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Stamkos Named Captain; Bolts Fall to Sabres |
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The return of Steven Stamkos and the arrival of Ryan Callahan ultimately weren’t enough to power the Tampa Bay Lightning to victory over the worst team in hockey. Stymied by an all-world goaltending performance from Buffalo Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth, the Lightning only managed to score one goal on 44 shots. The effort was there, the chances were there, but the results were not. The loss, Tampa’s fourth in five games since the Olympic break, moves the team’s record to 34-24-5.
Even prior to puck drop, the atmosphere surrounding the Lightning was simply electric. When Stamkos emerged from the locker room wearing the “C” on his jersey, the crowd on hand at the Forum went wild. This is Stamkos’s team now, and this blogger couldn’t be happier about it. As head coach Jon Cooper aptly put it, naming Stamkos captain was truly a no brainer. Like I mentioned in the pre-game blog, this is a new era in Lightning history. I’ll wager that 91’s term as captain lasts longer than 26’s, if anyone wants to take that bet.
Lost in all the excitement was the fact that the Bolts actually had to go out and play a hockey game. Despite appearing a little bit loose defensively at times, Tampa thoroughly dominated Buffalo at even strength right from puck drop. That first period hard work failed to pay dividends, however, as the Sabres took the lead courtesy of a Tyler Myers goal at the 15:56 mark. Mark Barberio gave the puck away, allowing Myers to skate in and wire a great shot past Anders Lindback.
Still, with the way the Lightning were playing, it was hard not to believe that they would stage the comeback. In a second period that saw them outshoot the Sabres 16-6, the Lightning looked good. To say all four lines were buzzing would be to understate the dominance. Unfortunately, it was Buffalo that managed to score the middle frame’s only goal. Marcus Foligno was credited with the second Buffalo goal, which came as a result of a quick scramble in the Lightning crease. Despite outplaying their opponent by a wide margin, the Lightning found themselves down by two goals heading into the third. Credit Jhonas Enroth for playing some incredible hockey.
The Sabres extended their lead, and effectively ended any chance of a Lightning comeback, at the 13:44 mark of the third period. Cody Hodgson scored his sixteenth of the season on a breakaway to give Buffalo that three goal lead. It was a dagger. The Lightning had generated so many quality chances, but were unable to beat Enroth before it was too late. Tyler Johnson did score a late shorthanded goal to end the Buffalo tender’s shutout bid, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
As much as it probably hurts to lose to the NHL’s worst team on a night when they dominated the possession game, the Lightning have to be happy with the effort they produced. If they play more games like this down the stretch, they’ll win more often than not. This is one loss, not the end of the world. And please, save your 'blame Lindback' comments. This one wasn't on him.
I’m sure I’ll get asked about my thoughts on Stamkos and Callahan, so I’ll just say that I thought both were fantastic. Stamkos was, in the words of Jon Cooper, the most dangerous player on the ice all night long. Callahan, for his part, brought energy, tenacity, and a unique dynamic to the lineup in his debut. Both guys created numerous scoring chances and neither looked out of place. They’ll only continue to get better as the days go on.
The Lightning’s next game is a big test against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. The last time Stamkos faced the Bruins, he left the game with a broken leg. I’m not sure that he’ll be looking for any sort of revenge, but you can bet that he’d love to grab two points from one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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