SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by Patti McDonald

Tampa Bay Times Forum ice surface removed; another long summer without hockey draws closer...

2013-05-21T00:47:19Z

The Tampa Bay Times Forum removed its ice today, which is always a disappointing sight to see, especially at this time of the year. It means that the Lightning didn't make the playoffs and there won't be hockey back in Tampa Bay until September when NHL training camps begin.

Always a sad day when the ice comes out @tbtimesforum. #TBLightning twitter.com/BBreseman/stat…
— Brian Breseman (@BBreseman) May 20, 2013

It is starting to get hot and humid outside and while the NHL playoffs are in full swing, the end of the playoff season still draws near.

The stifling, dog days of summer are just upon us and that means the hockey-less months that all fans despise are closer as well.

Enjoy hockey while it is still on, even though you might not be a fan of the teams still alive in the playoffs. Hockey is hockey and we all know how it feels when there isn't any to watch. We might be able catch up on our shows and our days at the beach, but there is always something missing from summer...

Fans, please remain seated until history is made

2013-05-16T16:50:56Z

It's a sports fans worst nightmare to leave a game early only to vehemently regret the decision afterwards. As everyone knows by now, that's what a contingent of Boston Bruins fans experienced when they left TD Garden with the chips down.

The Bruins trailed the Leafs 4-1 in the third period with less than 10 minutes left. A comeback seemed impossible, but you have to remember this is a game 7 and anything can happen.

But, some fans obviously didn't believe a comeback was plausible, so they left. After all the ups and downs of the 2013 season, they gave up on their B's instead of seeing them through to theend.

Boy, was that a mistake. Nathan Horton started the magic at 9:18 of the third and made it a 4-2 game. With less than 1:22 left, Patrice Bergeron scored and being the player he is, scored the game-tying goal with 51 second left in regulation to force overtime. Six minutes and five seconds into overtime, Milan Lucic completed the historic comeback, notching the series winner.

The Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period.

To watch the Bruins move on to the next round with a small dent of empty seats in the background was quite strange for me as it was for the others who noticed. According to the Globe and Mail's James Mirtle, roughly 1000 fans exited the arena and were in the surrounding parking lots or had already started their trips home.

@ek3od Well no, only 4 or 5 per cent of people left. Still a lot of people. Outside the building, there was a steady stream
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) May 14, 2013

The average reseller ticket price for the game on sites like Stubhub was around $250. Seriously? That is half of my rent. Who pays that much money to watch a hockey game to leave early? Obviously we aren't just talking about any hockey game here. It's the playoffs. It's game 7. It should be ingrained into your psyche not to leave regardless of the score.

This honestly pisses me off. You cannot call yourself a fan of any team whatsoever if your team is in the playoffs and you leave a game 7 because you have no faith in a comeback. Isn't believing in your team the whole part to being a fan?

A three goal lead is not insurmountable. Come on, crazier things have happened! Sports fans have to know that. Especially in Boston.

More locally, look at the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2011 season: They were trailing by seven runs in the seventh inning of the last game of the regular season against the New York Yankees with the playoffs on the line. Despite the deficit, the Rays ended up tying the game and winning it in the 12^th inning and earning a place in the baseball playoffs. Some sports gurus call this one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history.

And, guess what? Some fans gave up, walked away, took their ball and went home early... They culdn't be bothered to see their team off -- win or lose -- on the last day of the MLB season.

Listen up sports fans. Stay in your seat until the game is over. Nothing is worth leaving a game with such high stakes.

Those who gave up and left will be kicking themselves for awhile now. Why would they leave anyway? What would even be a good reason? To beat traffic? Get a better excuse. To go to bed early? Lame. Or maybe it was a school night? Well, should have thought of that through before you bought the ticket. Come on...10 minutes plus an overtime would not have killed you. You would have witnessed arguably the greatest comeback in NHL history.

To me, it is sad to see fans leave a game with such implications. As a sports fan, you are supposed to have that passion for your team. Usually, you abandon all reality and think, "we can do this," no matter what the circumstances are and you stay until the game is over (while praying to the hockey, baseball, basketball, or whatever gods along the way).

I am not talking about casual fans either. I would imagine only a handful of "casual" fans shelled out so much money to go to the Bruins - Leafs game.There are a few media outlets that interviewed Bruins fans the day after the game asking them about their decision. All of them regret leaving the game, but some of them just had lame excuses.

