Game 18: Florida at Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Florida Panthers 4-3 in a shootout.

This entire game I couldn't help but think that it was a mirror image of the games that they'd been playing. Only the Lightning were in the Panthers' shoes before. They'd be outshot hugely, lose the lead, squeak into overtime, and then the rest was up to chance in the shootout.

Which is really the thing that people hate about the shootout. It's not that it's not a team event, and it's not that it's a gimmick. It's really because success in the shootout is plainly about luck. What they fail to see is that the entirety of any game is a game of chance. The shootout in hockey just lays that fact bare, and most people would rather believe that it's skill, or some kind of master plan, that gets them somewhere than just blind chance. But how many players say that their goals were scored because they threw something on net and the fact that it went in was just pure luck?

Anyways, Stamkos was on a rampage last night. I think that playing with Lecavalier and St. Louis really got him going because it was an indication of faith in his ability. Nine shots on goal - but not one going in - is pretty crazy. As were Lecavalier's seven shots on goal, also with none going in.

I still don't understand what the big fuss is over Stamkos's ice time. I think it's pretty unreasonable to expect any 18-year-old rookie to have anything more than a supporting role on any team in any sport. Would anyone feel completely comfortable about putting a true freshman who was a high school star immediately in at starting quarterback for USC, Ohio State, or Florida? No - in fact, most people would think the head coach was insane for trying that - and that's for a college team, not a big-league professional team. So why expect an 18-year-old NHL rookie to put up All-Star numbers and rack up veteran levels of ice time immediately? There's such a huge double standard going on with that.

52 shots on goal for the Lightning. Yes, that's for Tampa Bay. I'm not sure where that came from. Still, allowing 36 for Florida was about their average this season. So that aspect of their game remains pretty constant. As was five power plays they gave the Panthers which let them back into the game.

I think, in the end, all of these overtime games will really help them get into playoffs. I hate the points system that the NHL has - 2 points for wins, 1 point for overtime, 0 points for loses - but it should work in Tampa Bay's favor this season. They've been in something like nine overtimes now, and have only won two of them. If those had stayed in regulation and they'd kept that record, they'd be out seven points in the standings. So that's beneficial for them - and I say that grudgingly because I think the system is wrong.

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