Game 15: Tampa Bay at Florida

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost tonight to the Florida Panthers 4-0.

I thought that this was a better game than the last one they played. They seemed steadier and more consistent. I think that the leadership was pulling thru a bit more tonight. Still, there was that lack of shots and penalty trouble again.

They’ve been a little sloppy lately. Passes keep getting picked off or are off-target, for instance. And they’re backing up too far into their defensive zone. And why are they dumping and chasing the puck into the offensive zone when they’re having problems with recovering loose pucks? That’s what I want to know.

Smith played well – particularly in the second and third periods. Gratton and Recchi both had pretty good games, as did St. Louis again. No one really stood out for the Lightning after those guys, tho.

I’ve accepted the fact that they’re going to have slow starts. I’ve accepted the fact that they’re probably going to allow 35-40+ shots a game. And I’ve almost accepted that they’re not going to shoot as much as the team they’re playing – almost, but not quite. But I just can’t quite wrap my head around their lack of competitiveness.

I’m a very competitive person, and the only thing I like less than losing are ties. The more of a challenge there is, the harder I work for it. It’s very difficult for me to walk away from a challenge. In fact, the only time I do walk away from something is when I feel that there’s no other option left to me; that I just can’t win no matter how hard I try. Doesn’t mean I like it, tho.

So I don’t get the Lightning. I’m not even playing for this team, and I want to go into their locker room, get in their faces, and rip on them. (And believe me when I say that I would – I am not easily intimidated.) I mean, how can it be that not a single one of them doesn’t get angry and then go out and try to lead by example – at the very least?

Don’t these guys have any kind of passion in them? They just stand around, kind of shrug their shoulders, and go thru the motions. If you really want something, then you have to put in the time and effort and work for it. Everyone knows that. And most recently, I’ve seen no one who’s been willing to go out and fight for the things that they want on a consistent basis. Not for pucks, not for positioning, not even for ice time.

There’s just no fire in this team. It’s as if they’re little boys who have lost their dog, and just want to sit and pout about it instead of going out and looking for it. Well, I say that they need to go out and look for the darned dog. Stop being passive and do something constructive. It’s an upsetting thing to watch these guys who are life-long athletes be ambivalent about something they supposedly love.

Especially when it seems like I care more about it than they do.

Having said that, I still do think that this game was an improvement over the last one or two. And they’re actually doing alright in the Eastern Conference standings, believe it or not. However, I really do believe that the fundamental problem with this team is the ownership/management. That doesn’t excuse the players from not putting in the effort for 60 minutes and playing tho. They need to create their own internal stability somehow, because no one else is going to do it for them.

A stat was thrown out there during the game by the announcers that was both unbelievable and disturbing – at least to me. Meszaros is the only defenseman for the Lightning to have been on the team since they played the NY Rangers in Prague. The only one. If you don’t think that ownership/management isn’t a problem, then you’re living in denial.

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