Josh Brogadir of NECN interviewed one Bruins fan who left early and this is all he had to say: "You know what, if me leaving had a hand in them winning I'm ok with it, but obviously I would have loved to have been there to celebrate with everybody. But I'm glad it worked out the way it did."

Simply put, if you call yourself a fan, and not just a casual one, stay until the end of the game. Support the team until the end and you just might witness history.

Martin St. Louis proves age is just a number with his Art Ross Trophy win

2013-04-28T16:26:40Z

Not enough words can be said about the ageless wonder that is Tampa Bay Lightning forward, Martin St. Louis. St. Louis clinched the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's points leader with 60 points for the 2013 season. He scored 17 goals and added 43 assists during the abbreviated 48 game season.

St louis is the oldest player to win the award at the age of 37. He also won the award in 2003-2004 before going on to win the Stanley Cup with the Lightning.

The previous oldest to win the trophy was Bill Cook, who earned it in 1933 with the Rangers at the age of 36.St. Louis' 1.25 points-per-game average at age 37 puts him with the most elite of company: Only Mario Lemiuex and Gordie Howe have scored at that pace at age 37 or older.

After the game, Marty somewhat downplayed what he had accomplished, especially after the season the Lightning had. The veteran also doesn't like talking about his age but it was unavoidable Saturday night.

"Obviously I would trade a lot of that to be in a playoff and have a chance at the Stanley Cup, but when all that goes away the hope of that you try to finish strong and play the right way and then a couple things happen along the way, like somebody getting hurt and you find yourself in the situation that you can do something pretty cool," he said.

St. Louis admitted though that he is proud of his achievement.

"It's something nobody can take away from you, it's in the books. As you get older, you always have to answer questions about your age and slowing down, so you're fighting those," St. Louis told reporters.

"You've got to give yourself the best chance to be successful, taking care of your body, putting the time in so that you are ready to have a good season."

Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier had his own words to say about his teammate of 13 years.

"Age is just a number for him, " Lecavalier said. "He's a smart player, making all the right decisions, and he's just as fast as he was when he was 22."

St. Louis made smart decisions even in completely meaningless game. He had a goal and an assist against the Florida Panthers to secure the Art Ross Trophy. Nevertheless, St. Louis played like it was a playoff game until the last second expired on the clock.

Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper was surely impressed at St. Louis's feat and his performance in the final game of the season.

"He wanted to win the game," Cooper said post-game. "It's a tribute to everything about him. He puts the team first."

Cooper went on by saying that is his "proud to be a part of history." History wasn't only made by St. Louis capturing the NHL points title as the oldest skater. Don't forget about Steven Stamkos here.

Stamkos finished second in the league in points behind St. Louis with 57 (29 goals and 28 assists) and second in the goals category. Stamkos and St. Louis are only the second tandem from a non playoff bound team to accomplish the feat since Chicago's Doug Bentley and Roy Conacher did in 1949.

Game 47: Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins recap

2013-04-26T04:39:57Z

The Tampa Bay Lightning's woes continued at TD Garden as they lost 2-0 to the Boston Bruins in a makeup game between the teams that was cancelled earlier in the season due to Super Storm Sandy.

Though Tampa Bay came up short in the game it wasn't for lack of play. They out chanced the Bruins from the beginning but Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was the game changer, posting a 30 save shutout Thursday night.

The loss was not indicative of the Lightning's performance. Simply put, Rask was on his game and the Boston's penalty kill remained strong despite the chances from the Tampa Bay.

The matchup was a physical one from the start. In the first period, Lightning left wing Benoit Pouliot dropped the gloves with Andrew Ferrance. Pouliot is not a player that is known for getting into fights but he landed a few right hooks that ended up in a bloody nose for Ferrance. Lightning defensemen Keith Aulie and Boston left wing Milan Lucic had their own battle in the second period trading five minute fighting majors.

In the first period..the Lightning weren't able to penetrate the neutral zone.Then, they were able to control the puck more as they were able to settle into the game. Tampa Bay went on a power play at 5:21 when Chris Kelly skated off for a hooking, but Boston's second ranked penalty kill prevented any Lightning goals (as anyone should be surprised).

Lightning center Steven Stamkos had an opportunity to put the Lightning on the board early on but Rask shut Stamkos down by sliding across the crease and making a glove save.

The Lightning's man advantage did spark more offensive chances and they also began controlling the puck more. The Bruins had been dominating in puck possession before that.

