I wrote off bringing in Jassen Cullimore in pre-season. Maybe that was a mistake. Or maybe circumstances would make it look like it was?

Jassen’s not putting up big numbers for the Panthers — that’s no shock — but he’s stable. Though he’s only played in 21 games this season, he’s averaging 14:38 of ice time and is a solid plus 7 at this juncture. If Cullimore was back on the Bolts, however, the situation he would be playing in would be different from where he is now…

Here’s the Lightning defense numbers for you to look at:

Look at Brad Lukowich’s numbers. He was supposed to be 3rd pair this season (with Boyle, Ranger, Kuba and O’Brien playing in front of him). With Dan Boyle’s injury, Brad’s been asked to do much more and he’s averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time… And weighing down the D with a minus 16. I’m not putting blame on Brad as so much pointing at the numbers.

If Cullimore were here, it’d likely be the same case — more games, more ice time, more asked of him and lower numbers.

However, those numbers would likely be better than Doug Janik’s. The other drag on the defense in his non versatility on ice, Janik’s TOI average of 11 minutes or so puts more pressure on the kids (2nd year player Shane O’Brien and rookie Mike Lundin) to cover. Of course, others have had the opportunity to step in and beat Doug for a roster spot — but that didn’t happen. So Doug is playing where and as he should — as a #6 defensiveman… All while I was expecting the rookies (be it Lundin, Smaby or others) to serve the role and be brought along slowly.

Dan Boyle’s return can’t come soon enough… But then again, getting the ownership situation squared away couldn’t come soon enough either — having a de-facto roster freeze doesn’t help remedy the ills of the franchise.

I watched parts of the Lightning game last night… Parts. Oddly it was always the parts where the Lightning stood around and couldn’t move the puck up ice. They played a poor mans dump-and-chase and had no desire to do much more than give the Capitals what amounted to even-strength power play opportunities.

John Tortorella is pissed and wants “no excuses” for the loss. Of course, he wouldn’t flat out call his team pathetic or inept… But that’s exactly how they are playing. There’s a lack of passion once you get below Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards and Prospal. Jan Hlavac is doing so poorly he’s been demoted to the fourth line (note to my friend Jes Golbez — it appears you were right when you scorned the addition of Hlavac this summer).

I feel flat out sorry for Karri Ramo who has played his ass off the last few games. Here’s a 21 year old goaltender standing toe-to-toe with one of the NHL’s elite netminders in Olaf Kolzig and what’s happening? His team gives up in front of him.

Read that again: his team gives up in front of him.

That’s the only way to term last night. They flat out gave up. I won’t say that everyone on ice didn’t try or put an effort out there. They did, however, fail to look like they were competing in the end. And the lame duck season will continue unless the ownership situation solidifies soon (meaning don’t expect cavalry to swoop in via a trade or management change any time soon).

Meanwhile, Caps land is rejoicing a new found glory in their new coach… Oh, and the win. RJ can find two positives — and only two and that’s not surprising. Ramo, Lecavalier, and then suckage… that was last night.

A casual October has left the Lightning in 2nd place in the Southeast division but trailing the Carolina Hurricanes with thanks to that casual-October. Today and tomorrow will be the biggest test — endurance wise — the Lightning have yet to face this season as they play back to back games.

Is Jason Ward a better fit on the 2nd line than Michel Ouellet? He’s not a natural goal scorer but… well, Michel Ouellet isn’t proving to be much of one either. The difference is there is more click-age between Bradmaster and Jason Ward than with Ouellet.

On the blue line, the question is which D-man stays and which one goes when Dan Boyle comes off Injured Reserve? Matt Smaby seems like the most likely suspect at this time — and I feel sorry for him knowing that things in Norfolk are complicated defensively right now.

At any rate, Jaspers Rink has a rundown on tonights matchup (with complimentary quotes from me and RJ to boot).

The game is not a brush-off campaign that the Lightning can fart around with - it’s another must Southeast Division matchup. Yeah, it’s a long season, but with the team ending slow the previous two, winning now will likely prove vitally important if they end the season lackluster once again this season.

Hartley’s gone in Atlanta.

TSN.ca’s reporting Don Wadell has cut loose Bob Hartley and will take over duties behind the bench for the Thrashers. While TSN.ca notes the slow start, they should have made a point to stress the team has lost 10 straight if you include the Rangers sweep of the Thrash in the 2006-07 playoffs last April. One could have expected both Wadell and Hartley to be handed walking papers after a retooled-for-the-playoffs team fell down and went boom, but that wasn’t the case. Hartley survived, Wadell survived.

Now Bob is gone… And one has to wonder how much more time ownership will give Wadell to make something out of the team he’s been stewarding?

