Holmqvist is the man

Don't have this on any official authority but I'd say it's a pretty good bet Johan Holmqvist will start the final five games of the regular season. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Marc Denis blew his best chance to be considered the team's No. 1 with the way he played in his past two games. Can you imagine? The guy outplays Martin Brodeur and then bites it against the Senators and Panthers, allowing eight goals on 40 shots. That kind of instability cannot happen in a playoff run, so I bet Holmqvist, unless he completely falls apart, starts the rest of the season.

This has advantages on several levels. Holmqvist knows that even if he lets in one or two bad goals, he is not in danger of being removed. That is good for his head. And the players know the position will no longer be a swinging door. It is big for Holmqvist as well. The Lightning wants to sign him again and the team will have to pay a lot more if he shows he can handle the pressure of a late-season push and a playoff run. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see.

So it took 77 games but the Lightning finally will have a No. 1 goalie.

As for Denis, the guy works so hard I can't believe the results were so bad. But, geez, he left a gap a mile wide between his legs on Olli Jokinen's goal Tuesday and allowed Jokinen to score even though defenseman Shane O'Brien had hold of one of Jokinen's arms. And how about a poke check instead of staying back in the crease? Easy for me to say, I know. But I'm not getting paid almost $3-million  a year, either.      

Who is in goal?

Is it just me or is it possible we've seen the last of Marc Denis as a starter this season? The guy has gotten so many chances and it is obvious after Tuesday night's game Torts' confidence in him is so low, perhaps he just gives Johan Holmqvist the last five starts.

You get the feeling Torts always has believed Holmqvist has more upside than Denis. And, really, Denis hasn't done much to disprove that notion. Funny thing about Denis. Every time you thought maybe, just maybe, he was ready to turn a corner, he took a step back.

Perhaps it is just the pressure of expectations. He certainly didn't have much when he was with the Blue Jackets. Anything he did was gravy as was anything the team did in the standings. He is with a better team with the Lightning with more weapons. The only difference seems to be the expectations.

Worse, we know it is in him to do it. We have seen him play well. We have seen him play spectacular at times. Where it goes when the pressure is on is anyone's guess. It is too bad too. Marc Denis works hard, can't take that away from him. He cares deeply. He just could not turn that into success.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens over the summer. His $2.9-million cap hit is a lot to carry. Do you package him in a deal and hope someone can take his salary off your hands? Do you come to camp and give him a shot to win a spot? Only if you are prepared to send him to the minors if he fails and perhaps get a team to pick him up on waivers like Sean Burke.

The Marc Denis story already is 1 season old but it is just beginning.

      

Playoff tickets

Just a heads up. The team is selling eight-game strips for the first two rounds of the playoffs at the St. Pete Times Forum box office, at tampabaylightning.com or by calling (813) 301-6600.

There are two price structures; one for season-ticket holders and one for non season-ticket holders. Prices for season-ticket holders are from $808 to $168. Prices for non season-ticket-holders are $1,105 to $225.

Single-game tickets will be on sale at a future date and the team will still sell the $8 tickets available the mornings of game days.

Let the sarcasm begin ...

Denis plays vs. Panthers

Okay, I have to say this one surprised me. Marc Denis had a chance to not only solidify, perhaps, the No. 1 spot Saturday against the Senators, he also could have built some trust with his teammates. Instead, he gave up five goals on 23 shots, including a backbreaking fourth goal, and was pulled. A perfect spot for Johan Holmqvist to return from the flu, right? Apparently not as Denis will get the start tonight against the Panthers.

Almost everyone watching the morning skate was taken by surprise and coach John Tortorella would not address it when he spoke to reporters other than to say, "Denis is in net.''

So, what's up? Despite Torts always saying such decisions come down to his gut, this one might be totally stats driven. Holmqvist is 1-1-1 with an .851 save percentage and a 4.53 goals-against average this season against the Panthers. Lifetime against Florida, Denis is  3-2-1 with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. Hard to argue with that. But here's the interesting part.

