Enemy Blog: Head over to The Pensblog and the Puck Huffers for your opposition blog coverage
Record: Lightning 1 Penguins 2
Previous games: Game 1: 3-0 Pens, Game 2: 5-1 Lightning, Game 3: 3-2 Pens
Game time: 7:00pm EST on CBC (HD), RDS (HD) SUN (HD), Root (HD) and on the radio at 620 WDAEAnother huge game for the Lightning tonight. It's not an elimination night but if the Lightning lose tonight, I'll be writing that we are in must win mode tomorrow morning. Every game in the playoffs are important.
The Lightning will have to work on getting some secondary scoring because right now, it seems that only Lecavalier and St. Louis is hitting the scoresheet. Although he looked a lot better in Game 3, this is the time Stamkos needs to work that much harder and make an impact. I've been giving him a pass on his efforts since this is his first playoffs, but there comes a time, when you need to start demanding your star players to make a difference.
Although the Pens still have not been able to convert on the powerplay, they've been able to score by committee 5 on 5. Their line of Mike Rupp, Craig Adams and Arron Asham has been a force I did not expect in this series.
Both teams will be without a player as both Chris Kunitz and Steve Downie were awarded a 1 game suspension yesterday by the NHL. The Lightning have called up forwards Blair Jones and Mattias Ritola yesterday as per a press release from the team. It's not confirmed as to whether one or both or none of them may play tomorrow. Much of it is depending on whether Boucher decides to go with 7 D (maybe Marc-Andre Bergeron) and 11 forwards to replace Downie and whether Ryan Malone is good to play the game.
As of right now Boucher says of Malone: "There's no indication that he won't play,''.
Click here to read more...
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Via press release today from the Lightning:
The Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 5 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins has been scheduled for noon EST on Saturday, April 23 at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the National Hockey League announced today. The game time had previously been listed as TBD.
The game will air live locally on Sun Sports with the pre-game show, Lightning LIVE!, starting at 11:30 a.m. followed by the puck drop at noon.
The teams have alternated wins through the first three games, splitting the first two at CONSOL last week and the Penguins taking the first game at the St. Pete Times Forum Monday night. The teams will face-off again Wednesday night at the Times Forum before returning to Pittsburgh for Game 5.
12pm start? I don't mind it so much in the regular season, but since players are such creatures of habit and these are the playoffs, I hate this announcement.
But since I live on the Westcoast, this means I'll be eating breakfast while catching this game, maybe a not bad way to start my Easter weekend.
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This was also posted on Raw Charge for my weekly post, so skip if you have read it already this morning
Your Lightning links:
Your Lightning links:
- Both Steve Downie and Chris Kunitz will have a disciplinary hearing today by phone (TSN)
- Puck Daddy has the video from Chris Kunitz's elbow to Simone Gagne and Steve Downie's charge on Ben Lovejoy
- Even though Ryan Malone is clearly hurt with some sort of an "upper body injury", he is expected to play on Wednesday night because he's a "warrior" according to Thompson (St. Petersburg Times)
- Also from the same Times article, both Marc-Andre Bergeron and Randy Jones are healthy enough to play but were healthy scratches
- The Tampa Tribune says the Lightning is in a must-win situation going into Game 4
- Headshots have found their way into playoff talk from the nasty hits to the head that have occurred in some Game 3's (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- Before Game 3, Pascal Dupuis said not to worry about Fleury as he always bounces back and he did have a good bounce back game helping the Pens to the win (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Puck Daddy also profiled the rally drums that the Lightning gave away last night and the blue beards they were promoting
- Want to grow one for the team? Head over to the Beard-a-thon to raise some money for the Lightning Foundation
- Stamkos and Ben Love Joy answer some questions about playoff hockey on NHL.com
- Eric Brewer has emerged as a force on the blue line for the Lightning and provided the spark the team needed on Friday. Boucher says he was surprised by the amount of leadership he brough to the team. Fun fact: he turned 32 on Sunday (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- In Kukla's Korner, PuckStopsHere says that they Martin St. Louis should be an eventually Hall of Famer
- A good article on coach Boucher and how he was influenced by his father Wilfred Boucher (The Tampa Tribune)
- Boston won last night over Montreal, the Flyers won 4-2 over the Sabres and Detroit won over Phoenix 4-2
- Via Puck Daddy, it seems NBC/Versus has won the NHL TV rights and an announcement is expected to be announced later today for a deal for 10 years
- The Kurtenblog finds out that the Raffi Torres had on Brent Seabrook was legal after all
- Pass it to Bulis thinks Captain Serious, aka Jonathan Toews can't be serious about his comments on the Canucks having received too much credit
- Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts: The trouble with Torres
- Craig Leipold, the owner of the Minnesota Wild gave a rather candid interview with the Associated Press (via ESPN) about his disappointment with the Wild's late collapse
UPDATE:
The NHL has suspended both Steve Downie and Chris Kunitz for their respective incidents. The Downie suspension is not surprising though the length of Kunitz' suspension is. I was expecting at least two games for his elbow to Gagne's head.
