Lightning 2, Caps 4 - Bolts LOSE

The Lightning closed out their home games this year with a loss to the Caps. The Caps clinched the 2nd seed of the Easter Conference, and they have won the last 11 games against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay has lost 8 in a row, soon to be 9 and has the worst home game record in the NHL with 12-18-11. With this game they took a bunch of penalties, let in a goal on the PK and got out shot. They were without Lashoff due to an injury, and had to call up their 22nd defenceman, which makes that their 50th player to suit up for the Bolts. That pretty much sums up the entire year.

Nothing to recap, it's just another loss.

Stamkos did set a franchise record for goals by a rookie with his 22nd goal of the season.

Great quote from Norfolk GM Mike Butters about Geoff Kinrade's reaction to being called up
"When I told him he was going up, I thought he was going to throw up on my shoes,"
-From Lightning Strikes via Raw Charge

Kinrade was signed to a 1 game amateur tryout contract to play tonight. He's only played 8 games with the Admirals this season. Why? Well he was a call-up to the also injury-laden Admirals. Only a few games ago, he was playing in the WCHA. Uhuh.

Game 81: Washington in Tampa Preview

Enemy blog: Japer's Rink

Enjoy this people. This is our second to last game to watch hockey. Only one more game, and that's against the Thrashers, and we're done for the summer.

But before the boys go golfing, another game against the Caps. The last game, it was a retribution game Tocchet wanted to win. We had a huge effort in 2 periods, then decided to go home. Tonight, the Caps can clinch the second seed in the Easter Conference, in fact, they probably will. Does that bother me? Absolutely not! Just two more games to lose before the draft on Tuesday...

Caps Coach Boudreau was up in arms about the PSA that was shown at the Thrashers game. It's about Ovie's latest commercial for Eastern Motors, and why he shouldn't be acting.

Lightning 3, Caps 5 - Bolts LOSE

Throughout the past few days both teams' coaches downplayed last weeks game between these two teams. Though Tocchet was quoted saying that winning tonight's game would be the best retribution to last week's events. He would even go to the lengths of only playing two lines if it would help him win.

The Lightning played the first two periods with a huge effort. For once, the shots on goal for the Lightning was comparable to the opposing team. 3 power play goals from the Caps in the 1st, and a goal from St. Louis (with another assist for Lashoff!). In the 2nd, Stamkos notched his 19th goal to bring the game closer. Again, the 1st and 2nd period was penalty city for the Lightning again.

It was early in the 3rd that Vinny Prospal ties it up. But Brian Pothier, who has not scored since Dec 27 2007, answers back for the go ahead goal. Pothier has been out since early January 2008 with a concussion that he got after Lucic checked him into the boards (let's hope Smith will have a speedier recovery). People thought he would retire from the effects of the concussion. This was his 4th game back, first goal of the season. Ovie get's an empty net goal in the end for his 100th point of the season.

In the end the Lightning lose, but made it tough for the Caps to walk away with this win.

-Shots on goal? Lightning 36, Caps 39...finally a game with over 20 shots for the Lightning, and something equal to the opposition

Side Story:
Ovechkin got a new toy today: a 200-mph Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series. Price tag? $250, 000

Game 75: Tampa in Washington Preview

Enemy blog: Japer's Rink

Tonight we go to THEIR rink. That guy in the photo on the right there. He's pretty into it, pressing himself up against the glass. Something about it is wrong.

No real preview, the title is misleading I know.

-The Caps lost their last game, against the Leafs. Note, their coach isn't fired yet. Did you see Gerber push the ref and get tossed?
-The Caps are already selling SE Division Championship t-shirts, they haven't even clinched yet, a little premature?

Game 71: Washington in Tampa Preview

They are 1st in the SE division, and Ovechkin and the Caps are making a visit to Tampa tomorrow.

The enemy blog:
Japer's Rink
A View from the Cheap Seats

We haven't won against the Caps in 9 games. Looking at the stats for the two teams, they have almost double the number of wins. Their PK isn't must better than ours, 21 vs. 23, but what stands out is their power play, they are 2nd compared to our 18th ranked PP. They are 1st in the division, and we are last.

This game is gonna be a battle. The Caps are not as good right now as they were before January, but that don't mean to say that they aren't good now. They are still winning games, and then ever so often, have some weird upset like the one that the Trashers laid on them Monday. But if you look at the shots on goal for both teams, Lehtonen was was unbelievable.

Cheap Seats think the Caps "play down" to weaker teams, so we'll have to see what this means for the Lightning.

Last time we played, which was on Valentine's Day, Mike Green made NHL history scoring in his 8th straight game.

I'm a little conflicted about how I feel about winning games at this point in the season. We're 5 points ahead of the Islanders, sitting at 61 points, but now have 3 other teams sitting at 64 teams. I'm not saying to throw the game, I still want to see a good game, but I am a little conflicted about getting points.