Vasilevskiy’s play leads Lightning victory

March 7, 2022 general

Monday, 4 a.m. If you pay attention to the boxscore, the effort of Andrei Vasilevskiy really wasn’t all that terrific. He faced only 27 shots, and three of them went into the net. Vasilevskiy has had nights when his numbers were much, much better than that. Then again, boxscores lie. If you grade the chances […]

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Does anyone remember how to play football?

March 6, 2022 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. You remember college football, right? You remember the coaches, Bobby and Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson, Jimbo and Urban and Dennis Erickson. You remember the Heismans, Tebow and Ward and Vinny. Jameis and Wuerffel and Gino. You remember the national champions, and the way the teams made Saturday matter. You remember the Fumblerooski […]

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Bolts rebound for win behind Elliott

March 5, 2022 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. They took Brian Elliott out of storage again Friday night. Uncrated him and hauled him out of the closet. Who knows when we will see him again? The Tampa Bay Lightning doesn’t let Elliott, their back-up (way back) goaltender, play very often. Most nights, he sits around and watches Andrei Vasilevskiy shine. […]

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Cooper tossed as Lightning routed

March 4, 2022 general

Friday, 4 a.m. If Jon Cooper was going to pick a night to get thrown out of his first game as an NHL coach, this was the one. There wasn’t anything there he wanted to see anyway. The Pittsburgh Penguins clobbered the Lightning Thursday night at Amalie Arena, 5-1. The Penguins outskated the Bolts, outshot […]

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Replacing a quarterback takes time

March 3, 2022 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. It sounds easy enough. A great quarterback leaves. A team brings in another great quarterback. Right? Hey, that’s how it worked with San Francisco back in 1991. Future Hall of Famer Joe Montana was traded to Kansas City to make room for future Hall of Famer Steve Young. What could be finer? […]

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Despite slow start, Bolts rally to beat Ottawa

March 2, 2022 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m Perhaps he should change his name to Point Blank. Maybe Point-a-game. Maybe “the Big” Point. Whatever the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to call forward Brayden Point, they should be prepared to call him early and often. On Tuesday night, Point again proved to be an essential member of the Bolts. He scored […]

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Marpet walks away from Bucs, NFL

March 1, 2022 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. He is walking away from the cheers. For an offensive lineman, Ali Marpet always heard his share of those. He was the kid who came from nowhere, an unheard of prospect from an unemotional college (Hobart) who was more delivery than promise. He is walking from the money. Over seven years, according […]

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McLaughlin falls, but only after winning the race

February 28, 2022 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Considering he was half a world from home, Scott McLaughlin looked fairly comfortable on the winner’s podium. Right until he went splat. McLaughlin, who had just won his first Indy Car race when he beat Alex Palou to win the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. But in his euphoria to celebrate […]

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McLaughlin wins pole with strong final lap

February 27, 2022 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Scott McLaughlin captured his first Indy Car pole on Saturday afternoon, edging teammate Will Power by a tenth of a second. McLaughlin, from New Zealand, had a strong final lap to win the prime position. Team Penske owned the front row as defending champion Colton Herta finished third. The Grand Prix begins at […]

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Bolts take it outside; beat Preds

February 27, 2022 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. When you get down to it, who really needs a roof? The Tampa Bay Lightning, playing in its first outdoor game ever, edged the Nasville Predators 3-1 in Nashville in the NHL’s Stadium Series. It was a hotly contested game, but in the end, the Bolts’ stars made the difference. Steven Stamkos […]

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