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	<title>Tampa Bay Sports Blog &#187; Tampa Bay Lightning</title>
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	<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com</link>
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		<title>Glimpse of Things to Come?</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/glimpse-of-things-to-come/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/glimpse-of-things-to-come/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:08:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Andrej Meszaros]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evgeny Artyukhin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gary Roberts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karri Ramo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Recchi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Martin St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paul Ranger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rick Tocchet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryan Malone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steven Stamkos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Lecavalier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barry Melrose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike Sullivan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=640</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Game 1 – St Louis: Meeting Sully Friday before the game was interesting.  The team has had to go through several transitions this season:  Melrose – Tocchet – Shoulder Surgeries (defenseman revolving door) – Trade Deadline.  We heard the game plan, and then we heard about what to look for on the ice from both teams.  Past problems mentioned included the defense passing the puck too many times in the defensive zone, instead of one pass and get it the puck up the ice.  Also, the Lightning only has 9-players with NHL experience.  The rest have limited or no experience.  Ouch!   The coaches challenged the Lightning players with taking the diagonal passes away from the St Louis Blues and crowding their goalie from inside the dots so he couldn’t see.  The crowding wouldn’t stop the initial save, but more times than not it would allow a rebound shot to get by the opposing goalie.  Unfortunately, the best person at crowding the goalie, Bugsy (Ryan Malone), was out with the flu.  The Lightning also needed to improve on the power play.  They were ranked near the bottom, moved all the way up to 16th in the league, and fell back [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>2009 NHL Trade Deadline &#8211; Lightning Comings and Goings</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/2009-nhl-trade-deadline-lightning-comings-and-goings/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/2009-nhl-trade-deadline-lightning-comings-and-goings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:36:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brian Lawton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gary Roberts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jamie Heward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Recchi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Martins Karsums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Lashoff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olaf Kolzig]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Petiot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Eminger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steven Stamkos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Rogers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boston Bruins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carolina Hurricanes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dave Andreychuk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Mullen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Bucyk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Noah Welch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phil Esposito]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stanley Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Emminger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Stamkos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Maple Leafs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=636</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Brian Lawton said he was looking for draft choices – we got one. We did get some depth at defense. After sitting Recchi and Roberts Tuesday night so they wouldn’t be injured, Recchi was traded and Roberts cleared waivers. Looks like Stamkos’ tutelage will continue under the watchful eyes of Gary Roberts. Boston picked up Mark Recchi and a 2nd round draft pick in 2010 for 2-minor leaguers – Matt Lashoff, 22 (defenseman) and Martins Karsums, 23 (forward). The Bruins will benefit from having Recchi (I hate seeing him go – I read Boston is planning on signing him for the 2009-2010 season in the Boston Globe). Recchi gives the Bruins playoff experience and a veteran presence. Recchi, at 41, with 535 career goals joins Phil Esposito (Lightning founder and 620 WDAE radio color commentator), Dave Andreychuk (Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Captain and current Community Representative for the Lightning), John Bucyk, and Joe Mullen in the small group Bruins scoring more than 500-goals. He has 2-Stanley Cups, he is a 7-time All-Star, and he has accumulated 1426 points over his career. Lashoff hasn’t played any NHL games, but he appears to be a good prospect for the Lightning on paper. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Penguins down Lightning 3-1.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/penguins-down-lightning-3-1/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/penguins-down-lightning-3-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:06:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Andrej Meszaros]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evgeny Artyukhin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karri Ramo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marek Malik]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Recchi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Martin St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Smaby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rick Tocchet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryan Malone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steven Stamkos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Lecavalier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Prospal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AHL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barry Melrose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dan O'Rourke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marc-Andre Fleury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paul