Friday, 4 a.m. A lifetime achievement almost spelled death for the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night. Captain Steven Stamkos scored his 499th goal of his career against Vancouver, but that seemed to change the focus of the game for the Bolts. Instead of concentrating on clamping down on the Canucks, the Bolts instead tried to […]

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Watch him Zig. But prepare for the Zag. Watch his hands. Watch his feet. Watch him as he watches you. And then try to figure out his next move. Nikita Kucherov, the chess master, was at it again Tuesday night, dodging and darting and making the Columbus Blue Jackets look mortal. Kucherov […]

Monday, 4 a.m. Losers. Spin it how you want. Talk about the players who didn’t play. Chatter about the upcoming playoffs. The bottom line, of course, is that the Bucs lost, 30-17 to a horrible Atlanta Falcons team. In the end, they were mediocre at best, pedestrian, run of the mill. They were less than […]

Saturday, 4 a.m. Most nights, they do not need scoring. Most nights, they do not need goaltending. Most nights, they do not need special teams. What the Tampa Bay Lighting need, more than anything, is a Get-Out-of-Jail Free card. The Lightning could not stay out of the penalty box Friday night in Winnipeg, and it […]