Tampa Bay is currently tied with Atlanta for second place in the Southeast Division with 44 points based on their 17-17-10 record, which also leaves them tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference and 24th near the bottom of the league.
Behind their star playmaker and leading scorer, RW Martin St. Louis (49 points – 11 goals, 38 assists), the Lightning has been able to stay toward the top of their division, but still need additional help if they wish to make the playoffs in March. Besides St. Louis, who leads the team in points and assists (tied for 9th in the NHL also), centers Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier have contributed 40 or more points as well; Stamkos (44 points – 23 goals, 21 assists) leads the team and is 7th in the NHL in goals, while Lacavalier (40 points – 10 goals, 30 assists) rounds out the top three offensive weapons for Tampa.
It is still the Lightning defense which is a little questionable, while struggling at times without much high-end talent or scoring help outside of Kurtis Foster, Victor Hedman, and Mattias Ohlund. This is all even more important given that the goaltending situations not as solid as hoped for at the beginning of the season.
Originally projected as the backup, Mike Smith (10-11-6, 2.94 GAA, .906 save %) has actually made more appearances than Antero Niittymaki, even though it is Niittymaki (7-6-4, 2.49 GAA, .918 save %) with the slightly better stats. It is now time for one of them to make his mark as the solid choice as number one between the pipes, because as everyone knows it is hot goaltending that leads teams into the playoffs, and takes them far once they get there.
This is a team that once made Tampa the center of attention for a winter sport. They have the parts to be contenders again, but need to come up with the right mix in order to do so. Get some tickets now, and be there the second half of the season to cheer the Tampa Bay Lightning as they fight to raise themselves in the standings and become a playoff contender when all is said and done.