Holmqvist is 13-4-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage this season at the St. Pete Times Forum. Away he is 11-10-1 with a 3.32 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage. So what happens if Denis stinks tonight? You go with Holmqvist on the road Friday against the Hurricanes? And how many chances is Denis supposed to get?

Also, don't expect to see Karri Ramo start a game this season. Torts kind of floated that idea when the 20-year-old was called up from AHL Springfield. But after he allowed two goals on five shots Saturday against Ottawa in relief of Denis, the confidence isn't there with Torts or the players.

Crazy, isn't it, that 76 games into the season we are still dealing with this mess. Like I said in today's paper. It's like Torts is down to using a Ouija board.   

   

Ranger is skating/AHL news

It was just a small first step but defenseman Paul Ranger participated in his first full practice Monday since sustaining a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee on March 7. Ranger skated the 45-minute workout at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Afterward he said the knee felt good but still "needs more time.'' A better evaluation will be made Tuesday after the knee reacts to the stress.

Ranger has had an up-and-down season but the second-year player is a terrific passer in the defensive zone and, as coach John Tortorella said, is "a big part of it.''

The coach asked Ranger how the knee felt. Ranger was non-committal. Tortorella jokingly told his defenseman to be ready for the next game.

Also, the Norfolk (Va.) Admirals will announce Thursday they are the Lightning's new AHL affiliate.  

Holmqvist still out

Goaltender Johan Holmqvist missed Friday's practice with the flu, and coach John Tortorella said Marc Denis wil start Saturday against the Senators.

Holmqvist out with flu

Johan Holmqvist, who was supposed to start Thursday's game with the Devils, left the arena before the game because of a flu bug, the team said. Spokesman Jay Preble said Holmqvist came off the ice after the morning skate and complained of symptoms. Preble said Holmqvist showed up for the game but left when it was determined he was too sick to play. Marc Denis got the start. Karri Ramo dressed as the backup.    

Rink justice

This is how it is supposed to work. New Jersey's Cam Janssen faces the Maple Leafs the first time since his cheap shoulder-to-head hit concussed Toronto star Tomas Kaberle. Toronto's Wade Belak challenges Janssen to answer for his actions, gloves are dropped and cleared out of the way and the two fight. It's over and that is the end of the story.

Granted, the sight of two guys pummeling each other probably rubs some people the wrong way. But the Devils and Maple Leafs provided a good lesson as to how teams can handle on-ice affairs in as "civilized a manner as possible. And it is another reason why the instigator rule should be revisited.

First of all kudos to Devils coach Claude Julien who did not put Janssen back on the ice after his original hit. And the same to Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice for not sending out the goon squad. Instead, the teams waited for the next meeting. The Leafs ran at Janssen immediately. He knew it was coming and accommodated Belak's offer to fight.

Even if Janssen was on the ice on the night of his original hit, the instigator rule would have made it very costly for any Toronto player to challenge him immediately. Some say, okay, you kill off the extra two-minutes the instigator gets for starting the fight. Those are the penalties you have to overcome. Still, after witnessing the Belak-Janssen incident, it is obvious teams know how to handle such situations without turning it into a old-time brawl.

And I'm with the argument posed by Lightning defenseman Luke Richardson who said if teams were allowed to react to such hits in the first place, perhaps some of the cheap shots around the league would decrease.

No names, but a direction

If the Lightning's three seasons with AHL Springfield did anything, it reinforced to Tampa Bay management it needs more offensive sharpshooters. The Lightning has no one in the minors it can call up for either a spark or to scare the underachieving forwards on the roster. Don't you think Torts would have loved to call someone up this season to either give Ruslan Fedotenko a jolt or find him a seat? GM Jay Feaster also acknowledged the lack of firepower was one reason Springfield has been so dismal the past few years.

So it should be no surprise Feaster and head scout Jake Goertzen said the team will target offensive forwards in the draft. The problem is, this year's draft is supposed to be generally weak. It is the 2008 draft, Goertzen said, which will provide great talent.

