With Tampa Bay on a power play, Stamkos picked up the secondary assist on Vinny Lecavalier’s second goal of the game at the 4:08 mark of the second period. During a scrum after the faceoff, Stamkos got a stick on the puck before Vinny Prospal swiped the puck over to Lecavalier in front of the net at the right post. - The Bolts Report

I guess "With Tampa Bay on a power play, Stamkos was pushed into the group of players fighting for the puck, when his stick came close to almost brushing the puck before Prospal passed to Lecavalier." just doesn't have enough razzle dazzle for the hockey savvy fans in Tampa.

Granted Stamkos had a whopping zero points in his fantastic career so far, so perhaps the scorer felt bad for him, but you'd think the poor kid would like to have his first actual NHL point actually be something he participated in. If this is how it was going to happen the NHL should have just awarded him a secondary assist in the first game as a bonus for going 1st overall. I cursed loudly at the television during that play, meaning that I had more invested in Stamkos' first point that he did.

Despite being outshot 39-25, including 13-5 in the third period, Tampa Bay was able to protect a lead for the first time this season and got just the kind of effort the coaching staff was looking for.

Why does this blog keep referring to Tampa Bay doing things? Tampa Bay was able to protect a lead? I think you mean Lecavalier and Smith were able to protect a lead, because everyone else wearing a Lightning jersey sucks. How did Tampa lock up Lecavalier long term anyways? Did Oren Koules pull something out of Saw and torture Vinny's family to death? I'm sure Vinny's loving that life long contract as he rides the pine next to Stamkos. Six words that will never appear next to each other outside of people making this joke: "barry melrose jack adams award winner".

This, needless to say, is likely to be the pattern. Just as the Leafs won opening night in Detroit then lost four straight, this campaign is likely to feature blips of success followed by troubling slumps. - Damien "Dick Joke" Cox

Toronto has defeated Ottawa! Yes! The Leafs are a group of scrappy underdogs who can challenge the worl- hold on they lost a game. Someone get me some nails and lumber I'm building the gallows.

Just FYI, the Lightning, winning 3-1 with 9:56 left in the second period, is being outshot 24-12. - Lightning Strikes

Just FYI, I'll blog for any newspaper that wants to pay me a salary to talk about hockey. I know how to conjugate the verb "to be" in two languages. You can contact me at