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).

Ondřej Palát: Career Review and Best Wishes

(Pic: tsn.ca)

 This one hurts.

Of course, it always hurts to lose someone you love. Imagine the tears that are going to flow during the video tribute when ten-year Lightning veteran Ondřej Palát returns to Amelie Arena for the first time: I mean, it will be disgusting that he'll be wearing a New Jersey Devils uniform, but I'm not going to be able to hold myself together (although I'll be watching on TV, as a faraway fan repping #DistantThunder).

Yes, the 208th pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the 2013 Calder Cup Champion and 2014 Calder Trophy Runner-Up, the member of the famed Triplets line with Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, the two-way conscience, the consistent scorer, the playoff hero, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion, "Sneaky P"... 

Ondřej Palát has left the Lightning.

How? Why?

We've all been over this before. The Lightning are caught between having a host of rising stars in their early-to-mid-twenties (Paul, Sergachev, Cirelli, Černák) that need market-value long-term contracts, having several top-tier NHL superstars on large-dollar deals (Vasilevskiy, Kucherov, Hedman, Stamkos), and trying to ice a balanced team during a period when the salary cap has been flattened for years by low profits due to pandemic shut-downs. 

As a result, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois was forced to set aside any personal attachment he or the organization might feel for Pally, and try to be strictly objective. A pros and cons list to re-signing the winger might look something like...

PROS: Strong two-way forward. Consistent scorer. Clutch playoff performer. Exceptional chemistry with teammates (those no-look passes with Kucherov!!). Great in the room. Cute as a button. Did I forget anything?

CONS: Thirty-one years old, in a league where scoring totals tend to decline as forwards progress beyond their twenties. Frequently injured (he's only played 80+ games once in his career, routinely missing 10-20 games with injury). 

The expectation is that over time, age times injury will equal declining production. The Devils were willing to offer Palát a five year contract at six million dollars per year. That deal will probably be good value for Jersey in the first few years, and maybe not as much in the last few. Regardless, the Lightning don't have the money. Being forced to choose between very good players in their mid-twenties and very good players in their early thirties will always have the same result, no matter how beloved the player's history with the team is, no matter how good his playoff production has been, and no matter how cute he is.

So let's take a moment to remember some good times.

Starting in 2005, Ondřej played for HC Frýdek-Místek, a second-division under-18 team in his Czech home town. He split his junior career between HC Frýdek-Místek and first-division team HC Vítkovice Steel before joining Drummondville of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2009 as an 18 year old.

In his second season with the Voltigeurs, Palát scored 96 points in 61 games (39g, 57a) and represented the Czech Republic (now Czechia) in the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York. The Czechs failed to advance to the medal rounds, but Palát scored 2 goals and added an assist in 6 games. He added 11 points in 10 playoff games with Drummondville, and showed enough in his final year of junior hockey to draw the attention of the Lightning who took him 208th out of the 211 players drafted in 2011.

Palát joined the Norfolk Admirals for the 2011-2012 season and put up 30 points in 61 games in his first year as a pro. Importantly, he was a participant in the Admirals' unbelievable 28-game winning streak. Under Head Coach Jon Cooper, Palát and the Admirals won the Calder Cup as American Hockey League champions.

For the 2012-2013 season, Tampa Bay moved its AHL affiliation to Syracuse, and Palát and his teammates joined the Crunch. He continued to improve and develop, and he scored at nearly a point-per-game pace, including notching his first hat trick as a pro, scoring three goals against Rochester on February 26, 2013. 

A week after that hat trick, Palát was recalled THE SHOW for the first time, joining the struggling Lightning on March 3. He debuted the next night when the Lightning visited the Penguins, recording his first NHL point with an assist on Tom Pyatt's (remember him?) second period goal. The Lightning lost 4-3, however, continuing a downward trend. With the team clunking along, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman dismissed Head Coach Guy Boucher and elevated Cooper to the big club. 