Szczechura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pittsburg Penguins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Stamkos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=627</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The game against Pittsburgh included terrible passing by both teams – the bounces and breaks all seemed to go the Penguin’s way. Fleury had 33-shots fired at him and he made some very good saves giving up only 1-goal. Ramo also had 33-shots fired at him but there was no defense to help him defend the rebounds. The coaches can only tell players how to play; the players have to stick to the game plan. So many times, there were cross-ice passes with the opposition in between causing many lost possessions and scoring chances. Although in the 3rd period, the Lightning finally got their act together and passed to the weak side and the cross-ice passes were successful because there were no Penguins in the area. Even though we out-shot the Penguins, it was too little to late. Not that it changed the game but it appeared Dan O’Rourke had a hair you-know-where when Prospal complained about being dumped (it should have been a penalty – it was quite a mess). After the next play, Prospal continued to complain and O’Rourke slapped him with and unsportsmanlike penalty allowing the Penguins to score on the power play. Recchi’s absence was felt [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Guest trash talking.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/uncategorized/guest-trash-talking/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/uncategorized/guest-trash-talking/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:34:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TBSB General Info]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bugs and Cranks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Chalk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Brannelly]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=625</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just to give everyone a heads up, I have written a guest &#8220;shit talking&#8221; post for David Chalk over at Bugs and Cranks. It was fun to rip on the Pirates and I may jump in on some others if time permits. Thanks to David for reaching out and letting me do a little trash talking. If you aren&#8217;t familiar with David&#8217;s work, I encourage you to check it out. It&#8217;s extremely entertaining stuff. I&#8217;ll have more Rays posts up soon by the way and I may be adding a new blogger to the mix who will  help take care of the Lightning. Expect a post from her later in the week. I&#8217;ll get on the Rays stuff through the week and I am currently working on the player cards for the Rays only. I&#8217;m putting the Bucs on hold for a while. Thanks everyone and let me know what you think of the post over at Bugs and Cranks and be ready to comment on the new blogger when she&#8217;s ready. Related Posts:Ok, I&#8217;m back!Coco Crisp is a dirty bitch, Aki needs to defend himself!Rays are gonna take it to the wire.Player cards for 2009.Rays in first yet I [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Where are the Lightning going?</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/where-are-the-lightning-going/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/where-are-the-lightning-going/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:39:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Steven Stamkos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edmonton Oilers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Strudwick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Stamkos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=613</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m not going to pile on an already bad team here, they know they suck. I just am confused as to what they are trying to accomplish on the ice. I&#8217;ve only seen bits and pieces of the Bolts over the last couple weeks and I finally watched a couple full games last night and this morning. After watching I am completely lost at what the Lightning are doing on the defensive end still. I have questioned their defensive scheme and plan since last season and things look the same. I get confused because of this. Any team in any sport that is bad can improve by working harder and sticking to the plan on defense. I&#8217;ve posted the video of the Jason Strudwick goal from last nights game against Edmonton as an example. The team still bunches up around the goalie too much, doesn&#8217;t attack on the wing and gets caught standing around too often. It&#8217;s just an ugly thing to watch right now and I am finding it harder and harder to stomach these games. The one bright spot over the last month or so has been the improved play of Steve Stamkos. Stamkos is starting to look like the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>The Lightning need more like McKenna.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-need-more-like-mckenna/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-need-more-like-mckenna/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:33:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Martin St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike McKenna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike Smith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=592</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s time for the Bolts to admit that this is a rebuilding year and just start heaving the young players into the lineup to take their lumps. It&#8217;s time for the youngsters to show and prove. I have seen enough from this team this year to know that they are not going to improve behind the constant shifting of players in and out or behind some of the veterans that were supposed to fill team needs. Mike McKenna is exactly what this team needed right now. A young guy with some fire in his belly who can give this team a youthful shot of exuberance and excitement. It&#8217;s now known that Mike Smith is suffering from post concussion syndrome and I don&#8217;t see any need to rush this guy back. They need to let the young guys take over between the pipes and see who can hold their own in this league. We all know that Mike Smith is the guy and he will be until someone dethrones him, which is highly unlikely, so there should be no worries about that. Follow the Rays my children. Get young, fiery and put some guys out there who will learn and develop. Find [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bloggers are getting too full of themselves now.