From today's game, here is the video of the Lecavalier-Malkin tussle:



Lecavalier did end up with a four minute roughing call and a 10 minute misconduct for the incident.

Lecavalier left today without speaking to media but here is what Boucher said of the incident (via tbo.com):

"Vinny felt that Malkin tried to go for his knees,'' Boucher said. "In those situations, he's the captain and he wants to show that we are not going to just take everything and be little poodles and wait for things to happen.

"For me, there is absolutely no blame on his part there. He's emotional and he's trying to make this team win and that was his way of showing that we are not going to take it. I don't blame him at all.''

What Malkin did was nothing compared to what Brach Marchand did on Sami Salo, so no blame on Malkin here. He just plainly avoided the check. Lecavalier just misread what happened and let his emotions take over. We've seen this happen before and we know that once Lecavalier is steamed about something, there is really no stopping him.

And let's hear it again for that jersey foul of a Venetian Dental. So bad..... no comments

The Lightning start this game sitting in last place of the Eastern Conference. Hard to believe that we're here and the Pens are fighting for a playoff spot. Early game today, so pancakes and hockey it is.

1st Period:

Just as the Root sports commentators are talking about Stamkos and Malkin, Stamkos takes a slashing penalty on Malkin early in the 1st period. James Neal capitalizes with a sharp angle shot from the goal line past Garon to put the Pens up 1-0.

Engelland and Pierre-Cedric Labrie go at it.



Engelland has the edge in the fight but we get an appearance of Labrie's hair.



At this point in the game, the Lightning only have 1 shot on net.

Rest of the recap after the jump...
no comments

Is letting opposition go up by two goals in the 1st the M.O.? Then clawing your way back only to still lose the game?

This is our sixth straight loss.

Quote from Boucher postgame:

“I can’t fault anything we’ve done. Our players have played hard in ridiculous situations where the other team waits for you at home while you go to bed at 4 o’clock and you played the last night,” he said. “We can’t ask more from our players.”



no comments

The Lightning lost in a shootout tonight, but check out this photo of the old couple behind Malone

Old guy has a backwards hat, paperwork and beads. And the woman beside him, on man, I don't even know if that is a woman or a dude.

How good was Schneider? Jeez no comments

DO WE GET TO SEE SCHNEIDER?

Enemy Blog: Head over to my other blog, Benched Whale for your opposition blog coverage
Record: Lightning (17-20-3) Canucks (26-14-3)
Previous games: None
Game time: 7:30pm on SUN (HD)

That's what we really want to know right? We want to SEE this myth of a goaltender who plays on the Westcoast that people speak of. He's the one who may be a good fit to be a starter next season for us in Tampa, or at least that's what everyone seems to say right?

Preview and more Schneider talk after the jump...
no comments

I had really good intentions on recapping these past two games and keep going on the roll I was going. As I was away on Whistler mountain for the holiday and regretfully (or smartly) looked at the score for the Leafs v. Lightning game while on my way back to the city. Leafs win 7-3?



So the decision not to watch that game, was easy. The high points from the box scores is that Stamkos scored another, low points seem to be the collapse of Roloson, the two PP goals that Toronto got in the 3rd period, OH AND THE FACT THAT THE LEAFS OUTSHOT THE LIGHTNING 42 TO 24. It also looks like the game was penalty city.

Continue reading after the jump...

no comments

Here is Connolly's goal against Finland in the game from December 26, 2011:


no comments

First post of the year, so I would like to say THANK YOU to all the people that visit LHB. Thank you to for all your comments, tweets and emails about all things Lightning. As someone who lives diagonally across the continent from Tampa, it's because of you that I keep talking Lightning.



So hat-trick city last night? And awful reffing calls?

Stamkos wants that goal scoring title, and notched 3 goals tonight to bring his NHL lead to 26. What a man. Now if only he could get a haircut. Did his contract with Garnier run out? Or is that the reason he's growing out his hair?

Recap after the jump...
no comments

During the first intermission of tonight's game, Steve Yzerman announced the Victor Hedman will be out indefinitely with a concussion. He was hurt during Tuesday's game against Philadelphia on a clean check and has been out of the lineup ever since. There is no timetable for his return yet but Yzerman did say that he has been participating in normal day-to-day activities. no comments

Enemy Blog: Head over to Shutdown Line for your opposition blog coverage
Record: Lightning (16-17-3) Hurricanes (13-20-6)
Previous games: October 7 - Lightning 5, Hurricanes 1, November 1 - Lightning 2, Hurricanes 4
Game time: 5:00pm on SUN (HD)

The Lightning hope to close out the year and this homestand with a win tonight over the Hurricanes. They've won two games in a row so far and embarque on a three game Canadian city road trip next week.

This is the last time I'll have to call the arena the St. Pete Times Forum, as of tomorrow we're switching over to the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Tonight's pre-game festivities will start at 4:30 when the team will unveil a life-sized bronze statue of Phil Esposito in the West Plaza. Honouring this co-founder of the team, will start the 20th anniversary year for the team.

The team will be again without Hedman which will be tough for the D again. Thompson is expected to make his return during the upcoming roadtrip, but with Hedman, the team is still saying nothing about him. This is not great news, the longer this goes on the more bleak his injury seems.

Garon gets another start in net, and with the games all evenly spaced out for the roadtrip, the job is his to lose now. Aside from the bomb in San Jose, he's been pretty solid in net.

Go bolts

Line-up Notes:

• Garon will get the start in goal
• Hedman, Thompson and Shannon are all out with injury
• Evan Oberg is a healthy scratch

Links:

• Official Lightning preview

no comments