Injuries and Downie, Smaby called up

So it appears David Koci hit New York's Colton Orr so hard with a couple punches Wednesday night, he broke a hand and is out two to four weeks. Wing Matt Pettinger sprainedd a ligament in his right knee and is out for two to four weeks. Defenseman Marek Malik sustained a lower-body injury against New York and is questionable

The corresponding moves, with Koci and Pettinger presumed on injured reserve to clear roster space: right wing Steve Downie and defenseman Matt Smaby from AHL Norfolk were called up. Tampa Bay also put wing Jason Ward on recall waivers and Norfolk defenseman Andrew Hutchinson on regular waivers.

Now, I'm taking the rest of the day off.

Comments

[leo]

Oh, it makes sense, MikeP.
Because you don't agree with me doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. That's a Don in St-Pete argument. Doesn't suit you, mate.
Let me be more direct: Detroit never seems to be "affected" by the extra point hurting their chances to make the playoffs. Hmmm, why is that?
If the extra point hinders you, then you have no business BEING in the playoffs as a TEAM.
And this would apply to the days of NO shootout as well.
Make sense now, Mike?
P.

[PD]

Downie is a nut, period.

Wonder how Mezsaros feels about him in the room. Mez and MCammond were good friends in Ottawa.

[PD]

Patrick Homer was brutal during the the 1st 60 minutes ,absolutley agree. Spent half the game on his back.

The shoot out is BS.

Should be 4 points for a 60 minute win, 3 points for an OT win, 2 points for a carnival shootout win and 1 for the OTL.

That way the NHL could have their cake and eat it too.

[Patrick]

I liked Holmqvist, but boasting about his Shootout performances and overlooking the fact he's a bad goaltender in every other phase of the game is just sad. He's not even in the league any more.

[mike p]

Not really funny PD, more like sad. Though, I hope that you are not saying you want those players back. I can go without "swiss cheese" and the 7.8mil a year we shelled out for a one hit wonder. Man, Dallas could really use Mike Smith right about now and perhaps a few forwards to replace the injured ones...Weird though, you would think that us having better goaltending now and one of the greatest players in the shootout all-time that we would win more now...kinda proves my theory about it being a crapshoot.

[Steve R]

Do any of y'all not think that Downie is a cheap shot artist? Honestly curious.

[PD]

Funny how things change isn't it Mike?
Bolts used to play to get into the shootout with Homer and Richards ,it was money.

[mike p]

Leo, you said, "You won't "miss out on the playoffs, whereas before, you woulda made it." That makes NO sense." and I was merely pointing out a situation where the extra points CAN get you to miss out on the playoffs. So I don't agree with that aspect of your comment. HOWEVER, I do agree that it is now a part of the game, you have to definitely give it your all (as if you are actually fighting for a point), and the fact of the matter is, if you want to be a successful team (especially if you go to OT a lot like Tbay) you NEED to be good in the shootout. So I agree with you in that sense.

[Kincaid]

Hot Dog you're a weener McGz. Tampa Bay used to rule the shoot out because of those two guys. Richards is 15/27 in the shootout.

[McGz]

Come to think of it, everyone who was traded by the Lightning this past year seems to be doing exponentially better than with this team. I wonder why...

[McGz]

That would be B. Richards who's leading the Stars in scoring BTW with 18 pts.

[Kincaid]

Mike 13 for sure Homer was a ton better in the S/out

Guess who else was spectacular in the shoot out and a key reason for Bolts making the playoffs in 06?

Hint he would accelerate to top speed and top corner it.

[ajax]

Worst 5:3 I have ever seen. I watch tons of hockey and every team in the league moves the puck until they have all 5 guys within 20 feet of the net. The Lightning looked like a bunch of 3pt shooters, same exact thing on about the last 4 5:3's I have seen. Vinny stayed 2 feet from the blue line the whole fricking two minutes. Can he move even an inch?? 5 shots and all of them from thirty feet. Is it me or does Stamkos have about 5 passes every game go off his stick?? They must of wasted 20 seconds just standing there. Bobby the Chief Taylor makes comments that are so simple and so common sense. Maybe he should be coach. They stood there and did absolutely nothing. What is Vinny doing on the point?????? I am this close to shutting it down for about two weeks(I did that one time last year) MADDENING

[McGz]

Ajax, whenever they think they are comfortable with a lead they start backing off the blue line. Even my dad who hasn't watched hockey since the 80's recognized it.

