’s a kid and he just has to worry about playing as well as he can. They both had good responses but they weren’t necessary. Melrose is a stupid bitch and nothing he says matters now anyway. Nothing else really matters within all this, Melrose is a jackass and removing him was the right move. I’ll dog out ownership for the consistently stupid moves that they’ve made since arriving (Melrose being one) but at least they corrected that mistake. Tocchet may not be the right guy, but it doesn’t matter. Stamkos may end up being a bust, but that doesn’t matter right now either. The team sucks right now and I’ll continue bashing them for that, but Barry Melrose is gone and I know I’ll be happy about that regardless of the end result of this season. The woman who wears bad suits will probably not shut up, especially if the Lightning keep losing, but this is the last time I’ll talk about his sorry ass.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Daniel Snyder, Mark Cuban, Oren Koules, Radim Vrbata, Rick Tocchet, Scott Brannelly, Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

   The Lightning came out fired up and ready to prove something under new coach Rick Tocchet. They looked better but couldn’t pull out a win on the road, losing 3-2. It’s a tough go in Carolina as it is, and under a new coachthey did about as good as expected. The defense only allowed 30 shots on goal, of which Mike Smith stopped 28, in regulation and overtime. They dropped it in the shootout that Carolina took when Rod Brind’Amour slipped one past Smith and Jussi Jokinen couldn’t answer. I think Tocchet is the type of coach that can get the best out of this team and he should have the rest of this season to prove it. Vinny and Marty had a goal a piece which is a great sign, especially against a tough goalie like Cam Ward. There was also talk yesterday that Steven Stamkos could be moved to the front line along side Vinny and Marty which would move Vinny Prospal to the second line with Radim Vrbata. I would like that move a lot. Stamkos said the pressure would then be on him but I disagree. I think it would take pressure off of him and give Vrbata a more experienced player to help get his offense going. There only needs to be some minor tweaking offensively to get things going and I think this move would help dramatically. The Bolts play at home tonight against the Florida Panthers and we’ll see how they do in the Forum. I’ll get to the Barry Melrose situation later today.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Jussi Jokinen, Martin St. Louis, Mike Smith, Radim Vrbata, Rick Tocchet, Rod Brind'Amour, Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vaclav Prospal, Vinny Lecavalier

   Wow, this one snuck up on me. I’ve been patiently watching things unfold for Melrose as he took over the Lightning and finally decided today to get on here dig into the Mullet a little for the teams play and his day off. It looks like the Bolts higher ups were quite a bit more upset about it than I was as they fired him after only 16 games. Damian Cristodero first reported this over at Lightning Strikes nd I have got to admit that I’m a little shocked by it. I know the team hasn’t been doing well, but they have eerily similar problems now as they did last year. I know it’s never all the coaches fault when the team falters, but this seems strange to me. There must be something more to this than any of us know and it’ll be an interesting story to follow over the next few days. Rick Tocchet has taken over and we should find out pretty quick how the players react to this. Lord knows they can’t play much worse under Tocchet than they did under Melrose. More to come on this over the weekend.

Technorati Tags: Barry Melrose, Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning