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Category: Tampa-Bay-Lightning

Ohlund Appears Done For The Season

by Paul on 02/10/12 at 09:59 AM ET
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from Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times,

Nobody is saying it, but it seems clear Mattias Ohlund will not play this season.

The Lightning defenseman has not played a regular-season game because of two bum knees, is not skating, and GM Steve Yzerman acknow­ledged Thursday there is no timetable for him to do so.

Ohlund contributes, though, as an ad hoc assistant coach. Beginning with the Jan. 20-21 road trip to Dallas and Phoenix, Ohlund has watched games from the press box (with a special eye on the defense), taking notes and passing along what he observes to the coaching staff and players.

“He’s a really bright hockey guy and well-respected,” Yzerman said. “He’s got a lot to offer to us in watching the games and watching our defensemen and being able to work with them, particularly the younger guys, about the finer points of playing the position.”

“He’s a good leader,” coach Guy Boucher said. “So having him around is good for him and good for the team.”

Ohlund, 35, who has four years left on a seven-year, $25.25 million contract, had arthroscopic surgery on both knees over the summer to clean out what the team called “loose bodies.” He has not skated since mid November and declined to comment.

continue for more on Tampa Bay…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Mattias+Ohlund,

Video- Dominic Moore With Two Minutes For Roughing?

by Paul on 02/10/12 at 01:53 AM ET
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Ruslan Fedotenko was the recipient of the hit. 

You can be the judge, multiple angles of the hit in the video.

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Dominic+Moore, Ruslan+Fedotenko,

A Few More Games Will Determine The Direction The Lightning Take

by Paul on 02/02/12 at 08:21 PM ET
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from Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times,

The final two games of the Lightning’s four-game home stand — and perhaps its upcoming three-game road trip — will go a long way in determining if the team buys or sells at the Feb. 27 trade deadline, GM Steve Yzerman said.

“Depending on how many points we get out of it and we see what else happens around the league, we’ll get a better indication,” he said Thursday.

Eight teams had scouts credentialed for Thursday’s game, including the Penguins, who reserved seats for pro scout Andre Savard and director of pro scouting Derek Clancy.

There have been plenty of rumors about whom the Lightning might be willing to move in trade with D Pavel Kubina, LW Ryan Malone and C Dominic Moore being mentioned most.

Kubina has been linked to the Ranges and Flames, Malone to the Kings (with the speculated return being G Jonathan Bernier) and Moore to the Penguins and Senators.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

How About Ryan Malone In Toronto?

by Paul on 01/17/12 at 09:19 AM ET
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from Damien Cox of The Spin,

The fact that the Maple Leafs would love to get bigger up front, well, that’s nice and all. But try to find the players to fit that need.

We’ve talked lots about Ryan Getzlaf, but wanting that big centre and getting him out of Anaheim are two entirely different things.

So Brian Burke may have to set his sights a little lower looking six weeks ahead to the Feb. 27 trade deadline after making big deals to acquire Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul the last three seasons.

Not just a little lower. Also at a financial cost that may be less appealing.

Which brings us once more to Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Ryan Malone, once one of the more highly regarded power forwards in the game, now less of a force for the Bolts, who sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings right now.

The 6-foot-4 winger would, nonetheless, look good in the Leaf lineup. But he’s 32 years old, has only nine goals in 38 games this season and carries a contract that comes with a salary cap hit of $4.5 million the next three years after this one.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Ryan+Malone,

Finger Pointed At Yzerman

by Paul on 01/16/12 at 02:28 PM ET
Comments (8)

from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,

Karma’s a bugger sometimes, isn’t it? Take the Tampa Bay Lightning, for example. Ever since the Philadelphia Flyers exposed and mocked them for playing their insidious trap, the Lightning have posted a 9-18-2 record and tumbled to the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Since then, 1-3-1 hasn’t only been the Lightning’s defensive scheme, it’s more like the win-loss record they post every five games.

On the one hand, you want to say, “Serves them right for playing that kind of hockey with all that offensive talent.” And hey, any team that employs that style of hockey and fails doing it isn’t about to get a lot of sympathy from this corner. After all, which team would you rather watch purely from an entertainment standpoint – the Washington Capitals from a few years back or last year’s Lightning?