If there was one thing apparent watching Johan Holmqvist and the Lightning defense against the Florida Panthers on Friday, it was the fact that they drove home the idea things would be different this season early on. How many odd-man breaks Holmer thwarted and how many times the Defense swept in from behind to rescue Johan is beyond count for me. Indeed, something was different tonight.

Holmer stops 30 of 31, Chris Gratton scores twice and the Lightning hang on to win 2-1.

The most disturbing thing about this game was the M-V-P line being pass-happy while the Panthers were clouding passing lanes rather well. Add to the fact that the Lightning tended to shoot low on Craig Anderson — resulting in Lightning shots eating goalie padding — and the teams 23 shot performance doesn’t particularly wow those who have seen the Bolts offensive surge the past two games.

This game was won on defense and between the pipes — hats off to Johan and company for doing what the Bolts failed to do last season and (mostly) shutting down the Panther offense. Their lone goal being a flukey, bouncy, roll-around tip in that got through Holmqvist’s pads. The team improves to 3-0 and heads on the road to Miami.

Johan Holmqvist starts in net tonight for the Lightning against Florida…

…

Let me say it again, maybe this will register for some of your die hards and some of you non-die-hards. Johan Holmqvist starts in net tonight versus the Florida Panthers. In six games versus the Kitties in 2006-07, he was 1-2 with a 4.88 GAA and a .841 save percentage. Do I need to go on? To put it shortly, Johan was a disaster versus the Panthers for one reason or another. Versus numerous opponents last year, he looked fine if not great in net. But when it came to the Panthers it wasn’t the greatest performance that he could put up… And that’s putting it lightly.

18 Goals allowed and 113 shots faced in six games. That’s only close to 19 shots a game for the mathematically challenged. That’s unacceptable.

But here we are, it’s a new season, a new start… Will Johan make the most of this tonight or will we see Marc Denis getting his first action of the season to spell Holmer? I’m hoping for the former and fearing the latter. I made a big deal about the Lightning playing a division rival on Saturday and this is just as big… Division rival trying to reverse it’s losing ways with a new backstop with a reputation all his own. If the Lightning fall into the same trap as last year against the Panthers, this could end badly.

That’s why I’m wariest about Holmer regressing into 2006-07 form for tonight.

Atlanta visiting Tampa Bay on Saturday night was overshadowed in the south with college football (LSU hosting Florida and a full slate of college football games in the ACC, Big East and SEC) that got everyone’s attention.

It hit me during the 2nd period, before Brad Richards break away short handed goal, how big a game this first match-up between the Thrashers and the Bolts was. It wasn’t just the 2nd game of the Lightning’s season but it was a matchup between a bitter division rival — last year’s Southeast division champion. A team that gives the Lightning fits at times and takes advantage of the Bolts when they aren’t firing on all cylinders.

The Thrashers vs. the Lightning is something hockey fans in the area should know is a big deal… how come it felt like anything but going into this game? It’s a long season but to be competitive, the Lightning are going to have to play well against all SE teams, not who they chose and when they chose.

And seeing the Thrashers are the reigning kings of the hill — with thanks to the Lightning not playing as it needed to at times down the stretch last season — and meeting them head on and trumping them in a contest should be looked at as imperative even this early in the season. Getting lucky and playing them on no rest (Atlanta only mustered 13 shots as proof of them being tuckered out) is a positive and the Lightning didn’t waste the opportunity.

The M-V-P line (Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Vaclav Prospal) continued it’s play as an offensive juggernaut that became apparent last season. Proposal especially is benefiting at the moment from Vincent Lecavalier’s incredible play, netting two goals with thanks to Lecavalier and redirecting a Martin St. Louis shot.

Meanwhile, Brad Richards finally stepped to the plate and scored twice — both on special teams (SHG and PPG). All in all it was a good night of play and a 5-2 victory to show for it.

…Now if there had only been more hype to this game before hand, as it may carry great weight come spring 2008.

Chris at the Tourney of Logos has done a solid job all off season covering the RBK Edge change over and keeping fans involved via polls and other user-created-content requests.

At any rate, he’s got a Southeast Division concepts post that leads off with a Lightning design that I myself have sorta pondered but have never been able to pull off…. It’s a very modern design of the Lightning crest that eliminates basically all we know.

But it works. At least for me.

I won’t post it here, there is more than one concept but it’s the top one that captivates me. It’s also a little late now for a new Lightning concept but like I said, this one compelled me… Some people might hate it but it’s such a nuevo concept… Hmm

The fire sale in Nashville continues as Tomas Voukon has been shipped into the Southeast division and to the Florida Panthers for the Panthers first round pick (#10 overall) and 2 second round selections.

This also confirms the Lightning had #47 snatched up by the Panthers this year (which was the conditional pick in the Chris Gratton trade).

Are these the Washington Capitals new jersey’s?