OK (that just stands out everytime you see it now for reasons other than the obvious, doesn’t it?) I’ve had a chance to take a closer look at the schedule and examine some of the highlights (or lowlights, as it may be).

Other than the obvious long trip across the pond to face the Rangers in Prague - Tampa Bay will have some other extended stays away from home, especially in October where a five-game homestand awaits the Lightning upon their arrival back on North American soil starting with the Oct. 11 home opener against Carolina that concluces on Oct. 25 with the return of Dan Boyle to Tampa with the San Jose Sharks - that game should be a guaranteed sell out.

The first of three lenghty road trips begins on Nov. 5 as the first of five consecutive road games gets underway in New Jersey and continues down the Eastern seaboard to the New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Washington and conclues in Florida on Nov. 12.

For the second consecutive year the Lightning will be away from home on Thanksgiving Day as they will travel to Minnesota for an afternoon matinee the next day in Minnesota.

New Year’s Eve once again will be spent away from home - last year it was in Toronto - for a New Year’s Day game in Washington. Three days later, lenghty road trip No. 3 (No. 2 comes in December) begins a five-game road trip that takes the team out West. And somebody has a sense of humor in the league office as after a Jan. 9 game in Anaheim there are three days before they play Barry Melrose’s old team, the L.A. Kings. Think of the stories that will be written in those days leading up to that game!!!! And you think ESPN will be all over that or not?

The end of the season won’t be too kind as 13 of the final 22 games and six of the last nine games will take place on the road, including a Western Canada swing at the end of February. The season finale will take place in Atlanta for the third consecutive year.

Mark these other dates on your calendar:

Oct. 25 - Dan Boyle’s return (as previously noted)
Nov. 13 - Defending champion Detroit (with the newly signed Marian Hossa) comes to town, always a big draw.
Jan. 19 - Seems almost an afterthought at this point, but Brad Richards and the Dallas Stars (including superpest Sean Avery) come to town
Jan. 30 - Super Bowl weekend kicks off with a visit from the Philadelphia Flyers
Feb. 7 through Feb. 19 - A five-game homestand kicks off, the longest consecutive stretch of home games of the season (there is one that’s disrupted by the All-Star break)
March 3 - Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins make the first of two Tampa appearances in the final six weeks of the season.

All right, who’s making the road trips and buying me a Canadian ginger ale