TAMPA, Fla. -- Greetings from the St. Pete Times Forum for tonight's Sabres-Lightning game. Always laugh at the name. Pretty certain the Tampa Tribune just calls this place the Forum in its pages. Odd fact from your blogger: I've seen a Lightning game in all three of their home rinks -- tiny Expo Hall on the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Thunderdome (now known as Tropicana Field in its reincarnation as the home of the Rays) and this place, which opened as the Ice Palace and regularly lured me during spring training trips.
Tampa Bay is still well out of the picture in the playoff race but the Lightning is 8-5 in its last 13 games under interim coach Rick Tocchet. Had a good chat this morning with No. 1 pick Steven Stamkos, who has sat out a couple games recently as the coaching staff works on his conditioning and gives him more intense video study. Stamkos has even been told to take notes during the games he's watching. Asked today what that entailed, Tocchet joked, "It's not like he's up there watching the Lightning Girls."
Lindy Ruff is concerned about Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith, who is a terrific puckhandler. Watch for some long passes out of the goal if Smith gets a hold of the puck. The Sabres are trying to tie their season-high with their fourth straight win but Ruff is wary: "Dallas came in here and lost a game [Monday] Tampa Bay has been going good. We want to go into the break on a high note and the only way to do that is by winning a game."
HUGE cheers from the crowd as the Sabres took the ice by the way. The building is still only about half full just as we kick up the national anthem.
---Mike Harrington
PREGAME: What's this blasphemy? They trot a celebrity out to scream "Let's play hockey" and lo and behold, it was Thurman Thomas -- wearing a No. 34 Lightning jersey. Boo.
Also, the Sabres have just released their broadcast schedule for next week's Western road trip. As many of you already figured out, none of the four games will be on MSG. In addition, Rick Jeanneret will be taking the trip off (he usually sits out one a season). The radio only calls will be done by MSG host Kevin Sylvester, WGR's Paul Hamilton and Curt Keilback, who spent 27 years behind the mic in Winnipeg and Phoenix. Keilback will do the Edmonton and Calgary games, while Hamilton will do the Phoenix game and Sylvester will do the wrap-up Feb. 2 in Anaheim. Jeanneret returns for the Feb. 4 home game against Toronto.
Postgame
Ruff on Tallinder's injury: "Henrik's not good. He's going to be out for a good period of time probably." Tallinder will be reevaulated in Bufalo in the next day or two and Ruff openly admitted the injury situation in Portland means it may be time to look outside for another replacement: "It's either going to be pushing some pieces around or finding a piece."
Third Period
13:44 left: Lightning has tightened up, allowing just two shots so far. Sabres going to another power play, however, as Krajicek is off for interference. Sabres are 2 for 4 with the man advantage so far.
6:04 left: Sabres still down by two. Only four shots on goal for Buffalo in this period.
4:55 left: Miller keeps Buffalo alive by stonig Lecavalier on a breakaway and a quick rebound.
Second Period
Of note: First off, this just in from Philadelphia: Daniel Briere is going to have exploratory surgery for his abdomen on Thursday and is out another two weeks, rendering the Flyers' cap concerns moot. John Vogl had an interesting post on the Philly dilemma earlier today. Briere's situation sounds a little ominous, almost like doctors are looking for something.
19:41 left: Huge start as Roy takes advantage of the 4-on-4 situation to pump home a Pominville rebound to make it 2-1. Nice work by Lydman to get the puck into the zone starts it.
18:37 left: 3-1 Tampa. A few seconds after getting wiped out by Hecht, miller stops Recchi on a 2-on-1 after a brutal pass by Butler behind Rivet. The faceoff stays in the Buffalo end and Tampa scores its own 4-on-4 goal as Lukas Krajicek's shot hits the goalpost but bounces in off a Buffalo player. Haven't seen a replay up here -- somebody help me out. That hit Vanek?
15:56 left: Sabres pull within 3-2 as Kotalik rifles a one-timer from the left point past Smith on a nice feed from Rivet. A power play goal as Jeff Halpern is off for high-sticking. Great power play as Connolly and Lydman also put point shots on net that Smith stopped.
15:00 left: Huge start for the Sabres. An 8-2 edge in shots thus far after getting just five in the opening 20 minutes.
10:48 left: Buffalo had a huge chance to tie it on another power play but Roy clanked a backhand rebound off the post with Smith out of position and most of the net available.
6:08 left: Tampa goes back in front by two as Jeff Halpern blasts one by Miller on a 2-on-1. That's a save that's got to be made as the puck leaked through his arm. Was he playing the pass rather than the shot? Offense has 17 shots on goal this period and he needed to keep his team within one there.
3:05 left: Back comes Buffalo again to make it 4-3. Again, it's Roy potting a Pominville rebound on a power play, with the goal coming on Buffalo's 20th shot of the period. Tampa tough guy David Koci was in the box for interference, his third trip of the period. He's been out of control all night and has been hurting his team.
2:10 left: THAT'S what Miller needs to do. He just stones St. Louis on a clean breakaway to keep things a one-goal affair.
37.4 seconds left: Disaster strikes the Sabres. With Chris Butler off for tripping, Henrik Tallinder goes for tgripping Vincent Lecavalier. Tallinder stumbled to the ice and clearly has a right shoulder problem. What do they do on defense now? HAVE to make a deal, don't they?
5.8 left: Disaster II. Cory Murphy rips one past a screened Miller on the two-man advantage to make it 5-3.
End of the 2nd: Wild period. Three goals for each team. Sabres had 20 shots, Tampa Bay 14 so its 25-21 Buffalo through two. But the Tallinder situation looks large over this one.
First Period
15:15 left: The Sabres talked a lot this morning about scoring first but it didn't happen for them again as Steve Eminger beat Miller on the power play with a shot from the point that went five-hole on Miller, who didn't have his stick on the ice. The goal came after Smith stoppedDerek Roy on a breakaway after he took a pass from Pominville on what started as a 2-on-1.
14:41 left: Yeesh. Miller didn't see that one at all. Cory Murphy let it go from the slot and it hit Steve Downie in front. Another five-hole special. All of a sudden, it's 2-0.
9:11 left: Best check of the night by referee Brad Watson, who took out Smith as the goalie was straying behind the net for the puck. They both went down hard. Look for it on a hockey blooper reel near you for, oh, about the next 20 years.
End of the 1st: Talk about nothing happening. The Lightning continues to hold the 2-0 lead even though the teams combined for 12 minutes without a shot on goal at one stretch. Tampa had a close call as Martin St. Louis cranked one off the crossbar with 30 seconds left. Mair went off with 15.6 seconds left on a foolish elbowing call but St. Louis wiped that out with an equally foolish tripping penalty nine seconds later. Shots on goal were 7-5 for Tampa.
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