Woodward: Tampa Bay Lightning Weekly Report

In the wake of the most intriguing off-season in recent franchise history, anticipation has been building in Tampa Bay for weeks as fans eagerly waited for last Thursday’s opening night. This summer, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman completely re-tooled his young roster, adding complementary veteran players up front and a pair of legitimate top-four defenders on the back-end. This series of transactions, along with the arrival of super-prospect Jonathan Drouin from Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior League, has transformed the Bolts into a trendy Stanley Cup pick among hockey pundits across the nation. While preseason hype and excitement means very little in the long run, the Bolts have deservedly gathered a much larger share of the national spotlight this Fall. How the Lightning respond to these increased expectations could tell the story of the season. Throughout the year, we will be using this column to dissect the week that was for the Tampa Bay Lightning, providing you with key stats, a standout performer from every game and analysis of all potential roster moves. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

Thursday, October 9 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Florida Panthers 2 (OVERTIME)

Bolts’ MVP of the Game:  Valtteri Filppula (2 assists, plus-1 rating, 1 shot)

• Despite a gutsy performance from the visiting Panthers, who battled back to force overtime in the third period, the Lightning were able to emerge victorious on opening night at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay’s power-play unit dominated this contest, with all three of the team’s goals coming while on the man-advantage. In overtime, goaltender Ben Bishop made an excellent heads-up play to push the puck ahead and capitalize during a Florida line-change. Defenseman Victor Hedman capped off the rush with a wicked wrist shot goal that sealed a 3-2 walk-off win for the Bolts.

Saturday, October 11 – Ottawa Senators 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 (SHOOTOUT)

Bolts’ MVP of the Game: Ben Bishop (32 saves)

• On a night controlled by strong play from both goaltenders, it was the Ottawa Senators who came away with a 3-2 shootout victory on the road in Tampa. Swedish backstop Robin Lehner performed phenomenally for the Senators, keeping the Bolts in check all evening long and eventually recording a lofty save total of 38. It was a particularly tough game for Lightning winger Ondrej Palat, who created quite a few quality scoring chances for himself, but was unable to find the back of the net.

Monday October 13 – Tampa Bay Lightning 7 – Montreal Canadiens 1

Bolts’ MVP of the Game:  Steven Stamkos (3 goals, 12 shots)

• In what was considered their first major test of the young season, matched againstthe same team who swept them from the postseason last spring, the Lightning responded with their best effort of the campaign. Led by captain Steven Stamkos and his eighth career hat-trick, the Bolts exploded onto the score-sheet, posting seven goals on the defensively-sound Canadiens. It was a true statement performance from the Lightning, who proved themselves fully capable of hanging with Montreal.

Tuesday, October 14 – New Jersey Devils 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1

Bolts’ MVP of the Game:  Evgeni Nabokov (23 saves)

• After an emotional victory against the Canadiens less than twenty-four hours earlier,

  

  it was easy to tell that Tuesday’s contest against the visiting New Jersey Devils had all the makings of your prototypical “trap game”. As it turns out, the Bolts weren’t nearly as sharp as the game prior and their only goal came from the stick of Alex Killorn midway through the third period. With his team on a third period power-play, former Canadien Mike Cammalleri buried the Bolts with his fourth goal of the campaign, securing a 2-1 road victory for New Jersey. It wasn’t all bad news for Tampa Bay, as back-up goaltender Evgeni Nabokov performed well in his Lightning debut, stopping 23 of 25 shots faced.

INJURY REPORT

Jonathan Drouin – Tampa Bay’s prized rookie remains sidelined with a right thumb injury suffered during training camp. He has been assigned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League, where he can stay for a maximum of fourteen days while rehabbing his injury.

Radko Gudas – The rough and tumble defenseman is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

THREE STARS OF THE WEEK

• Victor Hedman – 3 goals, 4 assists, 10 shots in 4 GP
• Anton Stralman – 3 assists, plus-3 rating, 8 shots in 4 GP
• Valtteri Filppula – 4 assists, 7 shots in 4 GP

 LOOKING AHEAD

The Lightning will begin their longest road trip of the month this Saturday evening when they kick off a five-game west coast swing with a visit to Vancouver.  From there they will head to Alberta, with a back-to-back set against the Oilers and Flames set for Monday and Tuesday. Later in the week, the Bolts will make two final stops in Winnipeg and Minnesota before returning to Tampa for a four-game homestand.

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