I think lindback is heading back to nashville to back up rinne! they have missed lindback maybe he finds his game again in nashville.
- todd1a

Wouldn't surprise me.

ya we lost but montreal needed a power play to solve Gudlevskis!

home ice was great a healthy bishop would have been better

Kudos to the TB team and fans. It was nice to get through a round but you can see how good the Lightning will be in a year or two. Your lineup is full of speedy, hard working kids and you have a young coach who's only going to get better.

A few other observations:
- I think the series would have been different with Bishop. That guy gets in the Habs players heads.
- Hedman is already good. A few more seasons and he'll be dominant.
- Gudas is exactly the kind of raw, physical defenseman every team wants.
- Paquette is going to be a real pain in the ass to play against. Sure he made some errors and was overmatched sometimes but the kid is tenacious. Don't blame him for anything, he'll be a big part of the team.
- Callahan was nothing special. I guess I expected more than a few big hits out of him. Pretty invisible for wanting the contract he does.

Kudos to the TB team and fans. It was nice to get through a round but you can see how good the Lightning will be in a year or two. Your lineup is full of speedy, hard working kids and you have a young coach who's only going to get better.

A few other observations:
- I think the series would have been different with Bishop. That guy gets in the Habs players heads.
- Hedman is already good. A few more seasons and he'll be dominant.
- Gudas is exactly the kind of raw, physical defenseman every team wants.
- Paquette is going to be a real pain in the ass to play against. Sure he made some errors and was overmatched sometimes but the kid is tenacious. Don't blame him for anything, he'll be a big part of the team.
- Callahan was nothing special. I guess I expected more than a few big hits out of him. Pretty invisible for wanting the contract he does.
- Routs

Agree on all points except the Hedman one. He's already dominant. He was off this series, like most skaters. There's a reason he's getting Norris attention.

Agree on all points except the Hedman one. He's already dominant. He was off this series, like most skaters. There's a reason he's getting Norris attention.
- Michael_Stuart

hedman already is very good! agree mike and man Paquette will be very good on are bottom six for sure!

Agree on all points except the Hedman one. He's already dominant. He was off this series, like most skaters. There's a reason he's getting Norris attention.
- Michael_Stuart

Definitely can't argue the point with you as I only have ever watched him this much in this series. If he was off then you guys are set at number one D for a long time.

Definitely can't argue the point with you as I only have ever watched him this much in this series. If he was off then you guys are set at number one D for a long time.
- Routs

He's on one of the best contracts in the league now too, which is huge. Too bad the guys around him on that blue line struggle to play hockey.

He's on one of the best contracts in the league now too, which is huge. Too bad the guys around him on that blue line struggle to play hockey.
- Michael_Stuart

that will change after 3 years! what a nightmare hedman a ufa and drouin A RFA in the same offseason.

marty st louis house for sale in tampa! http://tbo.com/news/ex-bo...e-at-18-million-20140422/

I think they lose the series with Bishop in net too, based on how things went down. But we'll never know.
- Michael_Stuart

We lost the series because the team has no confidence in Lindback. If you notice how much better they played once they put Gudlevskis in the net.

Edit: and Montreal was much better prepared.

We lost the series because the team has no confidence in Lindback. If you notice how much better they played once they put Gudlevskis in the net.
- Artyukhin76

yep!

Good game, good series! Certainly excited to see this amazing tbay team in the next few years find its place with the elite teams of the east. Sooo many incredible pieces coming up, and witha coach like cooper its a recipe for success. I personally think along the same lines as hes does judging by his sound bites, and as a player I would appreciate the way he talks and coachs the team. Love it! Heres to next year!

Congrats to Montreal you played playoff hockey from the opening puck drop, Tampa a few periods . Was it Bishop maybe but as the defense lapsed post Olympics he was left out to dry too often too. Time for Salo to retire, Gudas to work on positioning first, hitting second. Brewer is showing his age and they need another power forward. Purcell was invisible and needs to go too. Bugsy is gone too. Cally was near invisible along with Filp in this series. Only makes negotiating easier with Cally after that performance. disappointing yes but ahead of schedule from Stevie Y's point of view. The future looks bright but who cares about the future when the playoffs are here. They were outplayed and out worked from the get go. With all the obstacles this year it's amazing they made it this far but a playoff performance like this is hard to take right now.

marty st louis house for sale in tampa! http://tbo.com/news/ex-bo...e-at-18-million-20140422/
- todd1a

Screw Marty St Louis. If he wanted to go he should have waited until the end of the season and not throw a hissy fit like a little baby. TRAITOR to the Tampa fans period.

Congrats to Montreal you played playoff hockey from the opening puck drop, Tampa a few periods . Was it Bishop maybe but as the defense lapsed post Olympics he was left out to dry too often too. Time for Salo to retire, Gudas to work on positioning first, hitting second. Brewer is showing his age and they need another power forward. Purcell was invisible and needs to go too. Bugsy is gone too. Cally was near invisible along with Filp in this series. Only makes negotiating easier with Cally after that performance. disappointing yes but ahead of schedule from Stevie Y's point of view. The future looks bright but who cares about the future when the playoffs are here. They were outplayed and out worked from the get go. With all the obstacles this year it's amazing they made it this far but a playoff performance like this is hard to take right now.
- tpd11

No kidding a few playoff wins would have been nice

Screw Marty St Louis. If he wanted to go he should have waited until the end of the season and not throw a hissy fit like a little baby. TRAITOR to the Tampa fans period.
- tpd11

The guy did bring you a cup and 12 and a half years of great hockey. I think you're being a little harsh.

