Nothing says entertainment like side-blowing snow in Buffalo. That was the scene here last night outside my hotel window with the lake effect snow that dumped more than six inches of the glistening white stuff on the streets, car tops and roof tops of everything in town here in up-state New York. Just walking across the street to grab a bite to eat had my jacket covered in snow. I’m sure Buffalo is a lovely city, and from NHL players who have played here, they say it is a great place to be. But I think that’s because most of them live out in Orchard Park, which is supposedly a nice suburb. The downtown area here, however, isn’t exactly bustling. Think Tampa’s downtown scene, only much, much colder and with a few more boarded up office buildings with For Lease signs in them and a LOT less condos being built!!!!!

Lightning looking to rebound tonight from a tough loss on Saturday to Washington. Brad Lukowich out for up to a month for surgery on a sports hernia. Lukowich will fly to Germany and have the same procedure that Nolan Pratt had done last summer. It’s a less invasive (good catch by Mark!!!!) surgery than a normal procedure, which cuts the abdominal muscle wall to repair the hernia. Instead, the German doctor goes underneath the abdominal muscles in a day surgery. Amazing what they can do with medicine these days, but it makes you wonder why nobody in North America is doing this type of surgery?

No new rumors to speak of today, but there’s plenty of daylight still to come before Tampa Bay touches down in Long Island for tomorrow night’s game against the Islanders, who are playing in Washington tonight.

As far as tonight’s game, Johan Holmqvist back in net for Tampa Bay (wonder if there are any scouts coming tonight to see him play??? wait, did I just start a rumor????). Andreas Karlsson is a healthy scratch, although John Tortorella mentioned this morning about how he feels like he needs to get Karlsson back into the lineup at some point because he has playing well before he missed a couple of games to attend to a personal matter. With Karlsson out, it leaves the fourth line without a natural center, which also gives Tortorella some flexibility as he has been double shifting Brad Richards and Vinny Prospal at center the past couple of games.

Here are the lines to start the game:
Vinny Prospal-Vinny Lecavalier-Marty St. Louis
Jan Hlavac-Brad Richards-Michel Ouellet
Nick Tarnasky-Chris Gratton-Craig MacDonald
Andre Roy-Mathieu Darche-Jason Ward (but again, don’t expect to see this line taking many shifts as a combination)

Also, there are not expected to be any corresponding moves in reaction to placing Lukowich on injured reserve. The team will stick with the six defensemen they have for the time being.

FIRST INTERMISSION

Not a good period for Tampa Bay at all. Not a whole lot of jump, not a lot of energy, players are taking real short shifts. Guess they just want to take it easy with the front end of a back-to-back that concludes tomorrow on Long Island. And yet, I say that and Tampa Bay has a 1-0 lead on a Chris Gratton goal 4:02 into the game. John Holmqvist has been pretty strong, stopping all 11 shots and helping the Lightning kill off two power plays, including one 73 seconds into the game.

In looking at Craig MacDonald tonight, I want to see this guy come back next year. He’s earned the opportunity for another contract. You really have to admire that he is willing to step up and block shots given that he took a puck to the face in December that cost him nine teeth. He’s been given a shot here in the second half of the season and he’s taken advantage of it.

On the other end of the spectrum in the first period, can somebody locate the real Vinny Lecavalier? He’s been awful tonight. He’s making bad passes, not hitting anybody, showing little energy. I don’t know this for sure, but I think he’s bothered by a injury, possibly to his wrist. But whatever the reason, he hasn’t been himself lately with just two goals in 10 games coming into tonight.

And can somebody please turn on the heat inside HSBC Arena? I mean, I know the acronym for the building stand for Holy Schnicky Buffalo’s Cold, but I thought that was supposed to be outside!!!!!!!

SECOND INTERMISSION

Again, not a great period for Tampa. They were pretty good early in the period, but the ice tilted in the second half of the period as the Sabres poured it on, even having consecutive power play chances to help their cause. But Johan Holmqvist has been strong through 40 minutes. He has been calm in his crease and looks square to the puck on just about every shot he has faced, and he’s faced a lot of them, 27 through two periods. He’s been in good position, hasn’t been overplaying anything and is certainly keeping Tampa Bay in the game. It’s the opposite of recent trends in which the Lightning have taken over games in the second period. Not the case tonight.

I’m still waiting for Lecavalier to do something to put his mark on this game. He’s been pretty quiet. He had three shots in that period after getting none on goal in the first.

And can Jan Hlavac please stay out of the penalty box? They guy has taken two more hooking calls tonight and has accumulated 32 penatly minutes this season, all on minors and I would bet a majority of them are hooking calls....