
Amanda Harris
By AMANDA HARRIS
JoeBoltsFan.com analyst
Many many apologies for the tardiness of this post. Life kicked me in the ass this week, albeit in a very, very good way, and between work and hockey and commuting to work and Lightning hockey…well, you get the picture.
My hope is you’ll cut me some slack (at least this one time), though I do invite you to unleash the beast if you find this seeming afterthought completely inexcusable.
Either way, here we go…
First up, let’s tackle those mighty Ducks and that nasty little habit they have of beating the Bolts in overtime in Anaheim in the month of November.
Not a fun one to watch as the boys blew a 2-1 lead late in the third to force the extended frame. Sure they got a point (on the road, no less) but Steven Stamkos’ power play goal wasn’t nearly as pretty as his dazzling marker last year and the degree to which the team got worked on all three Anaheim tallies was a wee bit embarrassing.
It was perimeter hockey much of the time with everyone bottling up along the boards and a haphazard opponent traipsing right through the middle. As the astute Lightning fan to my left pointed out, this was a classic case of the team playing down to it’s opponent.
Totally Hot: Brett Clark and Dan Ellis. The second and third period wake-up call that saw the group crawl back from a rather pathetic first period not-quite-effort.
Totally Not: Absolutely nothing doing during the early extended power play opportunity (and I mean nothing). Victor Hedman looking more than a tad bit lost in his own end and generally having what I would call a ‘rough go of it”. That too many men penalty in the first.
Total Buzzkill: Two (as in dos, deux, a pair, a couple) shots in the first period.
…. And now on to Staples Center where the Bolts lost in regulation for just the third time this season.
Despite the final score, this was by far the Lightning’s better game of the back-to-back series here on the left coast and could even be described as rather playoffesque. The crowd of nearly 19,000 was pumped, Drew Doughty was finally back on the ice for the Kings and Tampa Bay was seeking redemption from the previous evening’s OT defeat.
It was a duel between the best-of in each conference and the action didn’t disappoint with physicality at the forefront (I’m not sure the glass ever stopped swaying during this one). In the end, it was the Kings’ ability to capitalize on a Lightning guffaw and the fact the southland squad brought just a bit more ‘tude that proved the difference makers.
Totally Hot: Mike Smith keeping the team in it right up to the final buzzer, looking a bit like he did when he first came over from Dallas with more than a few snazzy saves and his athleticism between the pipes on full display. The boys playing with backbone (many gutting it out through injury and illness) in a 60-minute total-group effort. A righteous penalty kill that all but shut down L.A. at the Lightning blueline, limiting shots and scoring chances. Jonathan Quick who played lights out for the Kings en route to the shutout. A fantastic showing from the Lightning’s SoCal fan contingent (it’s not just me out here folks, really) with everything from full-on face paint to jerseys galore (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos, Thompson and yes, even a Meszaros sighting).
Totally Not: Some very disjointed power play units (still). The unfortunate yet entirely preventable turnover that led to the GWG. Mattias Ohlund face-planting Dustin Brown into the boards from behind (it happened right in front of me and though I can’t say for sure Brown didn’t turn seconds before impact, Ohlund should know better). The Kings’ relentless and repeated attempts to rile Steve Downie, the third period cross-check sandwich they put him in and that cheap cheap shot Willie Mitchell got away with once the zebra’s stepped in.
Total Buzzkill: Some very one-sided officiating.
Give Me These Games, I’ll Give You Two (maybe three) Words: Work-in-Progress
