Matt Tomkins Get His First Win, Lightning Beat Canadiens

Game in brief: The Lightning rolled into Montreal after getting their pants pulled down against the Leafs only 24 hours earlier, scored four first period goals on Jake Allen, and then held on to win 5-3. 

Here are my thoughts on the game:

1. The Lightning played the exact same game against Montreal that they did against Toronto: they scored four goals in a row in the first period to chase the starting goaltender, and then were largely ineffective on the attack for the rest of the game before potting a fifth goal in the dying minutes of the third. The difference was the quality of the opponent-- the Maple Leafs are a team with game-breaking offensive talents who enjoy nothing more than driving daggers into the Lighting, and they were able to score enough to claw their way to a win, while the rebuilding Canadiens couldn't pull off the comeback. 

2. The Bolts deserve credit for coming out with such a great start, considering they were playing the second game of a back-to-back after what had to be an emotionally draining loss. They scored on the first shift, with Brandon Hagel sending a sick cross-ice pass to Nikita Kucherov, who zapped it home. They rolled through the period, carrying the play and sinking goals from Nick Paul, Alex Barre-Boulet, and Mikey Eyssimont. Kucherov didn't factor into the latter three goals, which was almost a relief-- it's worrisome when your entire offence flows through one player.

3. Montreal pushed back in the second, and while they hardly dominated, they seemed to carry the play for the rest of the game. And while the Lightning can be excused for not completely dominating and overwhelming their opponent from start-to-finish, considering road trip and back-to-back fatigue and the inevitable push-back from a team that got embarrassed in the first period, it does follow the Lightning's disturbing trend of playing gold medal hockey in the first and then house of cards hockey in the second. "Complete game" and "full sixty minutes" are the phrases that will follow theis team all year.

4.The Lightning are making backup goalies look BRILLIANT. For three games in a row the Bolts have caved in their opponent's starter. While both Ottawa goalies suffered largely the same fate on Saturday, both the Toronto and Montreal backups skated onto the ice with no warm-up and played like Glenn Hall Sawchuk Dryden. In Toronto on Monday, Ilya Samsonov made 8 saves on 12 shots for a .667 save percentage before being replaced by Joseph Woll, who was awesome, going 18/19 for .947. In Montreal on Tuesday, Jack Allen managed just 5 saves on 9 shots for a dreadful .556 before making way for Sam Montembeault, who save 22 of 23 for a sparkling .957.

What conclusion can we draw from this? It could be that both Toronto and Montreal's starters were just cold. Or maybe the skaters on both teams got the message and tightened up defensively when the coach yanked the starter. It's also possible that the Lightning eased back on the throttle when they saw how great they were doing. Not consciously, of course. But it's a possibility.

5. The real story of the game of course, was the Lightning's 29-year-old rookie Matt Tomkins finally getting his first NHL win in his third start. Deployed exclusively in the second game of road trip back-to-backs so far this season, Tomkins was finally given some goal support and solid defensive play from his teammates. He stopped 23 of 26 shots (.885), and kept it together during six penalty kills. His performance was tarnished somewhat by Christian Dvorak's shot off the wing with 19 seconds left in the game-- an NHL stopper should make that save. But that's the delight of Tomkins' story: he's not really an NHL goaltender, but a journeyman with a unique career path, who's finally getting the chance of a lifetime to play in The Show due to Andrei Vasilevskiy's back surgery. I'm so very happy for him to get this win. I hope he gets a chance to play in front of a home crowd before his ride comes to an end.

6. This was the best lineup that the Lightning have put on the ice this year. Jon Cooper's decision to play Austin Watson over Mikey Eyssimont on Monday against the Leafs seems ridiculous when comparing what each player brings-- Watson will give you a solid three or four minutes, while Mikey has scored in each of his last two games. Subbing in Zach Bogosian for Nick Perbix was also a solid move. As effective as Perbix was in his rookie year, he seems plagued by hiccups this season, and the occasional scratch might actually benefit him. Tyler Motte, who returned from injury on Monday, brings a lot of energy to the lineup, effectively taking over recently demoted Waltteri Merelä's spot. Merelä was effective in his limited role, but you always got the feeling he was trying to to screw up out there-- it will do him good to spend some time building his confidence in the AHL. 