When the 2013-2014 season began, Palát started the year on the Lightning and excelled at the NHL level, scoring 21 goals and 59 points in 81 games, good enough to place second in rookie of the year Calder Trophy voting. His Norfolk-to-Tampa Bay teammate Tyler Johnson would place third, with Nathan McKinnon taking the award.

The emergence of Jon Cooper as a top-level coach, the arrival of Palát, Johnson, and fellow rookie Nikita Kucherov, and having established stars Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman enter their primes would be the defining moments of the Lightning's next decade. 

Together the group would swing between the highs of two Conference Finals and four Stanley Cup Finals including brilliant back-to-back championships, the pains of the injury-laden 2016-17 season, and the shock of the 2019 first-round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets after an all-time great regular season. And as a consistent performer, especially in playoff time, Pally has been emblematic of the group. He leaves with a reputation as a clutch playoff warrior, having elevated his Goals-Per-Game average from 0.227 regular season to 0.347 in the playoffs. In the 2020 Stanley Cup run, he set the Lightning team record for goals in the most consecutive games with five.

He leaves the Lightning with his name twice etched on the Stanley Cup. Best wishes in New Jersey to Ondřej Palát.

Game #3 Recap: Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at Washington Capitals 1 (OT)

 (Does a backflip onto a stack of crates
in a warehouse by the docks
wearing a green leotard covered in question marks)

"Riddle me this, Batman!"

(poof! Smoke-bomb,
disappears,
then reappears in the rafters)

"What team can go on a two game winning streak
While never once winning during either game?"

(Batman shoots the Riddler with a gun
and is then arrested by Gotham police)

The answer to the riddle, of course, is your Tampa Bay Lightning.

Through three games, the Bolts haven't yet held a lead,
losing the first game ugly,
giving up huge leads in the second game but catching up
before winning in overtime,
and finally

FINALLY

showing a bit of competence and structure in Game Three,
holding the Caps to a single goal
(Ovechkin's second was called back)
and winning again on a goal from Captain Stamkos, yes,
in overtime.

The good news, of course, is "a win is a win,"
and this game represents progress
and the boys are starting to get it together
and things are starting to click

and all the other clichés,
such as how you've gotta bank these wins early in the season 
if you wanna make the playoffs.

But I'm not worried about making the playoffs.
This team has won two straight championships
(as I will point out again and again and again)
so making the playoffs is a low bar beneath consideration
unless multiple significant injuries hobble key players for long stretches
(knocking wood until my knuckles bleed).

What matters is escaping the lethargic form of the first game
or the discombobulation of the second
and finally putting together a sixty minute game 
against a quality opponent.

And speaking of injuries,
Nikita Kucherov left in the second period after an apparent knee-bump
with Washington's Garnet Hathaway
and Lightning d-man Jan Rutta left the bench in the second.

Significant players, yes.
Can the Lightning manage without them? 
Also yes--
even with offseason losses, the team has depth.

But you hate to see it.

A hard-fought win with the Bolts shutting down their opponent?

THAT.
That
you love to see. 

Predictions for the 2021-2022 Tampa Bay Lightning Season

The first time I made predictions for a Lightning season was in the fall of 1993. The Bolts had just completed their inaugural season, and my group of high school friends, none of whom really cared about sports, got heavily into hockey by playing EA's NHLPA '93 on Mike's SEGA Genesis. That was the last edition of the game to feature fighting, and there were very few players in the game that had a 100 rating for the fighting statistic: Bob Probert in Detroit, Tie Domi in New York, and Basil McRae in Tampa Bay being the only three I can recall us finding. Brent claimed Detroit, Mike took New York, and I took Tampa Bay. It didn't matter that Detroit and New York were both stacked and Tampa Bay was like, a 2/10 level team, because I sucked at video games and wasn't going to win anyway. I just wanted a team with a good fighter, so even if I lost every game, I could still win something.