[ajax]

Comments about backing up. Lightning go into the third period having played two very good periods of hockey. They come out and in a whiff they start playing that backup stinking no good hockey. On the go ahead goal the guy has absolutely no speed and takes the puck all the way to 6 feet in front of Smith and no one lays a hand on him. NOTHING is more wrong night in and night out than the D not holding and challenging the forwards at the blue line. I call it the invisible 10ft zone that our D plays "SAFE" IT IS MADDENING. IT IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WITH FILM HOW THEY ALLOW IT GAME AFTER GAME. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[leo]

I never said it didn't "affect", MikeP.
Please look again.
I said it "doesn't take away" from the game. Nay, truly, it ADDS.
So those three games you'll tie with Washy, TRY to win the shootout. Just like Washy will try.
The shootout is now an ELEMENT of hockey.
Crying because your team sucks at it (not you, just sayin') is not a valid argument.
GET good at it!
P.

[mike p]

Leo, the flaw in your logic is that the extra point DOES affect who gets into the playoffs and it DOES affect you if you get a tie. Say Tampa was 2 points behind Washington to make the playoffs because Tampa had lost to them 3 times in a shootout. If they had tied with them 3 times (giving both Tampa and Washinton no extra points), Tampa would be ahead of Washington in points and would have made the playoffs. Guaranteeing 3 point games with a gimmick is unfair. I don't mind the shootout as I find it entertaining, but it is still not a fair way to decide things. I've recently renamed it the CrapShoot.

[McGz]

I'd like to see Sullivan actually coach the D to stand up the opposing fwds at the blue line Herb, its too easy to enter the Lightning zone.

Also Tocchet preaches practicing breakouts, but there is still way too much space between the forwards and Dman and they're always making the 90 ft pass to the right wing.
They need to move as a five man unit through the neutral zone.
Remember the Legion of Doom line of the Flyers in the 90's? They flew through the neutral zone about 10 ft apart, making short passes, then spread out. It always amazed me how Lindros LeClair and Renberg hit the blue line at exactly the same time and actually attacked the goal, it was a thing of beauty. And they did it EVERY TIME! I know its a different era of hockey, but isn't that what Tocchet is preaching to the team? They definitely need to crash the net more.

I get tired of seeing the dump in or the drop pass on the right wing, and only two forwards entering the zone. Its either offsides or a turnover most of the time.

This team is playing better but still needs a lot of work folks.

[McGz]

Tarnasky to the Stinkin' Panthers.

[Herb]

I sit and watch all of the good teams that the Bolts play. Their D men (on the good teams) stand up the forwards at the blue line and do not usually let the Bolts into the zone with any speed or momentum.

[Herb]

Ben I agree with you on your Ranger assessment. He was a monster in his first 2 or 3 games back from injury, and then he went back to sucking for air.

[Ben bolt fan]

The call up of Smaby will bring more of a pyhsicall precense at the blue line. He is a person who plays the body a lot more than the puck. If sully can get his foot work down, this should be a good experience for him. Maybe his last?
This team stinks in the SO and Smith is easly scored on by faking left then shooting from the right in close. That is the book on him. Our first two shooters do not have a clue on how to beat Lunquist is up high not down. The two goals scored in the game were up above the pads.
This team should be happy with one point on Wednesday, becuse the Rangers had control the entire game unitl the last minute and Ranger tried to give it back to them with his patented "no look pass into the neutal zone to the other team" play. He does two or three times a game. I do not like Ranger!

[Mike13]

I think what hyjyljyj was saying about the shootout in '06 is that Smith isn't even close to as good as Holmqvist was in the shootout. He can't seem to stop anything - thus we lose each SO. Holmer was AMAZING in the SO and hardly ever got scored on.

Bingo, if you are going to equate the NHL to the MLB, then are you suggesting that the NHL play 5-on-5 hockey all night until someone wins at the end of an OT period? As it is, OT is sudden death and does not equate to the extra innings.

[McGz]

Correction: The extra point for the shootout win, not loss, is skewing the standings, like Leo mentioned, the three point game.

[McGz]

I will be watching today too and will be interested in seeing Smaby's development and how Downie plays. I hope the injury bug leaves quickly and Ward makes it back through recall waivers. He's a decent defensive forward replacement for Pettinger. Then I hope he goes back down just as quickly as he got here.

