Anybody else surprised by what they see/hear?

Posted Nov 13, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Nov 13, 2008 at 09:25 PM

If anybody was listening to their local sports talk radio stations this afternoon, you might have heard me talk a little bit about tonight’s game, and one of the comments I made was that this game was going to anything but in between. I didn’t think it was going to be a tightly contested match. I figured one of two things were going to happen with the defending champions in the building coming off a game in which they blew a three-goal lead in the third period to Pittsburgh - either it was going to be embarrassment to try to watch it or Tampa Bay was going to shock the heck out of us.

Count me in the former.

Now, count me in the shocked part. Tampa Bay has taken it to the Red Wings. There’s been a couple of good hits at the end boards (by the way, did anybody see the hit on Vinny Prospal, ouch!!!), Tampa Bay has been taken the puck to the net (just as Barry Melrose said this morning they needed to do) and they hold a 2-0 lead. Now, before you anoint this game in the 2-point column, there’s still 40 minutes to play and the Red Wings have had their moments of looking awful dangerous with the puck. Kirk Maltby had three consecutive chances at one point, with two rebounds coming right back to his stick - Kolzig stopped two of the shots while another hit the post.

And, as we’ve seen, the Lightning have shown a penchant in recent games for taking a period off, and letting it cost them the game. In the early part of the season, it was the second period that gave Tampa Bay trouble. Recently it’s been the first period. Tonight they played a solid first, have they turned those woes around? Will they keep their recent success in the second (Wednesday in Sunrise not withstanding) in tact?