Anyway, we all got hooked, bought sticks for road hockey, bought hats and sweaters of our teams (although Mike switched to the Leafs), and I started looking forward to the NHL's 1993-1994 season. I picked up a magazine with the previous season's stats, opened a notebook, and recorded my predictions for each player. Brian Bradley had 42 goals last year, so he should be good for 50 this year. John Tucker had 17, so let's say 25. I went through the roster, and predicted that each player would increase his offensive output by 20-50%, which was a disaster, since 1992-1993 was an offensive high water mark for the NHL, before the drudgery of the oncoming trap era. Only one player achieved the goal total I set out, that being Danton Cole, who jumped from 12 goals in '92-'93 to 20 in '93-'94.

Needless to say, I was a poor prognosticator.

But making guesses about other people's achievements is fun, so I'm going to do it again right here. These are my predictions for the 2021-2022 Lightning season.

Nikita Kucherov: Kuch will return to his humorless, taciturn ways, eschewing the shirtless, beer-fueled and profanity-laden press conferences, while scoring at a league leading level. After his performances in the last few post-seasons, it's fair to assume he'll be able to return to his regular season form of 2018-2019, when he led the NHL in scoring. He'll finish in the top three for points, and only gets shirtless and silly again if the Bolts win the Cup again.

Steven Stamkos: He's only 31 years old today, but it feels like he's played for the Lightning forever. He's not the scoring threat he once was, and he'll likely spend a good deal of time on the third line, but he'll still easily hit the mid-thirties in goals with all his power play goals. Much respect, captain.

Anthony Cirelli: Gonna give Tony the ol' Danton Cole treatment and predict he'll get his first 20 goal season in the NHL. He hit 19 back in 2018-2019, and with a full season to play, a 20 dollar bill should be easy. Sixty points, too. Get out there and be great, bro.

Brayden Point: He'll be dashing this season-- both fast on the ice and a handsome devil too. A point-a-game should be the minimum for Big BP; he's a big-time machine. Will he one day have a hundred point NHL season? Yes. This year.

Victor Hedman: I think Heddy will also get his first 20 goal season. Why not? There's nothing this man can't do.  

Mikhail Sergachev: He wants to be the best defenseman in the League, and I respect that confidence. He'll hit 40 points this year.

Andrei Vasilevskiy: He'll get 40 wins or more.

Brian Elliott: He'll get maybe 10 wins? 

Jon Cooper: Can you believe this guy has never won coach of the year? I guess it's because his team is always so stacked with talent, and the award usually goes to some geek that wrings a great total out of a team that was expected to be a disaster, but sooner or later Coop will get the "career achievement" Jack Adams Award. Will it be this year? Yes, This year. 

As for everyone else, just take their points per game average from last season, average it over 82 games, and add 20%. I'm in a good mood tonight. I saw a rainbow after walking in the rain. I'm optimistic.

Game #2 Recap: Tampa Bay Lightning 7 at Detroit Red Wings 6 (OT)

 I admit it; I'm getting old.

In my forties, I don't function well on less than eight hours of sleep,
and my current work schedule has me up at six-thirty.
I'm usually in bed shortly after ten,
even if it means missing the end of the game.

After putting the kids to bed, I checked the score.
It was 4-2 Wings, which was a slight improvement on the 3-0
I saw when I started the put-to-bed process.

I made a joke about how many empty net goals the Wings would score
and I went to sleep.

I missed a lot.

Unable to watch the game, I missed out on Detroit's resident anti-vaxxer
Tyler Bertuzzi
putting four goals through Andrei Vasilevskiy
including a sick display where he split Sergachev and Hedman
with a between-the-feet pass to himself
and another where he flew out of the penalty box
and pounced on a deep puck--

--imagine scoring four freaking goals
and having your team still lose the game--

--and I missed Steven Stamkos score two quickies on the power play
the second coming while they were still announcing the first.