The reasoning for Downie's suspension as per Colin Campbell (via TSN):
"Downie left his feet and launched himself at the head of his opponent and he came from a considerable distance, with speed and force, to deliver the check,"
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Another night in the NHL and another incident or two for the NHL to evaluate tomorrow.
First up, early in the 1st period charges on Ben Lovejoy and takes a leaping hit into him.
No powerplay awarded to the Pens because Talbot scores on the delayed penalty. Now is this suspendable? Who knows these days. Raffi Torres didn't get suspended today for his hit on Seabrook the night before so it's possible that his won't either.
But what, I'm assuming will be suspendable was this elbow by Chris Kunitz on Simon Gagne:
Brutal elbow on Gagne. Kunitz ended up with a 2 minute penalty for the elbowing but what a stupid move for him on an unsuspecting player.
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The NHL has suspended both Steve Downie and Chris Kunitz for their respective incidents. The Downie suspension is not surprising though the length of Kunitz' suspension is. I was expecting at least two games for his elbow to Gagne's head.
The reasoning for Downie's suspension as per Colin Campbell (via TSN):
"Downie left his feet and launched himself at the head of his opponent and he came from a considerable distance, with speed and force, to deliver the check,"
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Another night in the NHL and another incident or two for the NHL to evaluate tomorrow.
First up, early in the 1st period charges on Ben Lovejoy and takes a leaping hit into him.
No powerplay awarded to the Pens because Talbot scores on the delayed penalty. Now is this suspendable? Who knows these days. Raffi Torres didn't get suspended today for his hit on Seabrook the night before so it's possible that his won't either.
But what, I'm assuming will be suspendable was this elbow by Chris Kunitz on Simon Gagne:
Brutal elbow on Gagne. Kunitz ended up with a 2 minute penalty for the elbowing but what a stupid move for him on an unsuspecting player.
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Enemy Blog: Head over to The Pensblog and the Puck Huffers for your opposition blog coverage
Record: Lightning 1 Penguins 1
Previous games: Game 1: 3-0 Pens, Game 2: 5-1 Lightning
Game time: 7:30pm EST on CBC (HD), SUN (HD), Root (HD) and on the radio at 970 WFLA AMHuge game tonight.
And the Lightning are giving away 15,000 rally drums tonight. Jesus, it's going to be noisy.
Both teams come into Tampa for tonight's game on equal ground having won one game a piece. The Lightning had a huge game in Game 2, scoring three big goals in the first period and the Pens really never found their way back after that. There were lots of great things to say about the Lightning's performance from Game 2 and if they can have a repeat of that again tonight, they have every chance to win.
The Pens on the other hand didn't come out with the same jump as the Bolts and when they fell behind in the game couldn't find the offence they needed to come back. They also went 0 for 7 on the PP, which added to Game 1's record, has them at 0 for 13. Ouch.
"They clogged it up with their 1-3-1. We have to come up with some better answers for getting through there and getting some pressure into the offensive zone with some speed and gaining the puck. That's something we'll have to address." -Dan Bylsma
The Lightning didn't hold a morning skate this morning, only a team meeting, though there were a few players on the ice before the meeting. Boucher is expected to ice the same lineup as in Game 2, because why change after a win?
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Was that the longest three day break ever?
I don't know who booked concerts to occur at the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday and Sunday causing this three day break this weekend, but that was trash.
Here is some stuff to get your caught up from the weekend:
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I don't know who booked concerts to occur at the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday and Sunday causing this three day break this weekend, but that was trash.
