2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season

National Hockey League team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 2008–09 2008 Tampa Bay Lightning Eastern 14th Southeast 5th 24–40–18 12–18–11 12–22–7 210 279 Brian Lawton Barry Melrose (Oct.–Nov.) Rick Tocchet (Nov.–Apr.) interim Vincent Lecavalier Andrej Meszaros (Oct.–Nov.) Jeff Halpern (Nov.–Apr.) Martin St. Louis St. Pete Times Forum 16,054 (82.3% total) Martin St. Louis (30) Martin St. Louis (50) Martin St. Louis (80) Richard Petiot (+5) Evgeny Artyukhin (151) Mike Smith (14) Mike Smith (2.62) The 2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 17th season for the franchise in Tampa Bay. After a season of turnover in ownership, management and players, the team had a turbulent regular season. The Lightning failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row for the first time since the 2000–01 season and the 2001–02 season. 2 Off-season On June 3, it was announced that head coach John Tortorella would not return to the team despite having one year remaining on his contract. http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=365138&page=NewsPage&service=page Lightning Head Coach John Tortorella Will Not Return For 2008-09 Tampa Bay Lightning 29 June 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080701073431/http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=365138 2008-07-01 dead On June 18, 2008, the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sale of the Lightning was made to movie and television producer Oren Koules. The deal depended the closing of the financial deal of US$200 million to buy the team and lease the St. Pete Times Forum. Koules, 47, played in Medicine Hat and Calgary in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the early 1980s. In more recent years, he achieved success with the Saw movie franchise and the television sitcom Two and a Half Men. Among his business partners in the Lightning deal is former NHL player Len Barrie.Oilers sale to Daryl Katz approved by NHL On June 24, the Lightning announced that Barry Melrose was hired as the team's new head coach. Melrose had not coached in the NHL since 1995 with the Los Angeles Kings. Since that time, he had served as an analyst for the ESPN networks.Barry Melrose Named Head Coach of Tampa Bay Lightning https://web.archive.org/web/20080701031312/http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=366855&page=NewsPage&service=page July 1, 2008 Goaltender Marc Denis' contract was bought-out by the Lightning on June 25, almost two years to the date after his acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Denis had one year remaining on his contract.Lightning Buy Out Contract of Goaltender Marc Denis https://web.archive.org/web/20080701193407/http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=366943 July 1, 2008 The Lightning acquired the rights to left wingers Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009.Lightning Acquire Rights To Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts https://web.archive.org/web/20080701031302/http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=367169 July 1, 2008 Malone then agreed to a seven-year contract with the Lightning two days before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.June 2008 The Lightning acquired the rights to right wing Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009 or 2010. Rolston would later sign with the New Jersey Devils. The whirlwind 32 days of questionable moves by new ownership came to a head on July 4 when, despite coming off a recent contract extension, Dan Boyle was traded along with Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle (who would be traded in early November), Ty Wishart, a first-round draft pick in 2009 (which was traded in August) and a fourth round draft pick in 2010. Boyle was pressured to waive his no-trade clause by Tampa Bay's ownership, who said they would otherwise place him on waivers where he would likely be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. Frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, seven days later, general manager Jay Feaster resigned, despite having three years remaining on his contract.http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484635 https://web.archive.org/web/20120506012836/http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=484635 dead May 6, 2012 Lightning General Manager Jay Feaster Resigns Indeed, Brian Lawton had already taken over the position, though not officially until October 2. John Tortorella would later go on to label the new owners as "cowboys" for these and other dubious moves,https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Tortorella-calls-new-Tampa-owners-cowboys-rip?urn=nhl-105778 Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos a moniker that would stick with them. On August 29, the Lightning acquired defenceman Andrej Meszaros from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenceman Filip Kuba, as well as Alexandre Picard, and a first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (obtained in the Dan Boyle deal with the San Jose Sharks). The Lightning would go on to sign Meszaros to a six-year contract worth $24 million. On September 18, the Lightning announced that their new team captain would be Vincent Lecavalier. Preseason The Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing five pre-season games before opening the season against the New York Rangers on October 4 in Prague. Of special note, this is the first time that Tampa Bay will be opening the season outside of North America. This will also be the first time that the Lightning will play a pre-season game outside North America, playing Eisbären Berlin in Germany on September 28. It was announced later that the Lightning would also play against Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga on September 30. Date Opponent Location Time Result Saturday, September 20 Pittsburgh