So, it will be a multi-year task but one that eventually should provide a payoff, though depending on how deep the Lightning gets in the playoffs that may be a more difficult challenge as its draft position will get worse. But take heart, Tampa Bay was once depleted at goaltender and is now flush and it still hasn't signed Russian sensation Vasily Koshechkin. Organizational depth at defense, while not golden and very young, also is better than in the past.

It is a long-term plan, but at least they have one.

    

Play Ramo?

The Lightning recalled goalie Karri Ramo from AHL Springfield on Monday and the question is, should he play? Neither Marc Denis nor Johan Holmqvist has shown the consistency coach John Tortorella sought after he said he wanted one to take the bull by the horns and lead the team into the playoffs. And the Lightning loves Ramo. In fact, there are those who believe he could be the team's No. 1 as soon as next season. He also was quite the cool customer when he came in for Holmqvist Dec. 2 in Ottawa and stopped 16 of 18 shots in his first NHL game. There's a god story going around about Ramo that during the second intermission he stood up and screamed to his teammates to win the game. That takes a lot of guts for a rookie to do. But that's partly why they like this guy. It's kind of a tough call I would think. You like Ramo and want to see what he can do. But you have two goalies in Denis and Holmqvist who have brought you this far and probably deserve a chance to finish the job. There also is perception. Do you want the players to think you are panicking by playing Ramo? That's a lot to consider. The way I see it, depending on how Holmqvist or Denis does Tuesday against the Islanders, Ramo may get to dress for a game as a backup. But start? That might be a bit of a stretch, though don't think Torts hasn't thought about it.

We never knew

Remember when Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier fought Flames star Jarome Iginla in the 2004 Stanley Cup final?

Well, Sun Sports - covering Saturday's meeting, the first since that final - did a nice job retelling the story and added a nugget we never knew. Lecavalier and Iginla were roommates and became fast friends just a couple of months later when they played for Team Canada in the World Cup of Hockey.

(2004 Times photo by Dirk Shadd: The Lightning's Vinny Lecavalier, right, and the Flames' Jarome Iginla were trading pleasantries mere months after trading punches during the Stanley Cup final. Click photo to enlarge.)

Blast from the past

Old-time Lightning fans, I think, seem to dismiss the impact that first-ever pick Roman Hamrlik had with the Bolts.

But this came up during the Lightning's game Saturday against the Flames, the team Hamrlik is with now. Think of how much of an offensive force Dan Boyle has been the past couple of seasons. Boyle had 53 points last season. He has 55 in 70 games this season. But Hamrlik still holds the team record for defensemen with 65 in 1995-96.

Across the chops

Hard to imagine anyone being unhappy with the suspension handed Chris Simon for his baseball bat swipe at the face of Ryan Hollweg, other than to say he should have been thrown out of the league. What's so interesting about the entire case is had Hollweg just not curled around after the puck and come right back into Simon's path, none of this probably would have happened. had the puck gone another way, had Hollweg gone to the bench, it would have taken him out of harm's way.

Don't know if any of you recall Simon going after Ruslan Fedotenko during the 2004 Cup season. Feds hit Simon, then a member of the Rangers, cleanly along the boards. Simon cross-checked him, jumped on him and started punching, so he has a history of snapping.

So, what do you think? Did the NHL do enough? Should Simon be out of the league? Criminal charges?   Or is this all a lot about nothing? After all Hollweg didn't take any serious injuries.

This goal counted

It was not nearly as dramatic as the controversy that occurred during Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup final, and it wasn't nearly as emotional. But even Lightning coach John Tortorella said his mind started to wander back three years as a potential goal was undergoing review during Saturday night's late 3-2 overtime victory over the the Flames.