7. Conor Sheary got hurt early in the game and did not return. As ugly as it is to say, he was not missed. Sheary's performance this season has to be regarded by management as a disappointment. His 1 goal and 2 assists in 13 games flatter him, as he has been a non-factor for the Lightning so far this season. Hopefully he comes roaring back when he returns from this injury.

8. It cannot be overstated how good the Lightning special teams have been this year. 

Overall, this was a good win, especially coming of an emotional loss, and at the tail end of a road trip. If the Lightning can figure out their overtime troubles, they'll be doing much better, but they're not in a bad place, either with the lineup or in the standings. They return to the ice on Saturday to host the Chicago Blackhawks. Until then, adieu.

-Nolan.

Where Nolan Asks Questions and Thinks Thoughts about Losing to the Leafs in Overtime Again

 Background: last night the Lightning, off the back of a Saturday night win in Ottawa, rolled into Toronto and smoked the Maple Leafs for the first period, hanging four goals on Ilya Samsonov and chasing him for Joseph Woll, with Nikita Kucherov scoring two and setting up two more. Proud of a job well done, the Bolts then yawned, wrapped themselves in cozy blankets, and went to sleep for the rest of the game, allowing the Leafs to roar back and eventually win the game 6-5 in overtime.

Here are my thoughts on the game, in no coherent order.

1. Nikita Kucherov is a machine. He looked insane driving play in the first, dancing around defenders and zipping passes all over the place. The Lightning's four consecutive first period goals were all his: he scored two and set up the other two with primary assists. This was a master class. Unfortunately four points per period is unsustainable, and the Leafs were able to cover him the rest of the way, which caused major trouble for the Bolts, since nobody else could get going. Brandon Hagel broke through to force overtime with less than three minutes left, but by that time the Lightning had given the game away.

2. Losing games in which they have lead the Leafs by a 4-1 score is more addictive to the Bolts than super-crack. 

3. Losing in overtime is even more addictive than that.

4. Consider for a moment that the Lightning games have gone past regulation four times, and they're lost in overtime in every single one. They haven't even MADE IT to a shootout. They surrender a goal at 3-on-3 within five minutes every time, never scoring once. Once the puck is dropped in OT, they immediately lose possession, and fans watch the Lightning players spend then next three-odd minutes chasing around before inevitably letting an opposing player have an absolute gift basket of a scoring chance. How are they this bad in OT? Even the San Jose Sharks have made it to a shootout.

5. How can a team be both dominant when up a man (33.3% power play - 2nd in the NHL) and excellent when down a man (87.9% penalty killing - 6th in the NHL) and still be so hopeless when both teams are down two men?

6. Tyler Motte was back from his broken finger-- this was really my first look at him as a Bolt since I remember nothing of his performance in Game One before he got hurt. He looked really good, especially battling deep in the Leafs' end during the penalty kill. As much as I was cheering for Waltteri Merelä to succeed, the Lightning are much better with Motte. 

7. What made NO sense was inserting Motte and scratching Mikey Eyssimont instead of Austin Watson. I understand the urge to keep a fighter like Watson in the lineup. Hockey media was been frothing at the mouth about how soft the Leafs are, so the expectation may have been that the Leafs would try and flip the narrative with some physical play. That wasn't the case at all. Ryan Reaves, who is always happy to make menacing statements in the media but has been dead weight on the ice, was not noticeable, and refused to make eye contact with Tanner Jeannot during their only notable interaction.

With respect to Watson and his role, he had little impact on the game. He played three and a half minutes. The Lightning missed Eyssimont's hustle and grind. Mikey scored against Ottawa and got sat against the Leafs. That's ridiculous. Unless there's an injury we haven't heard about, this was a lineup gaff.

Don't you see the irony? By inserting the enforcer into the lineup, the Lightning became way EASIER to play against.

8. Speaking of the Leafs being soft, they seem to play hard enough against the Lightning when the going gets tough. And the Lightning? They let the consensus softest team in the league tear them up in the second and third period. The Leafs scored EIGHT SECONDS APART TO TAKE THE LEAD. The Lightning had no pushback once the Leafs started pressing.

9. Playing a great first and collapsing in the second has been the Lightning's bugaboo all season. Every night they talk about playing a full sixty minutes. Well, they still haven't figured it out.

