Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Lightning

All-Star Break: Five Pleasant Surprises.

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Let us all catch our breath, re-charge and enjoy a fun weekend ahead in Ottawa at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Then, a few days later, we get set for the unofficial second half of the NHL season. For the Blue Jackets, it has been an eventful first half of the season, but we’re starting to see glimpses of improved hockey and a lot of credit goes to interim head coach Todd Richards for, as he put it, “restoring some joy” to the locker room.

So far this season, we have seen the hard work and tireless preparation of a true professional be rewarded with a starting goaltender role in the NHL once again. We’ve seen a future franchise center grow into his skates and show he can be an impact player at this level, and the players recalled from Springfield (AHL) have shown us that the organizational pipeline contains kids who can make a difference. That’s what every team strives for.

Read more for my five pleasant surprises of the first half.

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Afternoon update: Boucher, quotes and more

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I had the chance to sit in on Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher’s morning media session, and I found out right away that he’s a terrific interview. Very insightful, thorough and there’s really no question he won’t answer to completion.

He was asked about lineup changes for his team tonight (Matt Gilroy is injured, so Bruno Gervais is in), his thoughts on the current state of the Blue Jackets, a former pupil from junior hockey and more. Here’s a sampling…

On the Blue Jackets: “I’ve watched their last four games, and I think they’re playing great. Before the year started, you looked at their lineup and thought ‘this is going to be a good team.’ I think it’s the same as us; you have expectations but all of a sudden you run into major injuries or your top guys aren’t in the lineup. You face expectations that aren’t necessarily realistic, but you still get the results that you don’t want. The reality is that if you start the year without the top guys and key players, I don’t see how you can get out of it. Once they got their players back, you can see their team has changed and they’re playing real good. They’re playing solid defensively, playing 2-1 games against top teams. They’re just as tough as everyone else we met the last 12 games…we’ve had some heartbreakers, especially in the third period.”

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MORNING SKATE: Tampa Bay

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Fun morning at the rink today as the Blue Jackets get prepared for tonight’s interconference tangle with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This has all the makings of a very interesting game, and even more so with former Columbus goalie Mathieu Garon getting the start for the Lightning.

Right down the news: Derek Dorsett is back in the Blue Jackets lineup after missing only two games with a lower-body injury. What a story this has turned out to be: you look at that injury and first thought it “oh my goodness,” or something along those lines. But this kid is tough as nails and got some good fortune on his side, too.

Aaron Johnson and Dane Byers draw out as Dorsett goes back in, and Steve Mason was the first goalie off the ice after the morning skate, so he looks to be the starter for Columbus. Lightning coach Guy Boucher said defenseman Matt Gilroy is injured and did not make the trip, so Bruno Gervais will take his spot on the Tampa blue line.

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What’s going on?

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I’ve been going over previous games in my head and re-watching game tape for the past few days, trying to find a common theme among previous (and upcoming) Blue Jackets opponents. Why were they so successful against Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver but struggled against Los Angeles and Boston?

To me, it’s pretty simple: when the Blue Jackets have played their “team” game, they can beat just about anyone. What’s part of that “team” game? Well, to name a few things: quality minutes from all four lines, boxing out in front of their goaltender and staying disciplined. They have defended well against skilled teams not allowed them to play in the attacking zone.

Look at the Sedins on Tuesday night — I can’t remember a single one of those “here we go again” shifts, the 60-to-90 second marathons that never seem to end. That’s what the twins are best at, and the Blue Jackets’ grinders (and top line, too) kept the puck 200 feet away from Steve Mason. Against the Kings, they got away from that and got caught up in a slow, “someone do something exciting” kind of game. Scott Arniel felt the game hung in the balance for most of the night, but defensive breakdowns plagued his team and Anze Kopitar had a hand in both Kings goals.

To sum it up: the Blue Jackets must defend well (tonight, I guess) against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has 8-10 players capable of scoring goals at any time. Take away the speed of their defense, too, and you’ll be in good shape. They can’t start chasing the puck like they did vs. the Kings, because we know how that ended up.

I’ll check back in after the morning skate.

The other side: Tampa Bay

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I was able to get some quotables from Lightning head coach Guy Boucher, as well as winger Teddy Purcell in advance of tomorrow night’s game.

Boucher was asked about Steven Stamkos having to step up in the leadership department with Marty St. Louis out with severe facial fractures. How unfortunate is this story? St. Louis was all set to play in his 500th consecutive NHL game, but took a puck off the face during the morning skate and has been out ever since.

Here’s what Boucher and Purcell had to say after the Lightning’s practice today…

Boucher, on Stamkos and leadership: “It was noticeable before, but it’s an opportunity now for him to take a part of that lead. He’s not the only one we want to see as a leader, but I think he’s slowly affirming himself. Whether it’s verbally or it’s on the ice or off the ice, you can see when somebody wants something. He wants it – he’s charging through, and to me, that’s the number-one sign. He’s not folding. That’s leadership, and basically leadership is action. You can talk all you want, but if you don’t have the actions to go with it, that’s not leadership. He’s vocal, but he’s been vocal since day one. Marty and Vinny have done a terrific job with him, I think right now we see the upside of what they’ve done with him. Also it comes from his character, from someone who’s done well and wants to take the torch and skate with it.

Purcell, on the OT win and upcoming road trip: “We wanted to have a good last game for our fans before Christmas. We know that we have three more games coming up on the road that are tough. We’ve been in a little skid, but last night (OT win vs. Calgary) was a step in the right direction. We’re excited to get back on the road, and we’re up for the challenge.”

Scouting the Lightning

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I’ll be honest: the Lightning have been a tough watch lately.

During their semi-unexpected run in the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, I was captivated by them. They had three lines that were offensively lethal, Dwayne Roloson was standing on his head-that-should-be-balding-but-isn’t, and head coach Guy Boucher was pressing all the right buttons.

But boy, things have changed since. They’ve had a dismal month of December and played one of the most lethargic NHL games I’ve seen in a while on Monday vs. the New Jersey Devils. They redeemed a poor week with a thrilling OT win last night over the Calgary Flames, but that’s not a trademark win by any means. Seriously, though, what’s going on with these guys?

They are 13th in the East as of Friday afternoon – five points out of a playoff spot – and their second-leading scorer is defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron. That’s no slight to Bergeron (who was signed by Tampa GM Steve Yzerman mid-season last year), but look at the roster: Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Malone…it shouldn’t be like this. Stamkos is having a hell of a year so far, but other than that, the Lightning are struggling without St. Louis.

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