Here is some stuff to get your caught up from the weekend:
- With the extra time off this weekend, Roloson, Smith, Stamkos, Downie, Thompson and Purcell got invited by Justin Morneau to watch the Twins vs. Rays game. Some of the players wore a Twins hat and are getting some heat for it. My take: not a big deal since they're guests of Morneau
- Randy Jones has recovered from his injury and is good to play but Boucher says he plans to use the same lineup as Game 2, so he'll be a healthy scratch. Also, Brett Clark took a puck to the face in Friday's game but was ok at practice on Sunday (TBO.com)
- Eric Brewer has emerged as a force on the blue line for the Lightning and provided the spark the team needed on Friday. Boucher says he was surprised by the amount of leadership he brough to the team. Fun fact: he turned 32 on Sunday (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
- The Pens spent their Sunday coming up with ways to beat the Lightning's neutral-zone trap. Interesting to read through the drills they did (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Pascal Dupuis says not to worry about Fleury as he always bounces back (Pitssburgh Post-Gazette)
- Lecavalier looks like he's coming back into old form which for the team is a very good thing (The Tampa Tribune)
- Did you know that Simon Gagne has had 32 career playoffs goals? He's had none this series, but he's still got time to shine (St. Petersburg Times)
- The Baby Bolts beat the Baby Pens in a playoff game this weekend (via Raw Charge)
- Assistant coach Wayne Fleming is an inspiration to the team (Montreal Gazette)
- Get To Our Game writes that Sidney Crosby's absence from these playoffs are an increditble loss for humanity. Maybe not humanity, but for hockey fans, I can agree with that (GTOG)
- The Toronto Sun had the headline "Stamkos fights for spot in Lightning lineup". F-ck off Toronto Sun. Clearly Stamkos is not going to be dropped from the lineup, but yes he is being shuffling around to spark his productivity while he adjusts to the NHL playoffs
- The Weather Network says that Tampa is going have a high of 86 F (30C) for Monday and Friday. Prepare for the ice to be crappy but if you are going to the game...it's jersey and shorts weather!
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As I said in my preview: All is not lost with one loss
BUT, before we get to the recap, Iceburgh the Penguin mascot took some photos:
Outside of the Consol...
With some girls. The one on the right has thighs the size of Pensburgh's legs. Tree stumps there
And you are just an idiot. Way to get your photo taken. I feel bad for whoever had to write that on our stomach.
Onto the game:
The crowd was great to start. The Pensblog has the anthem on video
The Lightning came into tonight's game to make a statement that they wouldn't just be rolled over, and did they ever make a statement.
Best defencemen since we got him, Eric Brewer started the Lightning's scoring just two minutes into the first period.
Click here to read more...
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BUT, before we get to the recap, Iceburgh the Penguin mascot took some photos:
Outside of the Consol...
With some girls. The one on the right has thighs the size of Pensburgh's legs. Tree stumps there
And you are just an idiot. Way to get your photo taken. I feel bad for whoever had to write that on our stomach.
Onto the game:
The crowd was great to start. The Pensblog has the anthem on video
The Lightning came into tonight's game to make a statement that they wouldn't just be rolled over, and did they ever make a statement.
Best defencemen since we got him, Eric Brewer started the Lightning's scoring just two minutes into the first period.
Click here to read more...
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Enemy Blog: Head over to The Pensblog and the Puck Huffers for your opposition blog coverage
Record: Lightning 0 Penguins 1
Previous games: Game 1: 3-0 Pens
Game time: 7:00pm EST on CBC (HD), RDS (HD), SUN (HD), ROOT (HD) and on the radio at 620 AMAll is not lost with one loss.
Sometimes at the end of a series, you look back on the games and know that there was a moment that was the game changer in the series. An incident or a loss so bad that it cause the team to band together and take hold of their own success.
St. Louis playing tonight despite having a double root canal after taking a stick to the face could have that effect on the team.
The Lightning have a chance to make up for that wreck of a third period with game two tonight in Pittsburgh. A lot of what happened was just dumb mistakes and Pens capitalizing on their chances. After the two goals, you could see the Lightning looked just a little defeated. Like the D didn't jump up on the play as much and just ended up collapsing as the Pens attacked.