In a first intermission interview, Brandon Hagel told Gabby Shirley they would have to keep pressing the Leafs and playing the same way, but that's not the answer. The Lightning need to realize that okay, we've just embarrassed this team. Their coach is probably in the dressing room right now screaming his head off, and these guys are gonna come at us like crazy meth-beavers in the next period, and we'll have to adjust on the fly to whatever they bring. The Lightning seemed to think the second would be exactly the same as the first, and within moments they were on the back foot against a pissed-off opponent. The Leafs grabbed the momentum and it was goodbye to that three-goal lead.

"Playing the same way" is a recipe for failure with this team.

10. A secondary power play assist notwithstanding, Steven Stamkos didn't generate much out there. Conor Sheary was invisible. Tanner Jeannot threw some hits but was on the ice for three Leafs goals. Austin Watson had no impact. Separated from Kucherov, Alex Barré-Boulet was not noticeable.

Only one line was going. Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Kucherov each played more than 22 minutes. The Lightning are becoming a one line team, or possibly even a one player team: Kucherov.

11. The Lightning have a Leafs problem, but their problems against the Leafs are reflective of the problems in all their losses this season. Inconsistent effort.

* * *

The Bolts are in Montreal tonight to face Martin St. Louis' young squad. Matt Tomkins will probably start, and even if the Bolts are tired on the bottom end of the back-to-back, they'll at least benefit from not facing a team that unquestionably has their number. See you tonight.

Manon Rhéaume: The Tampa Bay Lightning's First Star

 Is it controversial to say that Manon Rheaume was the Tampa Bay Lightning's first star? Not really. When team founder and general manager Phil Esposito started building the roster for the team's inaugural season in 1992, he gathered a group of solid if unspectacular NHL veterans from the expansion draft and free agency, and added some promising young talent in the entry draft, but none of those players were remotely household names. If you asked the average Floridian sports fan in 1992 to name a hockey player, how many would have been able to name a second after Wayne Gretzky?

Players like Brian Bradley, Mikael Andersson, and Roman Hamrlik would make important on-ice contributions, but individually, none of them were going to move the needle when it came to drawing vital media coverage to the team. But when Esposito announced the Lightning were inviting a woman to the team's first training camp, the needle definitely moved, as local and national sports media swam in to cover the event. Most pundits cynically (and not incorrectly) decided that it was a publicity stunt to draw attention to the team, but the public's curiosity was aroused. Upon her arrival in Tampa Bay for camp, Manon received a huge amount of coverage, especially when she played the first period of an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues on September 23, 1992, becoming the first, and so far only woman to play in the National Hockey League.

Who Is Manon Rheaume?

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon Rheaume was born February 24, 1972 in Lac-Beauport, a small town just north of Quebec City. Lac-Beauport is known for skiing, and at the time that Manon's parents Nicole and Pierre moved there, the town had no skating rink or organized hockey program. Pierre convinced the town to pay for boards, and he built an outdoor rink behind his house. This gave Manon and her two brothers unlimited ice time as they grew up. 

Manon started skating at age three, and started playing hockey by acting as goalie for her brothers. When her father began organizing a team for the kids in town, he found himself without a goaltender. Manon, aged five, convinced her parents to let her play.

Pierre and Nicole expected that she would soon outgrow the "boys' sport," and switch to gymnastics or skiing, but Manon, a competitive and athletic child, stuck with hockey. She continued playing with the local boys teams, often as goalie, although sometimes on defence when she had to share the crease. She faced criticism and derisive comments from parents and other organizers, but always wanted to prove herself; she refused to show pain when hurt or injured, and practiced hard enough that no one could say she wasn't good enough for a place on the team. 

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon's appearance in tournaments began to draw the attention of the Quebec press, especially when her team played in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. She performed well,  but despite her success and work ethic, Manon was often held back. As she got older she was often denied spots on top level teams because of the attitude that she would be taking a spot from a boy who might one day play in the NHL. After spending her age 16 season playing CC level (the "fun" league, instead of the competitive AAA level), Manon quit hockey. She saw no avenue forward. 

After a year away from the sport, Manon moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to play with a competitive women's team, and soon had her sights set on playing with the Canadian National team at the upcoming world championships. Then came a big break: she was invited to train with the Trois-Riviers Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In the 1991-92 season Manon was the Draveurs' third-string goalie and saw game action once, coming to replace the starter, who had allowed five goals. She performed well but had to be taken out of the game when a hard shot broke her mask and cut her eyebrow, requiring stitches. Even so, she had become the first woman to play men's major junior hockey in Canada.