The last time Tampa Bay played at the Pengrowth Saddledome, June 5, 2004, what was ruled a Nikolai Khabibulin save on a puck that deflected off the skate of Calgary's Martin Gelinas call preserved a 2-2 tie with seven minutes left in the third period. Tampa Bay went on to a 3-2 double-overtime victory to deny the Flames' chance to win the Cup and set up Game 7 in Tampa.

On Saturday, a video review determined a puck thrown on net by Calgary's Craig Conroy sneaked under the blocker glove of Lightning goalie Marc Denis. The call reversed the referee's decision that the puck did not cross the goal line. The goal gave Calgary a 2-1 lead 4:28 into the third period.

"It was such a tug of war battle between two  teams you can't help but think about it,'' Tortorella said of Game 6, "especially in our first time back here. So I have to admit I did wander a bit as we waited for the review. But tough luck, we won the series.''

Saturday's review needed to determine if the puck under Denis' blocker hand got over the goal line. After the game, Tortorella admitted he had not seen a replay but said a couple of his players told him they thought it was a goal. Replays in the press box seemed to show that, though only by inference. Denis' hand covered the puck and his hand appeared past the goal line. But that is where Tortorella questioned the call.

"The key thing for us was that it was waived off, so they had to have conclusive evidence,'' he said. "I'm not sure they did or not, but from what I understand you really can't see it. ... The rule is, you can't say, 'Okay, it must be across because it must be under his hand.' You have to see it. They just went over that in the GM's meetings, so from what I understand, you can't see it?''

It is a moot point as Tampa Bay won the game. But it sure does seem as if the league flies by the seat of its pants with this replay thing. Just add this chapter to a story we have been following all season.      

Unbalanced schedule

There is no doubt the three-year gap between games between the Lightning and Flames has taken much of the glamor from the matchup. Had the teams played soon after their Cup final, it would have been very cool to see. Lightning players played along as best they could about how great the memories were at the Saddledome and, well, you know how that goes.

Anyway, here's an idea that has been floated before but got some conversation this week. Why doesn't the NHL schedule the previous season's Cup finalists in a rematch to start the next season? I know you couldn't do this in 2004-05 because of the lockout, but I thought that was a good idea just generally. The NFL makes a living out of matchups. Sometimes it matches the previous season's big games in preseason, for gosh sake.

The way the league schedules has to be addressed as well. It is crazy each team does not see each other every year. As Lightning defenseman Cory Sarich said, each team should see each other at least twice a season, once at home, once away. Seems logical, easy and correct.

Tarnasky's fight

In case you were wondering:

According to NHL rule 47.12 Nick Tarnasky should have been given a game misconduct when assessed an instigator penalty with 4:42 left in the third period of Wednesday's game with the Oilers. Instead, he erroneously was given a 10-minute misconduct, said Mike Murphy the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations.

Okay, honest mistake by the refs, I guess. But the more interesting part of that scenario is that coach John Tortorella was not fined $10,000 and Tarnasky was not suspended. Here's why, but first some background:

Rule 47.12 states that players who are judged to have started a fight in the final five minutes of a period are to be given a two-minute instigator penalty, a five-minute fighting major and a game misconduct.

Rule 47.22 states that players so judged will be suspended one game and the coach fined $10,000. However, Rule 47.22 also states that such judgments are subject to review by the NHL's hockey operations department. Murphy said Thursday that director of hockey operations, Colin Campbell, immediately reviewed the play and determined the fight was more or less spontaneous and it was obvious Tortorella had not sent Tarnasky on the ice to stir up trouble. Hence, Tarnasky was not suspended and Tortorella was not fined.

Murphy called Tarnasky's actions "part of the game'' and "a proper reaction by the Tampa player.'' The fight with Matt Green happened after Greene ran over Eric Perrin in the neutral zone. Tarnasky said he believed it was a "cheap shot'' and that Greene took "a little bit of liberty.''

"(Bleepin') right,'' Perrin said when asked if he appreciated Tarnasky's retaliation. "I was the first guy to over to him. That was solid.''

Tortorella also liked what he saw, saying of the two-minute penalty, "Those penalties you have to kill off.''

