Bolts Head Into Break With Four Straight Wins
Life may not be so hot these days for ThunderBug. The official mascot of the Tampa Bay Lightning got zapped Wednesday.
The club dismissed the part-time performer — who cavorts at home games as the furry crowd-pleaser — for spraying a less-than-amused Bruins fan with silly string last week during the Bolts’ upset win over Boston.
But there’s another string that matters far more to the Lightning lately, and there’s nothing silly about it: the team’s unexpected run of four straight wins heading into the All-Star Break.
Only a week ago, Tampa Bay was in an all-out nosedive, with seven straight losses and prospects of a turnaround grim at best.
After all, head coach Guy Boucher and Co. were heading into a stretch that included a home contest against defending Stanley Cup champion Boston, which is first in the Eastern Conference’s Northeast Division, and road games against two tough teams with winning records from the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes.
But instead of watching their season spin completely out of control, the Bolts won all three of those games and added a 4-2 home win Tuesday night over lowly Columbus — enjoying their first four-game winning streak of the season.
“It’s huge,” said hot-handed Martin St. Louis. “You want to finish what you start. I don’t think we’d like to have the break right now in terms of how we’re rolling in games, but if you’re going to get a break, you want to finish on a winning note and keep the streak alive and try to come back where we left off.”
It’s too early to proclaim that the Lighting have resurrected their chances at the post-season. At the break, the team still finds itself next to last in the Southeast Division with a record of 21-23-4 — 11th place in the Eastern Conference and nine points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.
But that’s a far better position than last week when the season appeared to be falling apart at the seams. And it’s particularly impressive considering Tampa Bay has gone on its must-win streak with nine players hurt, including such key names as defenseman Victor Hedman, right wings Ryan Malone and Ryan Shannon and center Tom Pyatt.
The good news for the Lightning is that all those players are expected back soon after the games kick back in. Whether a healthy, resurgent Lightning squad can make a surprise run at the post-season is questionable — especially given its prolonged inconsistency and often poor defensive play — but at least there’s a glimmer of life that didn’t exist a week ago.
The Lightning got a big helping hand from two familiar sources Tuesday, as old stalwarts Vinny Lecavalier and St. Louis rekindled images of their glory days with a goal and assist each.