After a scoreless first period, Boston defenseman Dennis Seidenberg's slap shot made its way behind Lightning goaltender Anders Lindback making it 1-0 at 4:22 of the second period. Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin had the assists.

Then at 13:31, left wing Daniel Paille had wrist shot that put Boston up 2-0. The Bruins' fourth line has been connecting all year, and did once again.

Lightning goaltender Anders Lindback should not be blamed for either Boston goals. Both were one timers and he had no chance. Despite the loss, Lindback is showing improvement and has since returning from injury. He saved 22 of the 24 shots he faced.

Tampa Bay's second best chance of the game came in the second period when center Alex Killorn had back to back shots on and Rask and but was denied while forcing Rask to make scrambling left pad saves.

Despite trailing by two goals, the Lightning buzzed around Rask even into the third period. Tampa Bay also matched Boston's shot total at twelve, but Rask shut the door to seal the win.

A day in the life of an NHL off-ice official

2013-04-23T13:05:02Z

Have you ever gone to a hockey game and wondered how all the stats seamlessly come together? There is a reason fans and members of the media can find accurate stats online. Off ice officials do everything from keeping stats and penalty minutes to giving on ice officials water and pucks. Raw Charge.com's Patti McDonald spent one night seeing the game from their level.

Game 44: Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens

2013-04-19T03:17:22Z

The Tampa Bay Lightning visited Montreal for the last time this season but failed to defeat the Canadiens, losing 3-2. The Lightning were down by two goals and had yet another comeback but Montreal forward Brian Gionta netted the game winner with 46.4 seconds left in the third period on the power play.

Despite the two goal deficit, Tampa Bay played a respectable 60 minutes of hockey.

For the first time in a few games, the Lightning had a decent first period although they failed to capitalize on any of their scoring chances. Tampa Bay hit at least three posts in the first period and had 10 shots on goal. It was one of their best first periods in quite sometime. Teddy Purcell, Steven Stamkos, and Vincent Lecavalier all hit a post in the first period.

The Montreal Canadiens opened up scoring at 4:04 of the second period when Alex Galachenyuk's wrist shot found its way in the net. Brendan Gallagher put the puck on net and Galachenyuk was able to finish off the play. Players scrambled in front of Ben Bishop prior to the goal and he could not get back into position before the goal was scored.

Much later in the period, Brian Gionta scored on a tip in at 15:05. Thomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty had the assists. An untimely giveaway by Lightning forward Ryan Malone led to the goal.

Although Tampa Bay trailed by two goals, they still had some momentum that carried over from their impressive first period. They began to become much more patient with the puck.

The Lightning created a flurry of chances in front of the Canadians net on the power play. At 17:36 of the second period, Victor Hedman passed the puck with ease to Richard Panik, who was parking in front of Montreal's net. Panik took the pass backhand to forehand and put the puck top shelf over Carey price to make it a 2-1 game, giving Panik five goals on the season.

In the third period, Tampa Bay seemed to find their legs. They were skating better and started shooting the puck more.

Hedman made another impressive defensive play, this time in the third period, when his stretch pass reached Pouliot, who passed it to Lecavalier. Lecavalier scored his tenth goal of the season at 5:07 of the third period to tie up the game at two.

What ultimately did the Lightning in was allowing the Canadians to have four power plays in the third period. Tampa Bay killed each one until the last that was called at 17:39 when Benoit Pouliot was called for holding.

Brian Gionta capitalized on the man advantage with 46.4 seconds left in the third period, sealing a win for Montreal.

Even though the Lightning lost its fourth straight game in a row, the look of the defense has improved since the last few games. At one point in the game, Tampa Bay was playing with four defensemen while Keith Aulie went to the locker room and Sami Salo left the game in the second period and did not return due to an undisclosed upper body injury.

The Lightning travel back to Tampa Bay and host the Carolina Hurricanes Sunday night.

Game 43: Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets

2013-04-17T04:11:27Z

The Tampa Bay Lightning might have no realistic chance of making the playoffs, but their Southeast Division foe the Winnipeg Jets, do. Despite where the Lightning are at this point in the season, the team continues to be motivated while shaking the playoff picture.

The Lightning tried to play post season spoiler but failed to do so on Tuesday, losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Jets . It wasn't because the Lightning played poorly either. They overcame a two goal deficit before sending the game into a shootout.