After winning gold at the 1992 women's world championship in Finland, Manon again thought she might be through with men's hockey. She was wrong.

Phil Says Okay

(photo credit: Scott Halleran/Allsport)

In 1992, Jacques Campeau, a hustler who finagled a job as a part-time Quebec scout with the Lightning, convinced Phil Esposito to take a look at Manon Rheaume, and he introduced them at the entry draft in Montreal that summer. Manon was at the draft working for RDS, the French-language equivalent of TSN, and Phil extended an invitation to Tampa Bay.

For Phil, the move was all about publicity, and he has had no compunction about the fact that her looks were an important factor in the decision. In his 2003 book Thunder and Lightning, Phil explains that a lot of people on the team were against the move, including head coach Terry Crisp and Phil's brother Tony, whom he'd hired to be his head scout. But Phil wanted the media attention, and the team flew Manon to Florida for promotional events before training camp even began.

When it was time to actually play hockey, Manon showed that even if she was there for publicity, she could also play; in her first inter-squad game of training camp, she didn't allow a goal. She kept up with the other players, and survived the first round of cuts. When it was determined that she wouldn't embarrass them with her ability, the decision was made that she would play in an exhibition game.

(photo: B Bennett/Getty)

Phil's idea of drawing eyes to the unfamiliar sport was a success. The game against the Blues at the Florida State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall was a sell-out. Manon played in the first period and gave a strong performance, making seven saves on nine shots, while allowing goals from Jeff Brown and Brendan Shanahan. The game drew a huge amount of media coverage, making Manon a celebrity, and helping Phil get eyes on his fledgling team.

Manon played well enough, and the publicity was positive enough, that the Lightning signed her to a three year developmental contract and assigned her to its top affiliate, the IHL's Atlanta Knights. She served as the team's third-string goalie, practicing and training, as well as playing in two games.

She returned to the Lightning for training camp in the fall of 1993, this time playing the first period of a neutral-site exhibition game against the Boston Bruins in Atlanta. She surrendered three goals on the first four shots against her, finishing the period with eight saves. Manon was assigned to the ECHL that season under the assumption she would be able to get more playing time in the lower-level league. She played eight games that year, split between the Knoxville Cherokees and the Nashville Knights.

While she didn't return to Tampa Bay, Manon's legacy as the "first lady of hockey" was already cemented. Her celebrity status helped encourage a generation of girls to see hockey as a game that was not just for boys. She continued playing professional hockey in the minor leagues through the '90s, and representing Canada in international competition, including winning silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first year that women's hockey was included. 

(photo: manonrheaume33.com)

Although Manon has acknowledged that her appearances with the Lightning were for publicity, she has never been bitter about the fact. In her point of view, many doors in hockey were closed for her because she was girl; it's only fair that she appreciate the time one was opened.

Manon Rheaume continues working in hockey, most recently with the Los Angeles Kings. Articles and interviews about her remarkable journey are abundant, and links to many of them can be found on her website, manonrheaume33.com.

(Much of the information on Manon's early life in this article was gathered from her 1993 book, Manon: Alone in Front of the Net, with Chantal Gilbert).

Reviewing Steven Stamkos' Career Fight Card

 "I don't always fight people. But when I do, I prefer they be very high draft picks."
                                                                                            -Steven Stamkos, probably.

While he might not actually be the Dos Equis beer "Most Interesting Man in the World" pitch-man, you have to admit, Steven Stamkos has had a pretty interesting career. From his junior scoring exploits that led to him being drafted first overall in 2008 and the "Seen Stamkos" marketing campaign, to his two Rocket Richard trophies on the back of fifty and sixty goal seasons, to his multiple injuries and health issues that threatened to derail his career, Stammer has seen it all  during his 1000+ game, two Stanley Cup career. And while he has mostly used his hands for potting 500+ goals (plus another 45 in the playoffs so far), Stamkos has not been afraid to use those sweet hands on the occasional face of an opponent.

