The Lightning got the blues in St. Louis tonight, losing in OT 4-3 and being swept for the season by the Blues franchise. Taking a point from the game but still - leaving their pride under the gateway arch.

Corey Stillman, playing his first game in St. Louis since the Lightning acquired him on Draft Day 2003, had a goal and an assist to go along with an earlier goal that was waved off by the officials when the puck appeared to go off his hand and past goalie Chris Osgood.

Nikolai Khabibulin started in goal for the Bolts, giving up 4 goals on 29 shots — including the game winner to Doug Weight a minute and six seconds into the overtime period. Ruslan Fedotenko and Pavel Kubina scored the other Tampa Bay goals.

From TSN.ca - NHL

A financial audit of the Florida Panthers hockey team has raised “substantial doubt” about the long term future of the NHL franchise.

While the Office Depot Center generated a profit of $5.1-million after expenses last year, financial auditors Deloitte and Touche expressed concerns about the Panthers in a report submitted to Broward County on Tuesday.

The report shows Panthers Hockey LLP “incurred a net loss, had a working capital deficiency and had negative cash flows from operating activities” during the fiscal year which ended June 30, 2003.

Off the topic of the Lightning, I did want to pass on the news that Chris Thomas - former sports director at WFLA Newschannel 8, and radio personality , passed away from Cancer earlier today at University Community Hospital. He was 55.

For those not aware, there is an NHL site specifically devoted to the Collective Bargaining agreement at http://www.nhlcbanews.com/. There is information on the just-filed Levitt report along with understand the CBA links and CBA “By the Numbers” links….