But most of all what I missed was the Tampa Bay Lightning
using their ludicrous wealth of offensive talent
to overcome their sloppy defensive play.

This game is only a marginal improvement over the home opener
against the Penguins, but a win is a win,
and goals are always fun to watch.

But tell me--

--did you possibly expect the defending champs to allow
TWELVE GOALS in their first two games?

Game #1 Recap: Penguins 6 at Lightning 2

 Phil Esposito, the fiery hero on the ice,
was never one to play his cards close to his vest.

Now, generations removed from playing the game himself,
he sits in the media box at Amelie Arena,
providing color commentary on Tampa Bay Lightning games,
watching the players of the franchise he founded
as they bumble and stumble,
botch passes,
lose face-offs,
and ice the puck again and again.

And just like during his days as a center for the Blackhawks, Bruins, or Rangers,
Espo can't hide his emotions.

His commentary on the game,
as the Bolts,
after watching the banner of their 2021 Stanley Cup Championship
being raised to the ceiling in a pregame ceremony,
clatter their way around the ice en route to a 6-2 loss,
is decidedly that of a sad old uncle,
shaking his head and repeating
"what a shame, what a shame,"
unable and uninterested in hiding the disappointment in his voice.

Lightning Coach Jon Cooper,
his freshly-inked and well-earned three-year contract extension in his pocket,
watches his charges chase the Penguins around the ice, 
unable to find their legs or form,

while the Pens, missing core players like
Sidney Crosby, Gino Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and more,
beat them with hustle and structure.

Six minutes remaining,
Lightning down three-zip
(coulda been a lot worse if not for Andrei Vasilevskiy in the home net),
and Coop says let's go for it:
he yanks the Big Cat for the extra attacker,

and the Bolts get one from Anthony Cirelli!

followed by a Pens empty netter

then the Bolts get one from Killorn! They're clawing their way back

followed by a Pens empty netter,

followed by a third Pens empty netter.

6-2 Pens is your final,
the last five goals of the game coming with Vasy on the bench.
A clumsy, uninspired performance to open their championship defense,
accurately summed up by Captain Stamkos:

"A dud."

The Lightning return to action on Thursday in Detroit.

Back from the dead, again

 Hey gang,

Frozen Sheets Hockey was a blog I ran for a few years starting around 2009, covering the Tampa Bay Lighting. I ran it as a creative writing project, introducing goofy characters in fictional settings to provide wacky opinions on the team's ups and downs. The unconventional writing style drew the eye of Raw Charge, SB Nation's Lightning blog, and I started writing there as well for a while. Frozen Sheets had some success and was an active part of the Lightning's blog-o-sphere for a few years until fatigue, shifting interests, and time constraints reduced the frequency of my posts. I eventually gave the whole thing up.

Until now?

I'm bringing it back this season, with a focus on writing game recaps in free verse poetry, which is something I enjoyed in the last stretch of the blog's existence. Whether I do more than that, or even if I can keep up with that... well, just like the Lightning's fortunes this season, we'll see how it all plays out.

The Lightning have won two consecutive Stanley Cups. They've changed some pieces, but they are still stacked and have a good shot at winning a third. Does that serve as a season preview? That will be enough. The season starts tomorrow with the banner raising ceremony at Amalie Arena in Tampa before the Lightning host the Pittsburg Penguins. The Pens will be without Sidney Crosby and Gino Malkin. Will they be any good? Will the Lightning? We'll see.

Steven Stamkos will take part in the whole banner ceremony. He's the old man on the team now, the captain. When I was doing this the first time around, he was the rookie, the kid being held out of the lineup by Coach Rick Tocchet so he could watch and learn, and get in some reps in the weight room. I don't miss those days. The team under OK Hockey's ownership was a fiasco. Things are better now. But the chaos made for some funny blog posts, I guess. Will it be funny this time? I don't know. We'll see.

I'll be back with a recap of the Lightning-Pens game soon. We'll see how the Bolts do, and how I do. Peace.