Don't get me wrong; Stamkos is an infrequent fighter. With seven fights through fifteen NHL seasons, he'll never be categorized as a hybrid fighter-scorer such as Brendan Shanahan or his former coach Rick Tocchet. He's shown a willingness to stick up for himself and his teammates, inevitably firing up his bench as he shows a captain's willingness to sacrifice himself while sending a message to the opponent.

But you've got to admit: he picks his spots.

The high draft picks that Stamkos has collected on his fight card would be the envy of any NHL general manager. Starting with his first NHL scrap in 2008, lets take a chronological look back at the Lightning captain's fights.

Fight #1: November 26, 2008, versus Nikolai Zherdev, New York Rangers.

In his first NHL tussle, Steven Stamkos lays a heavy hit on Ranger Nikolai Zherdev, pasting him into the Madison Square Garden boards. Zherdev, the 4th overall draft pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2003, follows Stamkos to the other side of the ice and the two drop the gloves. It's a spirited fight, with both guys throwing a lot of punches before tumbling to the ice. This was the first career fight for both men. 

Fight #2: March 22, 2015, versus Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins.

Stamkos waits a loooooong time to engage in his second fight-- six and a half years, in fact. And this time, he's not sticking up for himself, but going after Brad Marchand for a submarine hit on the Lightning's Valtteri Filppula. This comes during Stamkos' first full season as captain of the Lightning (he got the "C" late in the 2013-14 season after Martin St. Louis decamped for New York), and reflects Stammer's desire to be a more complete leader. As for Marchand, as a 3rd round choice (71st overall), he's one of the lowest picks that Stammer has scrapped with, but since he's already regarded as a potential Hall of Fame choice, we'll forgive Steven for dipping so low in the draft pool.

Fight #3: February 24, 2018, versus Karl Alzner, Montreal Canadiens.

By 2018, Nikita Kucherov had emerged as a major offensive force for the Lightning, and when Karl Alzner lines him up for a knee-on-knee hit at center ice, Stamkos wastes exactly zero time dropping the gloves with the Canadiens' defenceman. The fight doesn't amount to much more than some hugging and dancing, but again we have Stamkos stepping up to send a message not to take liberties with his teammates. Alzner, a former fifth overall pick of the Washington Capitals (2007), understands.

Fight #4: March 30, 2018, versus Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers.

Following the theme from his fight a month earlier, Stamkos drops the gloves immediately after an opponent takes down Kucherov with a low hit. This time he dirties his hands by scrapping with another mere third round pick (75th overall in 2013), but it's a captain doing captain stuff. In addition to the fighting majors, Buchnevich gets two for tripping and Stammer gets the minor for instigating. This is a wilder fight than the Alzner tilt, but I don't feel great about Stamkos banging his million dollar fists off Pavel's helmet.

Fight #5: January 30, 2019, versus Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.

A brief bout between two elite centers. This one starts with some stick work and mutual cross-checks that escalate until Stamkos drops the gloves with the Penguins' second overall pick from 2004. Malkin only gets one glove off before the combatants drop to the ice. 

Fight #6: June 9, 2022, versus Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers.

Something tells me that Steven Stamkos doesn't like the Rangers. This scrap, the first in NHL history between two former first overall draft picks (Lafreniere went #1 in 2020), came out of a post-whistle scrum at the end of a Lightning win. Stamkos absolutely rocks the younger player with a right hand before scoring the take-down. 

Fight #7: April 22, 2023, versus Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fun fact! There have only been two fights in NHL history between former first overall draft picks, and Steven Stamkos has been in both of them. Auston Matthews, the Maple Leafs top pick in 2016, had never been in a fight in his NHL career at this point, which may explain why it takes him so long to start fighting back. The fight comes after a hit in which Morgan Reilly takes the Lightning's Brayden Point hard into the boards. Kucherov jumps Reilly, setting off a brawl that involves Stamkos swinging wildly on Matthews, who doesn't seem to know what he's supposed to do before the pair stumble to the ice.

So, in summary, Steven Stamkos has been in seven NHL fights, and his opponents have included two first overall draft picks, a second overall, a fourth and a fifth overall, and two third rounders. Unquestionably the highest end fight card you could imagine, with the possible exception of Matthews' fight card. After all, he's been in only one fight, and it was against a first overall pick: Steven Stamkos. 

(Primary assist goes to hockeyfights.com, where I researched this article, with a secondary assist from hockeydb.com).