But then you look at the Lightning’s defense corps and goaltending and you wonder why they don’t employ a 5-0-0 defensive scheme sometimes. And while it’s easy to point fingers at coach Guy Boucher for the Lightning’s problems, many of the team’s woes have to be pinned on GM Steve Yzerman.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Lecavalier Not Happy With Malkin

by Paul on 01/15/12 at 04:52 PM ET
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from Damian Cristodero tweets,

Lightning’s Lecavalier left arena without talking to reporters. Coach Boucher said he believes Lecavalier thought Malkin went for his knees

Malkin told Pittsburgh reporters he was ducking to protect himself from a check.. “I wanted to save myself,” Malkin said.

Near the end of the video below, you will see Malkin ducking on a check from Lecavalier.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Evgeni+Malkin, Vinny+Lecavalier,

Not The Time To Fix Tampa Bay’s Goaltending Problems

by Paul on 01/14/12 at 07:16 PM ET
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from Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune,

Some want a trade now to help fix the leakiest hole on a sinking ship. Bring in Evgeni Nabokov, Antero Niittymaki or any other available player with an expiring contract to stabilize the position, much the way Roloson did last season after coming over from the New York Islanders.

But the playoffs seem like a long shot at this point, so ask yourself if it would be worthwhile to give up an asset, such as a draft pick or prospect, for a rental player when reaching the postseason would take a near historic second half run….

To the chagrin of many, the team most likely will move forward this season riding Roloson and Garon to wherever they take it.

It’s not the answer many fans want to hear. This team came within one victory of reaching the Stanley Cup final last season and had many believing seasons such as this one were in the rearview mirror for the immediate future.

But to ensure seasons such as this are an aberration and not the norm in the future, it’s not worth the price it would take to address the need now. Strengthening the goaltending will be one of Yzerman’s summer projects. And with unrestricted options such as Minnesota’s Josh Harding, 27, and St. Louis all-star Brian Elliott, 26, the trade route is not the only option.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Marty St. Louis Says Bolts Need To Work Harder

by Paul on 01/09/12 at 06:54 PM ET
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from Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times,

There comes a time in every season going bad when someone — if that season is to be saved — forces those responsible to look in the mirror.

That is what happened Monday at the Ice Sports Forum when wing Marty St. Louis said Lightning players, including himself, have not worked hard enough, smart enough or consistent enough.

“Last year, there were a lot of games we just deserved,” he said. “We earned it every day. This year, it hasn’t been as much.”

The result is Tampa Bay is 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, nine points out of the eighth and final playoff spot and facing a crucial 12-game stretch in which nine games are at home and a season is on the line.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Marty+St.+Louis,

Calgary/Tampa Trade

by Paul on 01/06/12 at 12:43 PM ET
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Calgary, AB – The Calgary Flames announced today the acquisition of centerman Blair Jones from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Brendan Mikkelson.

“Blair is a player that both Brent Sutter and I are familiar with,” stated Flames General Manager Jay Feaster. “He is a good sized centerman and someone we feel will fit in well here with our organization.”

Jones, a native of Central Butte, Saskatchewan, has played 22 games for the Lightning this season scoring two goals and two assists for four points and 10 penalty minutes. He also has a pair of goals and two assists in five games for the Norfolk Admirals this season.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Blair+Jones, Brendan+Mikkelson,

Will Roloson Find His ‘A’ Game?

by Paul on 01/05/12 at 08:19 AM ET
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from Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune,

With a new year arriving, the Lightning hope it translates to Roloson’s game returning.

“I’ve seen it in the past, you are riding one goaltender and then you start riding the other goaltender, so hopefully that’s what we’ll be seeing,’’ Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher said.

The turnaround will have to be dramatic. After joining Tampa Bay last season in a New Year’s Day trade from the New York Islanders, Roloson allowed four or more goals 10 times in 34 appearances last season, nearly 30 percent of his games. In 16 starts this season, he allowed four or more goals 10 times, or 62.5 percent of his games.

In his past seven games — which include a pair of relief appearances — he allowed at least three goals. His 3.81 goals-against average is the worst in the league among goaltenders to start more than three games and his save percentage of .882 ranks 71st out of 75 goaltenders to appear in at least one game.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Dwayne+Roloson,

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