Mellon Arena 7:30pm 5-4 W (SO) Monday, September 22 Pittsburgh St. Pete Times Forum 7:30pm 3-2 L Tuesday, September 23 NY Rangers St. Pete Times Forum 7:30 pm 3-2 W Thursday, September 25 NY Rangers Madison Square Garden 7:00 pm 4-2 W Sunday, September 28 Eisbären Berlin Berlin, Germany 10:00 pm 4-1 W Tuesday, September 30 Slovan Bratislava Bratislava, Slovakia 12:00 pm 3-2 W (SO) Note: all times EST and bold games are home games. Regular season The Lightning struggled on the penalty kill, finishing the regular season with the most power-play opportunities against (405) and the most power-play goals allowed (89).https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2009.html 2008-09 NHL Summary Divisional standings TBL Conference standings TBL Game log background:#231F20; color:#8E8E91 2008–09 Game Log y background:#003366; color:white October: 3-3-3 (Home 1-2-3, Road 2-1-0) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 1 || October 4 || New York Rangers || 1 – 2 || Prague† || 17,085 || 0-1-0 || 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 2 || October 5 || New York Rangers || 1 – 2 || Prague‡ || 17,085 || 0-2-0 || 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 3 || October 11 || Carolina Hurricanes || 3 – 4 OT || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,552 || 0-2-1 || 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 4 || October 16 || New York Islanders || 3 – 4 OT || St. Pete Times Forum || 14,420 || 0-2-2 || 2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 5 || October 18 || Minnesota Wild || 0 – 1 SO|| St. Pete Times Forum || 15,191 || 0-2-3 || 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 6 || October 21 || Atlanta Thrashers || 3 – 2 OT || St. Pete Times Forum || 13,922 || 1-2-3 || 5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 7 || October 25 || San Jose Sharks || 0 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,831 || 1-3-3 || 5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 8 || October 28 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3 – 2 || Air Canada Centre || 19,348 || 2-3-3 || 7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 9 || October 30 || Buffalo Sabres || 5 – 2 || HSBC Arena || 18,690 || 3-3-3 || 9 |- | colspan=8 |† Tampa Bay was the designated 'home' team on October 4.‡ New York Rangers were the designated 'home' team on October 5. |- y background:#003366; color:white November: 3-7-4 (Home 2-2-2, Road 1-5-2) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 10 || November 1 || Ottawa Senators || 3 – 2 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,104 || 4-3-3 || 11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 11 || November 5 || New Jersey Devils || 3 – 4 SO || Prudential Center || 11,619 || 4-3-4 || 12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 12 || November 6 || New York Rangers || 2 – 5 || Madison Square Garden || 18,200 || 4-4-4 || 12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 13 || November 8 || Philadelphia Flyers || 2 – 1 || Wachovia Center || 19,412 || 5-4-4 || 14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 14 || November 10 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 4 || Verizon Center || 17,932 || 5-5-4 || 14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 15 || November 12 || Florida Panthers || 0 – 4 || BankAtlantic Center || 12,104 || 5-6-4 || 14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 16 || November 13 || Detroit Red Wings || 3 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 20,544 || 5-7-4 || 14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 17 || November 16 || Carolina Hurricanes || 2 – 3 SO || RBC Center || 13,781 || 5-7-5 || 15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 18 || November 18 || Florida Panthers || 3 – 4 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,176 || 5-7-6 || 16 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 19 || November 21 || Nashville Predators || 4 – 1 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,444 || 6-7-6 || 18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 20 || November 23 || New Jersey Devils || 3 – 7 || St. Pete Times Forum || 14,222 || 6-8-6 || 18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 21 || November 26 || New York Rangers || 2 – 3 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,991 || 6-8-7 || 19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 22 || November 28 || Minnesota Wild || 2 – 4 || Xcel Energy Center || 18,568 || 6-9-7 || 19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 23 || November 29 || Colorado Avalanche || 3 – 4 || Pepsi Center || 18,007 || 6-10-7 || 19 |- y background:#003366; color:white December: 4-6-3 (Home 1-2-2, Road 3-4-1) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" | 24 || December 2 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3 – 4 OT || Wachovia Center || 19,227 || 6-10-8 || 20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 25 || December 4 || Boston Bruins || 1 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,598 || 6-11-8 || 20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 26 || December 6 || Buffalo Sabres || 3 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 17,154 || 6-12-8 || 20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 27 || December 8 || Boston Bruins || 3 – 5 || TD Banknorth Garden || 16,973 || 6-13-8 || 20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 28 || December 10 || Buffalo Sabres || 2 – 4 || HSBC Arena || 18,431 || 6-14-8 || 20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 29 || December 11 || Montreal Canadiens || 3 – 1 || Bell Centre || 21,273 || 7-14-8 || 22 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 30 || December 13 || Ottawa Senators || 0 – 2 || Scotiabank Place || 18,446 || 7-15-8 || 22 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 31 || December 18 || Colorado Avalanche || 1 – 2 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,333 || 7-15-9 || 23 