   

.

Ranger out indefinitely

EDMONTON — Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger will be out indefinitely after suffering a partially torn MCL in his left knee during Wednesday’s game against Edmonton, according to the team.

Ranger was injured in a collision with Edmonton’s Raffi Torres, who fell into Ranger’s knee after tripping over Lightning goalie Marc Denis. Ranger, in his second year with the Lightning, has four goals, 26 points and is plus-3 while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time.

Ranger hurt

Bad news from Edmonton. Paul Ranger had to be helped off the ice 8:48 into the first period with a left knee injury. Ranger was standing next to the Lightning net during a scramble. Edmonton's Raffi Torres, seemed to trip over the skates of Tampa Bay goalie Marc Denis and fell into Ranger, who went down clutching his knee. He skated off the ice with help from trainer Tommy Mulligan. The Lightning said Ranger will not return and that will be the only update until he is evaluated Thursday.

American idiot

No responses necessary, I just thought this was funny:

First some background: When the Canadian media saw Torts' quote in my story about Brad Richards (and, no, writing about Brad wasn't a conspiracy, after all Gary Shelton just wrote a story about how Vinny and Marty should be MVPs) about some in the Canadian media being "idiots'' they asked him about it for two days.

Anyway, when the Canucks and Lightning came out for their pregame skates Tuesday, the PA system in the arena blared Green Day's "American Idiot.''

Vinny goes down

Just one of those moments that makes everyone associated with the team hold his breath.

The team was practicing Monday after a six-hour flight from Tampa to Vancouver. Rookie defenseman Shane O'Brien decides he is going to finish a check and slams rookie Blair Jones into the side boards. Unfortunately, Vinny Lecavalier was standing next to Jones and got caught up in the action.

Lecavalier gets bowled over by both players. The glass rattles and ... Vinny doesn't get up. In fact, he stays down for about 30 seconds. Finally, he gets up and eventually talks to O'Brien and Torts and laughs with both.

Later, Lecavalier said he simply had the wind knocked out of him. "I couldn't breathe and then when I was on the ice I started laughing when the pain went away.''

O'Brien, who has played just three games with Tampa Bay since being acquired from the Ducks, was obviously relieved.

"Not a good idea, eh?'' he said of trying to take out the league's leading scorer. "A good way to get myself out of here.''

Said general manager Jay Feaster: "Vinny told me when he was hit, he had trouble breathing. I told him me too.''

Game vs. Caps

Let me take off my reporter's cap for one second and talk as a fan of the game, because I believe what we saw in Thursday night's game is one of the issues the NHL must confront to make the game better.

I thought that game was one of the worst officiated I have ever seen. For the referees to impose themselves into a game so late in the third period showed, at best, poor judgment. At worst it showed lack of understanding of the pace and essence of the game. It is one thing to call penalties that are legitimate but to put the Lightning down five-to-three in the game's last minute (it turned into a six-on-three when the goalie was pulled) but the calls that were made were not within the spirit of the game.

Cory Sarich's delay of game penalty and, especially, Eric Perrin's hooking call, were almost non-existent. Call Sarich if you must, but to put Tampa Bay two men down with a ticky-tack call against Perrin was bad, I thought.

The referees then made themselves look worse by calling an obvious makeup penalty in the overtime against Washington's Brian Sutherby, who we're still not sure even touched a Lightning player. It was clear he did NOTHING to warrant a penalty.

Let's let the guys battle a little bit, especially late in a close game. That is the essence of the game. That is what people want to see. No wonder some players are shying away from physical contact. No wonder Lightning coach John Tortorella has called the game one for "gentlemen.'' Let the players decide games. Let the players play. It is unforgivable when referees decide games. Had the Capitals won in overtime of the shootout, that is what would have been the case.

Give the referees in this one a big fat F.

 

Three Amigos

Is that a good nickname for Vinny, Marty and Brad?

Anybody have any better suggestions? And please don't be gross.