In Boston for the second time this year, and in their third meeting of the year with the Boston Bruins, one thunderous crash into the goalpost from Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos in the second period sucked absolutely everything out of the Bolts’ lungs.
Understandably so.
Forcing the game’s leading scorer in both goals (14) and points (23) off on a stretcher in the second period of a scoreless contest between two Atlantic powerhouses, covering his face with his hands in agony as he was wheeled off, the Lightning were a simply shellshocked club.
Falling behind after surrendering two goals in 20 seconds -- the first from the resurgent Patrice Bergeron (his sixth of the year) and the next from Danny Paille (his second) -- another shutout at the hands of the Black-and-Gold wasn’t the talk of the Tampa room following the loss, but rather the status and importance of their leading scorer and face of the franchise, No. 91.
“It’s obviously tough to see him go down, not for just our team -- It’s one of the best players in the world,… Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said after the game. “People in Boston come here to cheer on their Bruins, but they also come here to see guys like Steven Stamkos play hockey.
“I don’t know the full extent of the injury,… admitted Cooper, adding, “But clearly he got hurt, and clearly he won’t be in the lineup tomorrow.…
Crashing into the post on a backcheck to prevent the Bruins’ Dougie Hamilton from getting a clear lane towards the net, Cooper refused to declare whether he believed there was aggressive intent from Hamilton on the hit, opting for a simple, “I’m not going to comment on that.…
Obviously, the loss of Stamkos hit the Lightning where it hurt, and proved to be an absolute deathblow in a contest that featured a strong back-and-forth push from the first-place Bolts and fourth-place B’s. But like any team that’s been hit with injuries, Cooper and company know that they have players that can and will need to step up if this team is to continue to play at this level.
“Steven’s done an unreal job of building this organization from the bottom up, now it’s time for somebody to step up,… said Cooper. “We’ve got Marty St. Louis, we’ve got Valtteri Filppula, we’ve got Tyler Johnson, Richard Panik, Ondrej Palat, let me go on down the line -- we have good hockey players. Steven plays 20 minutes a game. That means we have other guys out there for 40 minutes a night,… Cooper continued, “We have gamers. There’s a reason we’ve won 12 games this year.…
After the game, the Lightning confirmed that the 23-year-old Stamkos, taken to a Boston hospital for x-rays, suffered a broken right tibia on the crash, and that he’s currently out indefinitely.
The Bruins, earning their third straight win behind a 28-save shutout from goaltender Tuukka Rask and a win-sealing empty-netter from Jarome Iginla to make it 3-0, expressed their concern with the status of the Markham, Ont. native after the game.
“Nobody wants to see that happen to anybody,… Iginla, who scored his fourth goal of the season in the win, said. “He was obviously in a lot of pain and I didn’t hear for sure what happened to him but I imagine it’s got to be, for him not to get up, he’s a tough player and plays hard.…
I've always said that the absolute last thing I want to see at an NHL game is a stretcher, and today's cringe-worthy sight reinforced that thought. It was absolutely awful to see a talent like Stamkos, a player every young kid should aspire to play like, down on the ice and unable to leave the ice under his own power. Stamkos is a superstar's superstar. He's a player that has constantly tried to improve his game, has played the game with the class you'd expect out of your top line center, and has evolved into all purpose player for Tampa.
Just look at the play that ended with him leaving on a stretcher-- It all started with Stamkos' back-check. To call this a tough break for the Bolts -- and even the game of hockey -- is an understatement, actually.
Florida Squeezed: Rask continues to decimate Atlantic’s Floridian clubs
Realignment begrudgingly brought the Detroit Red Wings to the B’s division, the Northeast-turned-Atlantic, but through five games, it’s hard to have any ill will towards the changes given its inclusion of the league’s two Florida-based clubs, the Lightning and Florida Panthers.
With today’s win, the Bruins improved to 3-0 against Tampa this season, and with a 2-0 record against the Panthers, they’re now 5-0 against the duo in 2013-14. That’s something that the Bruins, in the thick of a battle for one of three secured playoff spots in the division, will take.
It also something that’s started with the play of goaltender Tuukka Rask. In net for all five of those victories, Rask’s stat-line against the Bolts and Panthers in 2013 reads as follows-- Five wins, four goals allowed on 137 shots (a .971 save percentage), and a mean 0.80 goals against average.
That’s absolutely nuts.
Boston top six finally looking comfortable
An unbelievable afternoon of pressure from the Boston top line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Iginla? Call it just another day at the office, really. And more signs of life (and offensive contributions) from the second line of Loui Eriksson, Brad Marchand, and two-way center and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron? Say it with me now: Finally.
The Boston Bruins, a team plagued by hot-and-cold efforts from their forward core in 2013, are finally looking like a team whose lines are gelling to perfection.
“I think each game over the last three has been a little bit better for us as a group,… Iginla said after the win, the Bruins’ 11th in just 17 games this year. “I think we kind of went into a wall there as a team and teams go through that during the course of a year and you want to make it as short as possible and get back to everyone feeling good about it and playing and finding that consistency.
“Pretty tight checking, great goaltending, all the way around – Bergy , Marchy flying – everybody’s really contributed in the last few games,… the 36-year-old winger continued, “We can all feel good about ourselves being part of the win and that’s what you want to do.…
Up next
Boston will conclude their five-game homestand with a Thursday night visit from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Bruins have won three games in a row, have points in all four games at home during this stretch (3-0-1 record), and have one win in as many games against the Blue Jackets in ‘13-14. While forward Nathan Horton, a Bruin from ‘10 to ‘13, won’t be on the ice (shoulder), it’ll be interesting to see the reception he gets from the Boston crowd if he’s in attendance. Horton turned down an extension with the B’s to sign a seven-year deal with Columbus this past July.