Winnipeg forward Andrew Ladd scored less than two minutes into the first period, establishing a tone for most of the stanza. The Jets outmanned, out worked, and out did the Lightning in almost every category in the first period. The Lightning simply were being dominated and as the story seems to remain the same, would have been playing pond hockey if it weren't for its goaltender, Ben Bishop.

Later in the first period, Tampa Bay's play improved. They penetrated the neutral zone and were able to generate quality offensive shots against Ondrej Pavalec. At 10:56 of the first, Martin St. Louis netted an unassisted goal to tie up the game.

There were plenty of ebbs and flows in this game. Winnipeg stole Tampa Bay's momentum in the second period, scoring two consecutive goals while holding the Lightning to four shots on goal. Blake Wheeler scored at 8:37 after winning a battle with Victor Hedman on the boards. Andrew Ladd scored his second of the game in the waning minutes of the second period at 17:54. Ladd's second goal was deflected off of Keith Aulie's stick before making it's way passed Bishop.

Once again, the Lightning relied on the third period to mount a comeback and thanks to Labrie's goal at 5:19, that comeback was sparked. The line with Nate Thompson, B.j Crombeen and Labrie buzzed around the net for half of the game Combeen and was arguably the Lightning;s best line Tuesday night.

Then, Steven Stamkos tallied his 27th goal of the season at 11:17 of the third period with a wristshot complete the Lightning's two goal rally, eventually sending the game into a shootout.

Bishop saved 33 of the 36 shots he faced and now has a 4-1 record in shootouts after Mike Santorelli and Ladd scored on him. No one scored in the shoot out for the Lightning.

Tampa Bay now travels to Montreal to play the Canadians on Thursday night.

Game 41: Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals recap

2013-04-14T02:29:46Z

It's not over until it's over. That's an overused phrase for sure...for a reason.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a bipolar showing in its last game against its divisional foe, the Washington Capitals on Saturday night when they lost to 6-5 in overtime despite a four goal comeback. Capital's defensemen Mike Green scored the game winner in extra minutes.

The Capitals were surely a mismatch for the Lightning. Washington came into this game winning six games in a row, now make that a seven game win streak for the Southeast division leaders.

Fans might be surprised as they read this write up, as they might have turned it off after the first period.

The first few minutes of the first period were decent for the Lightning before Troy Brouwer scored at 13:45 of the first period. Then the wheels just fell off. Tampa went on the penalty kill four straight times, killing off only one. Capitals XX Jack Hillen found the net at 18:45 of the first period and thirty seconds later, Alexander Ovechkin scored at 19:22 making it a 3-0 for the Capitals going into the locker room after the first period.

It does not set a positive tone for your team if the team is shorthanded for the majority of the first period. There is no way to establish rhythm or have any kind of balance.

Tampa Bay's best skaters Marty St Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Vincent Lecavalier had limited ice time in the first period because of penalties

Lightning Head Coach John Cooper decided to close the locker room doors during the first intermission and made all of his players inaccessible to have words with the team and set the tone for the rest of the game.

He surely did.

Tampa goaltender Ben Bishop started the game and saved 17 of 20 shots. But, Cooper made the decision to change net minders.

Mathieu Garon replaced Ben Bishop in between the pipes to start the second period. At 2:41 of the second period, Jason Chimera scored to extend Washington's lead to 4-0

The 4-0 hole didn't get the Lightning into panic mode. It did the exact opposite. Richard Panik's backhand shot saw its way behind Braden Holtby at 3:55. Shorty after, Eric Fehr netted his own goal keeping the Capitals at a 5-1 distance.

Then the Lightning came alive. The team started moving the puck better than they did in the first period. In the second period, Tampa had 21 shots on goal including Mary St. Louis' snap shot at 18:47 of the second period.

Tampa had more jump in the third period when Richard Panik scored his second goal of the game at 4:23. Martin St. Louis then netted his second goal of the game at 8:17 of the third. Teddy Purcell scored to send the game into over time despite not getting the two points.

In other news, Lightning forward Nate Thompson had a scary incident in the second period. He took a shot off of his visor, cracking the entire shield. Thompson skated off bloodied and only played two shifts after that. He left the game and will be evaluated tomorrow per the team.

What's left of Nate Thompson's visor. Thank god he was wearing one. twitter.com/BBreseman/stat…
— Brian Breseman (@BBreseman) April 13, 2013