When we went to the shootout on Wednesday, my stomach churned and I began to change the channel. When is Bettman going to realize it is more detrimental to the league than helpful? The excitement is overtime is intoxicating and when it goes to the shootout, its like withdrawals. The extra point awarded for the shootout loss is also skewing the standings.

BTW anyone catch that the ECHL Augusta Lynx might be disbanded? How does that fare for the Lightning's farm system?

[leo]

Hihi and Bingo,
Allow Leo to educate you.
You are not LOSING a point. The game is TIED. It's a tie game. End of regulation, it's tied.
JUST LIKE IT WAS BEFORE.
Tied. Tied,tied,tied. Tie game! You DID NOT win. You tied!
The "gimmick" is for an EXTRA POINT. Extra!
Extra,extra,extra! UNLIKE IT WAS BEFORE, there is an ADDED point to the game. The three-point game, remember?
But in ACTUALITY?
The game's still TIED.
You won't "miss out on the playoffs, whereas before, you woulda made it." That makes NO sense.
No. You wouldn't've made it anyway cuz you tied a game you had to win. So whether the other team gets the EXTRA POINT or not is beside the issue.
Win, lose or tie.
But don't blame a gimmick that ADDS to the game and DOESN'T take away from it.
Adds!
The extra point. The three point game.
ADDED!
So try not to TIE your matches and you will blame the gimmick less and less for "taking away" from the game, when in fact, you are being hurt by its ADDING to the game.
P.

[bingo]

hyjyljvj - What a moniker. Right on with the shootout. I've said this before and will continue to mention. It is a homerun derby. When I am at the game I leave at the end of OT. It's an embarrasment for the NHL. I equate this gimmick to having baseball play one extra inning and then have a Home Run Derby for the 'W'.
In fact I've just changed the name to the MORON DERBY. That is a better reflection of what it is in the game for. The MORONS who are led by the Bettman clan.

Bettman = MORON DERBY

Bingo

[hyjyljyj]

So the hockey gods have determined the ridiculous parade of injuries from last season shall continue with unabated abandon...as we gradually complete the transition to an AHL team. Tough to mount any kind of sustained turnaround with a third of the team injured

And now instead of the automatic W in a shootout, we get to do without all those key extra points that got us into the playoffs in 06. Our one saving grace is gone bye-bye, which is not good since we are tops at getting to OT. Unbelievable, this team can not catch a break

Bet the morons who dreamed up that stupid gimmick as a way to quickly end ties never thought for a second that it would end up in part determining who gets into the playoffs and who doesn't.

Next tie game, try this fun exercise: Consciously note the sustained intensity of the energy level coming from the ice and the crowd during OT. Feel it. It's so thick you can cut it with a skate blade, the nerve-fraying excitement. Then...take note of the sudden, sharp cessation of that excitement, feel it deflate out of the building, sense the acute drop-off of sustained energy level during the shoot-out. There is NO comparison whatsoever. We get up and leave. Maybe if enough concerns were raised to the league for a long enough time by enough fans, the powers that be would reverse this terrible degradation of our sport. They need to let the TEAMS finish these games, whether it's 3-on-3, or whatever. SUDDEN, UNPREDICTABLE victory by a TEAM is so much more incredibly exciting than this damned stupid scheduled, PREDICTABLE one by INDIVIDUALS!

/off soapbox

[Coach Bill]

Daboltz-(cool name BTW) After camp I posted that we didn't need Koci. He didn't quite have NHL speed and with all the new grit we had just signed, the last thing we needed was another fighter. What a mistake!! Koci is EXACTLY what we need right now. His beating of Orr was a much needed spark. The rangers I'm sure never expected to get knocked around in Tampa and when they sent out Orr to even things up, Koci wrecked him. Bummer he broke his hand on Orr. Hope he's back soon. I'll be glued in at 2 today. Esp. want to watch Downie and Smaby. Good luck, Bolts. See you all Thurs.

[Slapshot]

It's good to see Smaby finally steping up.

[Mike13]

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of Downie - especially after his hit on McAmmond(?) last year during the preseason.

BUT, it will be interesting to see if he's matured at all. The kid does have lots of promise as a power forward.

[Da Boltz]

That sucks Koci was nailing the crap out of Orr. I swear I watched him nail him like 4 times in the helmet B4 he connected to his head though.