The positive about the last game is the Lightning played quite well in the 1st period of game one. They had a net presence and forced Fleury to make some serious saves to keep the Pens in the games. Tonight they have to do that, just time three. Keep it consistent, and capitalize on the chances we get. Malone has to continue to be a jerk to his hometown and continue to get in front of Fleury.
Stamkos, Lecavalier and St. Louis were held off the board last game, but you know that the Pens can't keep that up all series.
The defence really has to cut down the barrage of shots that Roloson faced. There might be a lineup change that has 7 D in and 11 forwards. If this happens it will be either Randy Jones coming back from injury or Marc-Andre Bergeron who was a healthy scratch. I shudder when I think of Bergeron back in the line-up
Line-up Notes:
- Lightning injuries: None
- Penguin injuries: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Dustin Jeffrey
- Matt Cooke is suspended
Your pre-game reading links:
- Official Lightning preview
- Raw Charge game preview
- You can watch Game 3 from Vinny's suite for $250 a person, while I get that you'd get an autographed puck from Vinny, why do you get one from Kris Letang? (via Raw Charge)
- Raw Charge has their question of the week: did the Lightning live up to your pre-season expectations?
- Some joke writer on the Times Sports Columnist calls Fleury a legend that has more arms than Vishnu
Stamkos says he needs to compete harder:
"You learn how much different the game is in the playoffs than the regular season," "You may be competing hard, but it's not hard enough in playoff hockey. That's something I learned and will address." -St. Petersburg Times
What did Stamkos have to say about this hit by Orpik on him?
"I've been hit like that before," he said. "You have to take hits to make a play, and we actually got the puck and got a shot off. But I knew it was coming. I've played against him for three years now. He's one of the hardest-hitting guys in the league. It's a clean hit, and it was a good way to start the game for them, I guess." -St. Petersburg Times
Of course this is where the lack of experience has its impact, but it's one game, and Stamkos knows how much harder he'll have to work in Game 2.
What Coach Boucher had to say about the Pens defencemen:
"They're very quick on the transition of the puck. They're very quick to break out. So, you think you have them on the forecheck, but they want to be pressed. They want to draw you to make that quick pass, and they're very good in traffic areas to make that first pass. You either have to press them really hard or back off. If you're stuck in between, it ain't going to work for you." -St. Petersburg Times
This and that:
"You learn how much different the game is in the playoffs than the regular season," "You may be competing hard, but it's not hard enough in playoff hockey. That's something I learned and will address." -St. Petersburg Times
What did Stamkos have to say about this hit by Orpik on him?
"I've been hit like that before," he said. "You have to take hits to make a play, and we actually got the puck and got a shot off. But I knew it was coming. I've played against him for three years now. He's one of the hardest-hitting guys in the league. It's a clean hit, and it was a good way to start the game for them, I guess." -St. Petersburg Times
Of course this is where the lack of experience has its impact, but it's one game, and Stamkos knows how much harder he'll have to work in Game 2.
What Coach Boucher had to say about the Pens defencemen:
"They're very quick on the transition of the puck. They're very quick to break out. So, you think you have them on the forecheck, but they want to be pressed. They want to draw you to make that quick pass, and they're very good in traffic areas to make that first pass. You either have to press them really hard or back off. If you're stuck in between, it ain't going to work for you." -St. Petersburg Times
This and that:
- The Lightning had a team dinner tonight at Morton's steakhouse. It's a time for the boys to regroup and lighten the mood from the shutout last night before going back to the pressure tomorrow night. I'm assuming Marty went for a milkshake and took his dinner through a straw though.
- Apparently there are still tickets available for the games at home. Tickets start at just $30 bucks on ticketmaster.com Buy them or Pens fans will
- The Lightning only won three of fourteen penalty-kill faceoffs which really hurt their PK
- The Lightning did have a team high 44 hits in the game
- Then again, they did allow a season high 40 shots on Roloson
- Boucher might switch up his lineup for Game 2, and instead of 12 forwards and 6 defencemen, he might go with 11 forwards and 7 defencemen
- Since he's coached both, Boucher says Stamkos is similar to Crosby and will make an impact in the playoffs soon. There's a lot of pressure on him to do well, and he's being faced with top defensive periods which he's struggled against (Toronto Sun)