Edit: He deserves to be Tampa's first and only retired Jersey once he retires.

The guy did bring you a cup and 12 and a half years of great hockey. I think you're being a little harsh.

Edit: He deserves to be Tampa's first and only retired Jersey once he retires.
- l3ig_l2ecl

No, he doesn't.

The guy did bring you a cup and 12 and a half years of great hockey. I think you're being a little harsh.

Edit: He deserves to be Tampa's first and only retired Jersey once he retires.
- l3ig_l2ecl

no . many capable players on their way with far more skill than marty. if they stick around and provide us with what they're capable of, they'll be up there. why would any team only limit the rafters to 1 guy

The guy did bring you a cup and 12 and a half years of great hockey. I think you're being a little harsh.

Edit: He deserves to be Tampa's first and only retired Jersey once he retires.
- l3ig_l2ecl

I don't think they are retiring his number anytime soon

At least 7 to 10 years after retires if that

Dear Michael Stuart,

Sorry for your Bolts. Being swept sucks. It always does. For everyone. I wanted to thank you however for the quality of your blogs, and the use of stats and twitter. It is one of the good blogs on this site.

At the beginning, I thought missing Palat would hurt the Bolts more. Turns out the one-bad-goal-a-game by Lindback was just a momentum killer each time. It was a series of bad luck. Bishop's injury just before the playoffs, Stamkos' stick breaking when alone in front of Price, Palat's stick getting caught in the net... It's probably better that it ends in four. We'll take care of Montreal in round 2.

Well, I'm extremely happy with the way the Habs played this series, but I feel for you guys. I think it's a much closer series with Bishop.

It actually reminds me of last year. Montreal finished the season as a strong possession team, surpassing expectations with the help of some talented rookies and started the season with home ice advantage. They limped into the playoffs with some injuries though, didn't catch any breaks, we're at a significant goaltending disadvantage and went out in 5 games.

Sound familiar? You'll bounce back, your future looks bright.
- BeanCountingHab

yes....but the big difference here is that the Habs outshot and outchanced TB almost 3-1 all series long...

Last year, Montreal outshot and outchanced Ottawa even though they lost...

TB forwards are alright....but the D is really bad and changes will have to be made because teams next year will look at the tape of this series and see that the D is slow and easy to cycle around. Also, with speed, getting turnovers was also pretty easy...just like the Eller goal last night...

We can all say the future is bright for TB, but their are some issues...

And one good season for a Goalie with an unsuspecting team (just like Anderson last year) doen't translate to long term success automaticaly...!

Go Habs Go babayyyy!

Congrats to Montreal you played playoff hockey from the opening puck drop, Tampa a few periods . Was it Bishop maybe but as the defense lapsed post Olympics he was left out to dry too often too. Time for Salo to retire, Gudas to work on positioning first, hitting second. Brewer is showing his age and they need another power forward. Purcell was invisible and needs to go too. Bugsy is gone too. Cally was near invisible along with Filp in this series. Only makes negotiating easier with Cally after that performance. disappointing yes but ahead of schedule from Stevie Y's point of view. The future looks bright but who cares about the future when the playoffs are here. They were outplayed and out worked from the get go. With all the obstacles this year it's amazing they made it this far but a playoff performance like this is hard to take right now.
- tpd11

Wow. You are so tough with your team. I can't speak for Salo as I have not seen him play much this year but on a young squad, experience is always good even as a 6th or 7th defencemen. Gudas is like many other players in the league, more interested in his number of hits than anything else. With time and maturity, he will learn to focus on the play first and pick his moments for hits. Calahan was intense, even after the whistle. He punished MTL and worked hard. However, without offensive production, he won't get the contract he is hoping for. You have a coach that even I would want to play for and had 9 rookies in this series. Brown is promising, Johnson has ridiculous speed, Palat looks like a veteran and he'd be my pick for the Calder. Hedman is becoming a top d-man and Drouin is on his way to the NHL.

It was a bad series, bad execution, bad morale and bad luck. It happens. But don't be so negative about TBay.

The guy did bring you a cup and 12 and a half years of great hockey. I think you're being a little harsh.

Edit: He deserves to be Tampa's first and only retired Jersey once he retires.
- l3ig_l2ecl

A little harsh no way. He could have gone in the summer but he disrespected the owner, fans , and teammates over the Olympic selection which had nothing to do with the name on the front of the jersey. That is unforgiveable from my point of view.

Congrats to Montreal you played playoff hockey from the opening puck drop, Tampa a few periods . Was it Bishop maybe but as the defense lapsed post Olympics he was left out to dry too often too. Time for Salo to retire, Gudas to work on positioning first, hitting second. Brewer is showing his age and they need another power forward. Purcell was invisible and needs to go too. Bugsy is gone too. Cally was near invisible along with Filp in this series. Only makes negotiating easier with Cally after that performance. disappointing yes but ahead of schedule from Stevie Y's point of view. The future looks bright but who cares about the future when the playoffs are here. They were outplayed and out worked from the get go. With all the obstacles this year it's amazing they made it this far but a playoff performance like this is hard to take right now.
- tpd11

completly agree with you on all accounts...a fair asessment of the series