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/uncategorized/bloggers-are-getting-too-full-of-themselves-now/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/uncategorized/bloggers-are-getting-too-full-of-themselves-now/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:27:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Orlando Magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TBSB General Info]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bloggers who are full of themselves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Earnest Graham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurt Warner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States Marine Corps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USF Bulls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=579</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The blog world is a wild place. I have learned a lot of things the hard way since I started doing this last year and it has humbled me like nothing else I&#8217;ve done. I have done a lot of things in my life that have molded me into the man that I have become. My mentality and my world has constantly changed in my life and I know it always will. There were so many seemingly harsher things that I&#8217;ve dealt with and learned from like street fighting, USMC boot camp, parenthood, etc., that I thought it would be easy to jump right in to the blog thing and roll along without a problem. It&#8217;s a totally different animal than anything else I&#8217;ve done. I started this thing as a hobby site and it remains one and, for those of you that read already know, I&#8217;m still trying to find a direction to take this thing as it evolves. I&#8217;m not trying to be a journalist, become a writer or get credentialed in any way. That&#8217;s where I find such a huge difference between myself and most others out there. Rays Index brought something to my attention tonight that [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Lightning keep making progress.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-keep-making-progress/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-keep-making-progress/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:59:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=571</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Bolts pulled out a tough win last night against the Canadiens, and with each victory like this the light shines through the ugliness that has darkened this franchise for over a year now. It was a doubly god victory considering all the &#8220;Vinny to Montreal&#8221; talk and Vinny definitely looked fired up for this one. Lecavalier fired off 8 shots on goal and had a goal and an assist in the win. Marty also had one of each and Mike Smith played very well in the net as the Lightning won at home 5-3. The Bolts are now 7-3 in their last 10 games and look like they&#8217;re playing with a lot more confidence than at any point this season. The team is also 9-5-1 since Marty blasted his team and St. Louis is backing up his words in every possible way. Damian Cristodero pointed this out last week and he was right on the money with his words about Marty. The little big man has been a scoring machine over the last month and the rest of the team is feeding off of him. I go back to my statement of making him co-captain. Cristodero also wrote about [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>The Lightning aren&#8217;t making it easy.</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-arent-making-it-easy/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/the-lightning-arent-making-it-easy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barry Melrose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dan Boyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grant Hill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jerry Seinfeld]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jon Gruden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oren Koules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Orlando Magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rick Tocchet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Super Bowl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Lecavalier]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=542</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been attempting to watch as many Lightning games as possible this season as I work 60 hours a week and I find myself wondering, why? If there were Rays, Bucs, Magic and Lightning games on all at the same time, they basically go in that order as I choose to watch them. My first love is baseball and so on, but I love my hometown teams and have stuck with them through thick and thin. I&#8217;m really having a hard time with the Lightning though. It&#8217;s not just because they&#8217;re bad, it&#8217;s because there is no direction. I gave the Rays too much attention under Naimoli because they were going nowhere and I knew it, but stuck with them. I give the Bucs too much attention now because Gruden gave me a Super Bowl and I try to pretend he&#8217;s not as big a piece of crap as he his because of it, but I stick with them. The Magic give me every reason to believe now, but those Grant Hill years were tough. The Lightning aren&#8217;t giving me anything right now and I keep looking for the silver lining. The problem is that I&#8217;m having trouble holding on [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Why am I so optimistic about the Lightning?</title>
		<link>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/why-am-i-so-optimistic-about-the-lightning/</link>
		<comments>http://tampabaysportsblog.com/tampa-bay-lightning/why-am-i-so-optimistic-about-the-lightning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:05:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Brannelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Martin St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oren Koules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phoenix Coyotes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rick Tocchet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Lecavalier]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tampabaysportsblog.com/?p=522</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Bolts have been a bad team for a couple seasons now and they have become a laughing stock inside the NHL with the circus that they created since acquired by Oren Koules. They are playing better lately but still aren&#8217;t anywhere close to the realm of contention and yet I still believe they will be soon. Why? I have come up with some reasons, though they may be lame, and I&#8217;ll lay them out for you. I like Rick Tocchet. He has the kind of personality that makes you believe he&#8217;s got things going in the right direction. He&#8217;s a disciplinarian but he seems to have a good relationship with his players and that shows the type of people skills you want in a coach and the team plays hard for him. We&#8217;ll see if his plan works, but I like him up top for now. We still have Marty and Vinny. Anytime a team has two scoring machines like these guys, they could get hot and jump into contention any minute. Vinny has been hampered with a bad shoulder and looks to have lost something, but he&#8217;s not old and I think we all believe he&#8217;ll take off [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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