Not much to go on, Lightning host Senators (preview)

by John Fontana on Apr 8, 2010 1:48 PM EDT in Game previews Comment 0 comments

WHERE: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
WHEN: 7:30 PM EDT
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 620 WDAE (radio)
OPPONENT COVERAGE: Silver Sevens

Rest easy, Lightning fans. The menace known as Filip Kuba will not be playing tonight for Ottawa (please note the sarcasm). Instead, another highly touted defensive prospect from the 2009 NHL entry draft will be making his NHL Debut: Jared Cowen will be lacing them up for the playoff-bound Senators tonight.

Meanwhile, most of the notable Lightning stuff is off-ice news. Kurtis Foster is the team's nomination for the Masterson trophy. The team continues playing for 2010 draft position. Central Scoutings final assessment came out yesterday and Plymouth Whalers center Taylor Seguin is the top overall ranked prospect among the 2010 NHL entry draft class..

That doesn't mean I'm going to give up the "Fall for Hall" mantle, or stop sanctioning "Fall for Hall Brawl" matches.

Speaking of the Draft, the Edmonton Oilers have posted an interactive Draft Lottery simulator. It gives a distinct picture of the possible top-14 draft order... And the chances other teams have to move up or fall down places by way of the lottery .

Brian Elliot will be in goal for the Senators tonight. My guess is that Mike Smith gets the start for the Lightning.

Seen Cinquenta?

Steven Stamkos is at 47 goals with 3 games remaining

2010 NHL Entry Draft prospect

Continuing our look at some of the top prospects for this year's entry draft (taken from The Scouting Report's midterm rankings post).

Cam Fowler (D)
Fowler landed in the OHL this season after a controversial decision to re-neg on his commitment to the University of Notre Dame. Since joining the Spitfires, Fowler has quickly established himself as one of the top defenseman in the league, showing why he has been so highly regarded. He’s a smooth skating defenseman who can really break a team down with his strong transition play. On the powerplay he’s an effective distributor, but could probably afford to shoot the puck a bit more. Scouts also would probably like to see Fowler utilize his size more as it is surely an asset to his game. Fowler was particularly strong in the World Junior’s with the United States which may cement his place in the Top 3.