Game 14: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers

The Lightning broke a six-game losing streak to beat the Panthers in overtime 6-5.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers game thread

The Bolts are heading south - in the standings ad geographically - as they face the Florida Panthers this afternoon in Sunrise. Will they turn back north after the game both in the standings and on the map? Join us for the game thread and lets find out.

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron in lineup today while Keith Aulie sits

Head coach Guy Boucher has struggled to make use of all three players that had been sitting idle for the most part oon the Tampa Bay Lightning roster. Defenseman Brendan Mikkelson and forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie were so often idle (and both have only played in 2 games so far this season) that they both ended up sent to Syracuse of the AHL for conditioning.

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron, on the other hand, had managed to find his way into the Lightning lineup three total times, with thanks to Boucher opting to play an 11-7 lineup split.

The Lightning, planning to use a standard 12-forward, 6-defenseman lineup, will have Bergeron playing today. Keith Aulie, who has 2 points and is minus-2 in 13 games so far this season, will be idled for the game.

It seems odd that the Lightning would sit the big physical presence of Aulie in a game that could become ugly at any given time. That being said, the lineup that has been used for most of this losing streak obviously is not working... So a change to try to jump-start things isn't the wrong thing to do.

Take a deep breath; Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers preview

The Lightning have not won in six games, and some fans are starting to get nervous about the club and it's prospects for a good season. Keep calm, Lightning fans. There is no panacea, and panicking only makes things worse.