At least it wasn’t an overall slaughter tonight.

The Lightning played “it’s game” tonight - going up, getting even, going up and giving it away - in Ottawa tonight… preserving pessimism among Lightning fans as the team ends it’s five game road trip.

Vincent lLecavalier scored twice for the Lightning — which gives him 30 on the year, and 3 goals in 2 games — opening scoring in general 2 minutes into play as well as scoring early in the second after play was delayed due to one of the boards being out of position. Dmitry Afanasenkov scored just seconds after the Lecavalier goal in the 2nd and it was 3-1…

And then the piss away began.

The Lightning played mostly fast and kept up with the Senators but were outclassed by the Heatly/Alfresson show once again — allowing Heatly to tie the game early in the 3rd and Alfredsson to win the game with all of 6 seconds left on the clock. 3 unanswered goals and the Lightning are back to reeling.

It’s not all dark after this loss (yet a good deal of it ever still) but the Lightning return home with it’s tail between it’s legs after an unproductive road swing…

Sidenote — anyone view TSN before tonights game or hear about the (appropriate) savaging of Bobby “The Chief” Taylor’s complaining from the night before in Montreal?

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I didn’t post anything about last night’s game on the site because I don’t wanna jinx anything or give forgone conclusions about the weight of the game…

If they can get out of Ottawa alive and kicking, then the true ramnifications of last night in Montreal may become apparent.

Tom Jones does what he can in the St. Petersburg Times to give Jay Feaster a vote of confidence after the lack-of movement last week around the Trade deadline.

Rolson, Khabibulin, Noronen — the big name goaltenders were brought up as topics of who the Lightning had supposedly targeted at the deadline and Jones does what he can to debunk them all.

That still doesn’t clear Feaster or the Lightning from lack of movement.

In the past, I’ve speculated that the Bolts would make a lateral move instead of a blockbuster of any kind… That’s not trying to put down the idea of a blockbuster — this is just following Feaster’s MO. A lateral move does not mean the quality of those acquired may or may not exceed what we already had - but it would be a shakeup none-the-less and change the chemistry of the club a bit.

A trade wasn’t the only way to do this and Feaster opted to stand pat. There were various players who passed through waivers proceeding the deadline that Jay decided against… Now, I have to re-iterate the lateral movement idea here again. To put in a waiver claim for Phil Sauve or Mike Morrison sends a message to the Lightning’s goaltending pair directly as well as adds depth to the franchise at goalie — though the goalie pick ups may only be on par with John Grahame/Sean Burke at best. Perhaps neither goalie would stick around after the season, or play worth the money invested in them, but in the Lightning’s situation they are looking for immediate impact… Having a waiver pick-up as a rent-a-player is less costly than trading for a rent-a-player of higher calibre.

In closing, Jay Feaster’s dropped-ball at the deadline wasn’t making a killer move or going for a big name being thrown around at the deadline. That tends to not be his thing anyway… But he still failed to make a move - even one less costly and with less potential impact than what the fans hoped - to improve his club during the stretch run and that is the factor that earns Feaster the disappointment of the fans.

For those of you missing Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay (his performance on field with the Buccaneers and his high-and-mighty, pompous and thru and thru bastard personality off it, let me introduce you to Devil Rays super-prospect Delmon Young

To those who may have forgotten, Young was pretty cranky when he was a member of the Biscuits. He refused to do interviews on camera unless he was paid.

Of course, no one paid him. No one in any sport ever pays anyone for standard interviews that are used for news purposes. It’s an absurd notion.

Shearer said Young used colorful language to dress down his reporters.

Young isn’t even 21 and he is the envy of anti-reporter athletes everywhere. Eddie Murray must be smiling and nodding somewhere… Or shaking his head at the thought of a didn’t-make-it-yet player pulling a stunt like this.

Young’s attitude has been in question for a while and the Rays ought to do some serious soul searching if this attitude belongs in Tampa Bay at all.