Game 19: Nashville at Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Nashville Predators 4-1.

The first period was great. Both of Lecavalier's goals were very nice, and the team had a lot of energy and purpose. And then there was nothing in the last two periods. They coasted really badly but luckily managed to hold on to the lead.

In this particular instance, while penalties were a problem, the officiating was even more of a problem. All of these holding, holding the stick, and hooking penalties were kind of a joke. They should be called, of course, but only when they actually happen.

Do you realize that hockey is the only sport where injuries - or lack thereof - make a difference in the severity of the penalty? In football, a face mask penalty is 15 yards, no matter what happens to the guy whose head was jerked around. But a high stick call in hockey is dependent upon whether or not there's blood. It's no wonder that officiating isn't very consistent. The league allows too much leeway for officials when making calls. There's absolutely no standardization, it's all subjective.

Power plays against them didn't help the Lightning, but they're still getting out shot. Smith was again brilliant. They're so lucky to have this guy.

I don't know. The did win, which was really good. And at least they found a way to hold on to the lead. The last two periods didn't exactly inspire confidence in me, tho.

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