Your Lightning links:

• Guy Boucher assumes that Crosby is playing until he hears otherwise "To me, he's playing, period," Lightning coach Guy Boucher told reporters in Tampa. "But we can't say if he's not (playing), they don't have a great team. They're a great team. With him, they're an amazing team. (TSN)
• The Penguins are trying to get their fans to "white out" their home games again. How well will the Pens fans follow directions when the shirts aren't free this year? (The Pensblog)
• Scott Burnside of ESPN breaks down the Pens-Lightning matchup. He predicts the Pens in seven
• The Sporting News previews the matchup and Sean Getille predicts the Pens in six
• I laughed so hard when I read this: Tocchet's take on the playoff series in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He says things like "The guy who stirs the drink, obviously, is Martin St. Louis". Say what?
• A couple years older, but Marty and Vinny are back to being in the hunt in the playoffs. From the Canadian Press: "We've earned our way back to this," St. Louis said on Monday. "It's a longtime coming. I think we're ready."
• Vincent Lecavalier was named as one of the NHL's three stars in the final week of the regular season. As he should be after the week he's had
• The Lightning twitter linked this photo of the playoff shirts. HUNT IT NOW. I feel like this may be more appropriate for the Sharks, but maybe this will grow on me?
• Warning: I am linking to Fox News here, but someone there wrote a post on why the Lightning will win the cup
• Teddy Purcell makes Die by the Blade's list of top 10 secondary scorers
• TSN on former Bolt Mathieu Darch and his willingness to pay the price to stay in the NHL (TSN)
• Nolan interviews Randall Maggs on Frozen Sheets Hockey, author of Night Work: The Terry Sawchuk Poems. Part 2 is here
• Lightning assistant coach, Wayne Fleming has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He underwent a procedure for it and Yzerman said Fleming is "up and around" and "feeling really good". Best wishes for a speedy recovery (St. Petersburg Times)

Your links from around the NHL:

• Coaching changes: Todd Richards was fired as head coach of the Minnesota Wild (TSN), Jacques Lemaire retired as New Jersey Devils coach (NHL), the Panthers fired Peter Deboer (NHL), Cory Clouston is fired in Ottawa (Ottawa Citizen)
• The Premiere 2011 teams (teams starting their season in Europe next season) have been announced by the NHL: Kings, Ducks, Rangers and Sabres
• Down Goes Brown has playoff etiquette for hockey fans. A must read before interacting with hockey fans of other teams
• Want to enter a playoff fantasy hockey game? Rinktology is your answer for just 10 bucks
• Without Crosby this season, Jordan Staal has really been thriving in his new role with the Pens (Puck Daddy)
• Via Puck Daddy, a video of a Pittsburgh Penguins fan's man cave. Is this dedication or does he just need a life?
• Is this the year for the Vancouver Canucks? Bruce Arthur of the National Post says this year sounds like it could be
• Comedian Norm Macdonald debuted a new show on the Comedy Network last week called the "Sports Show with Norm Macdonald" which hopes to be to sports what the Daily Show with Jon Stewart did for politics (NY Times)
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is currently topping the NHL Central Scouting of North American skaters (TSN)

Your video of the week:
Via The Pensblog, Plum high school with an oustanding video. I want to hate it, but the kids do a great job on it

no comments

It's here no comments

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I realize that this is our last week of regular season games before we start up some PLAYOFF (!)  games next week. So I apologize, will try to do better next week.

But let me point out that we finally won over the Panthers tonight! They've given us so much trouble this year, no? (just 1 other win over them all season from what I can remember)

With the two points, we also surpassed the 100 point mark for the first time since the 2004 Stanley Cup win. Woo

Lecavalier has been scoring...buuuutttt....Stamkos has not been.

One more game to close out the season, which is tomorrow in Carolina at 7pm

ALL IN no comments

Seven players of the Lightning shaved off their heads for a good cause. Nate Thompson, Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Victor Hedman, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone and Mike Smith all participated in the Cut for a Cure program to raise money for pediatric cancer.

As of tonight, the event raised $161,000. And you can still make donations if you haven't done so already.

"I was very surprised with Nate Thompson," Lecavalier said. "He was the one I thought would look funny because he always has that, not Fabio, but slick-back hair. But he looked pretty good." -St. Petersburg Times

Check out the photo in the article at the St. Petersburg Times. DO IT. It may be one of the scariest photos you have ever seen of Mike Smith. no comments

Via NHL.com:

After an examination by a Buffalo eye doctor, Lecavalier didn't suffer any structural damage in his right eye when he was his by Frolik's stick on Sunday. He is listed as day-today by the team and a decision of whether he'll play against the Sabres on Tuesday will be based on his progress.

Quote from Boucher on Lecavalier after being cut:
"He wanted to come back," Boucher said. "I was real impressed by him trying to come back. He knew we were short-staffed. First words he said: 'You don't have enough guys. I've got to stay.' (I said), 'You can't see.' So I took him out."

Love that.

Even though he can't see, he still wants to play. What a leader. no comments

OH HAYYYY!!!!

• Lecavalier with a powerplay goal tonight with St. Louis getting an assist
• Solid game by Mike Smith with 31 saves for his first shutout of the season
• Holy blocked shots boys. Really good effort in limiting the number of shots that Smith had to face
• The Lightning only mustered 14 shots on Corey Crawford though. 4 shots in the 1st and 2nd period each, and 7 in the third period
• Lecavalier left the game because of a cut to the face from a high stick from Michael Frolik
• Lundin skated 26:01 tonight leading all skaters in time on the ice, Gagne led the forwards with 20:51

The Lightning are now just 1 point back from the Pens. Next game Tuesday night in Buffalo and if you want to watch the playoffs, single game round 1 playoff tickets go on sale on Wednesday no comments

Enemy Blog: Head over to Blackhawks Down Low for your opposition blog coverage

Record: Lightning (43-24-11) Blackhawks (42-27-8)

Game time: 7:00pm EST on NHLN-US (HD), SUN, RDS and on the radio at 620 WDAE

This is the second time we play the Blackhawks this year, last time we won in a shootout with this unreal spin move by Marty. Blackhawk fans may this it was unfair, or maybe a joke, but hey, it is what it is in the NHL.

The Lightning won yesterday against the Wild....but it was the Wild. A win tonight would be more meaningful for the club and the Western Conference. But as a Canucks fan, I'm also not a fan of playing the Hawks again the in the playoffs for the third year in a row. I'm so torn on whether I want the Lightning to win or Chicago to get some more points and switch spots in Anaheim or Nashville.

After tonight, the Lightning have one more game on the roadtrip against Buffalo before coming home to finish off the season in two divisional games. They are just 3 points away from a 100 point season and still close enough to overtake the Pens for home ice advantage.

Go Bolts!

Line-up Notes:

• Lightning injuries: Randy Jones
• Blackhawks injuries: Jordan Hendry, Dave Bolland, Patrick Sharp

Your pre-game reading links:

• Official Lightning preview
• Raw Charge's preview

no comments