First period vs. Florida

Posted Nov 18, 2008 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Nov 18, 2008 at 08:24 PM

Lightning deserved a better fate in that period. Lots of offensive pressure. Some real prime scoring chances. No goals. That’s the way it goes when the team is in a scoring slump, as it really has been all season. Tampa Bay finished with 16 shots. That’s 16 shots, which is two less than they had all game against Detroit. But the bottom line is they didn’t finish, and at the end of the day, the score is all that matters.

If you were watching this game on TV - which I know is nearly impossible tonight unless you have some sore of illegal cyberspace feed piping out of the building, but I knoooow there’s nobody out there like that, right? - you might have done a double-take on Bryan McCabe’s goal to open the scoring as he stepped into a loose puck and ripped a shot glove-side high on Mike Smith. It looked just like the goal McCabe scored down in Sunrise on Tuesday. Almost exactly like it.

Florida had all three power plays in that period - and cashed in on the third with 16.3 seconds left on a rebound shot from David Booth who wasn’t cleared from the crease after the shot - so you have to think that there will be some coming the Lightning’s way in the second period. That’s just the way hockey goes, especially after the questionable tripping call on Paul Ranger to set up the second Florida goal.

The line combos, by the way, are all over the map. As promised, Rick Tocchet is sticking with duos and rotating around the third line member, but it’s still hard to keep track of. Steven Stamkos had three of the Lightning’s shots, including a wide open chance off the left circle that Tomas Vokoun made the save on.