D4n B0yl3 0wnz j00.

Well, so does Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, Ruslan Fedotenko and Martin St. Louis.

In a game where the Lightning needed to show that they did in fact belong in the Stanley Cup Finals, the team put on a performance that got them that far by dominating the game 4-1. Brad Richards posted his 6th Game Winning Goal of the playoffs to tie the Stanley Cup Playoff record of 6 by Joe Niewundyke.

Dan Boyle scored — and tended to play like his house was burning down (a phrase I repeated over and over with friends on Thursday Night).

All in all the Bolts played more up to par — and I don’t say this simply because they won. Game 1 saw failures in passing, shooting the puck ON GOAL, defensive lapses and the like. It was a rare let down from a team that has been firing on all cylinders since January.

And Thursday Night, they gave all at Times Palace a glimpse of the team that they knew full well — the team that could perform at all ends of the rink and not be intimidated.

Game 3 is set for Saturday and the Lightning put their perfect game 3 record on the line in front of the “C of Red” at Saddledome.

With the Flames’ rampant success, and tickets for games selling out in an average of ten minutes, the profiteers have come out in full force.

While you can land a pair of tickets to finals games held in Tampa for a couple hundred dollars on eBay, tickets for the games in the Saddledome are going for over c$1000 a pair.

But one idiot really takes the cake. This twit actually wants $8000 American for a pair of club seats to game 3. Face value of these tickets are $325 each.

Gee, wondering why you have no bids yet, Sparky?

ESPN.com - NHL - Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Preview

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) — The Calgary Flames can tie the NHL record for the most road wins in a postseason on Thursday when they face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals at the St. Pete Times Forum.

No respect I tell ya, no respect…. My mother never breast fed me… She said she liked me as a friend — Rodney Dangerfield.

Rodney is King and, with that treatment by EPSN (Extremely Partial Sports Network) I can think of no other guy to represent the Lightning… At least for the moment.

I like the Tampa Bay Lightning, I really do. If they werent playing the Flames in this final, I’d probably even cheer for them. But could someone please gag Tim “the Tool” Taylor already?

Taylor has been whining about the trap being employed by the Flames to win game one.

“Once again, a team says they are not a trap team,” Taylor said. “They are definitely a trap team. The way they play, I see us going back as a league another five or six years back to the old trap and not calling clutching and grabbing. This is a time for the league to really step up and do a job calling the game the way it’s supposed to be called.”

A couple of points, Mr. Taylor:

First, the Neutral Zone Trap is not based around clutching and grabbing - which your team was quite adept at as well on Tuesday - but on sound positioning.

Second, find me one team in the NHL that wont employ the trap up 3-0 in the third period of a hockey game.

Third, dont you find it odd that as a checking forward yourself, that you should be whining about your opponents checking you to death?

Fourth, going into the final three minutes of that game, Tampa held a 5-2 advantage in powerplays. I would suggest, Mr. Taylor, that the officials were doing exactly what you wanted them to do.

And finally, do you really want to wake the officials up? I agree wholeheartedly that the officiating could have been better. Cory Stillman leaving his feet to drill Marcus Nilson’s head into the glass would have been a major penalty, game misconduct and a suspension in the regular season. It should have been such on Tuesday as well. Andre Roy should also have gotten a major and a game misconduct for running Ville Niemenen from behind on the exact same play.

Thus, instead of being down two men for a full five minutes, you were only shorthanded one man for two. If anything, the officials allowed you the chance to try and get back in it. You didnt.

You went 4-0 vs the New Jersey Devils, Tim. Obviously the trap didnt affect you then. So why are you crying about it now? Or are you just looking for an excuse to explan why you were beaten silly in your own barn in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals?

Might I recommend that you play better tonight? Or would you prefer to spend your time trying to think up another excuse should you be outworked again by the Flames?