Game Recap: TB 2 - BUF 3 (OT)

Opportunity lost. Heading into the final 3 minutes of the game the Bolts were up 3-1. Then Thomas Vanek took over and scored the next 2 goals to tie it and send it to overtime. In OT, it was Vanek again, scoring the game winner on the PP to give the Sabres the win.

What to take away from this one:

1. Holmer was awesome in net. He stopped 42 of 46.
2.The Bolts have got to stay out of the box. THe game winner was the Sabres only PP goal, but the Lightning gave them multiple chances.
3. On the same note, the Penalty Kill was very good.
4. Prospal continued to play like a man possessed, scoring 1 of the Lightning goals.


So as you can imagine, Torts was pissed after the game. He actually went of on the team in the locker room with reporters present.

"You better get it figured out, because I’m not going to be around it,” Tortorella yelled.

A little later, and a bit calmer Torts summed it up for reporters, “We got paralyzed, and to me it’s mental toughness. And it’s coming from our top people,” he said.

As for Holmer, he had nothing but praise for the netminder, "We didn’t play for the guy,” he said. “He kept us in there, gave us a chance, and we got squat from main people. It’s inexcusable. And that’s why we sit where we sit.”

Sounds to me like the frustration with this team is finally getting to Torts. We all know his antics and knack for speaking off the cuff are legendary, but this seems a bit different. I'm beginning to think this whole season of losing streaks, an unsettled team sale and injuries has finally beat the guy down. Now when the team is relatively heathy and looking to be within striking distance, they drop their 2nd in a row, this game being one that should have finished with the addition of 2 points to the standings.

"This is why we are in this situation in the standings, because this has been a weakness of ours all year long, other than for the last little bit," he said. "We don't have that mental toughness to handle the situations. You can see our game change, and we've lost major points."

The Bolts will face off tonight against the Islanders in the second of back-to-back games.

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