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffbbbb" | 32 || December 20 || Atlanta Thrashers || 3 – 4 || Philips Arena || 14,395 || 7-16-9 || 23 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 33 || December 23 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2 – 0 || Mellon Arena || 17,064 || 8-16-9 || 25 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 34 || December 26 || Florida Panthers || 4 – 3 SO || BankAtlantic Center || 16,961 || 9-16-9 || 27 |- align="center" bgcolor="#bbffbb" | 35 || December 27 || Florida Panthers || 6 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,226 || 10-16-9 || 29 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 36 || December 30 || Montreal Canadiens || 1 – 2 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 20,454 || 10-16-10 || 30 |- y background:#003366; color:white January: 7-7-0 (Home 4-3-0, Road 3-4-0) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 37 || January 1 || Washington Capitals || 4 – 7 || Verizon Center || 18,227 || 10-17-10 || 30 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 38 || January 3 || Carolina Hurricanes || 2 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,873 || 10-18-10 || 30 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 39 || January 4 || Atlanta Thrashers || 4 – 1 || Philips Arena || 10,750 || 11-18-10 || 32 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 40 || January 8 || Phoenix Coyotes || 1 – 4 || Jobing.com Arena || 13,736 || 11-19-10 || 32 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 41 || January 9 || Anaheim Ducks || 4 – 3 || Honda Center || 17,174 || 12-19-10 || 34 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 42 || January 12 || Los Angeles Kings || 3 – 1 || Staples Center || 16,511 || 13-19-10 || 36 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 43 || January 13 || San Jose Sharks || 1 – 7 || HP Pavilion at San Jose || 17,496 || 13-20-10 || 36 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 44 || January 15 || Philadelphia Flyers || 4 – 1 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,604 || 14-20-10 || 38 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 45 || January 17 || Florida Panthers || 3 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 17,217 || 14-21-10 || 38 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 46 || January 19 || Dallas Stars || 4 – 2 || St. Pete Times Forum || 13,991 || 15-21-10 || 40 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 47 || January 21 || Buffalo Sabres || 5 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,611 || 16-21-10 || 42 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 48 || January 27 || Montreal Canadiens || 5 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,912 || 17-21-10 || 44 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 49 || January 29 || Carolina Hurricanes || 2 – 3 || RBC Center || 16,405 || 17-22-10 || 44 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 50 || January 30 || Philadelphia Flyers || 1 – 6 || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,120 || 17-23-10 || 44 |- y background:#003366; color:white February: 3-7-2 (Home 3-3-1, Road 0-4-1) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 51 || February 3 || New York Islanders || 1 – 3 || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 9,808 || 17-24-10 || 44 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 52 || February 4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3 – 4 OT || Mellon Arena || 16,977 || 17-24-11 || 45 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 53 || February 7 || New York Islanders || 1 – 0 || St. Pete Times Forum || 14,810 || 18-24-11 || 47 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 54 || February 10 || Atlanta Thrashers || 1 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 13,490 || 18-25-11 || 47 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 55 || February 12 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 6 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,526 || 19-25-11 || 49 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 56 || February 14 || Washington Capitals || 1 – 5 || St. Pete Times Forum || 17,249 || 19-26-11 || 49 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 57 || February 17 || Chicago Blackhawks || 3 – 5 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,431 || 19-27-11 || 49 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 58 || February 19 || New Jersey Devils || 2 – 3 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 14,408 || 19-27-12 || 50 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 59 || February 20 || Carolina Hurricanes || 1 – 4 || RBC Center || 17,711 || 19-28-12 || 50 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 60 || February 22 || Boston Bruins || 4 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,454 || 20-28-12 || 52 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 61 || February 24 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 5 || Rexall Place || 16,839 || 20-29-12 || 52 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 62 || February 27 || Vancouver Canucks || 1 – 2 || General Motors Place || 18,630 || 20-30-12 || 52 |- y background:#003366; color:white March: 4-6-5 (Home 1-4-3, Road 3-2-2) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 63 || March 1 || Calgary Flames || 8 – 6 || Pengrowth Saddledome || 19,289 || 21-30-12 || 54 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 64 || March 3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 19,908 || 21-31-12 || 54 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 65 || March 6 || St. Louis Blues || 3 – 4 OT || St. Pete Times Forum || 13,831 || 21-31-13 || 55 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 66 || March 7 || Carolina Hurricanes || 3 – 9 || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,692 || 21-32-13 || 55 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 67 || March 11 || Ottawa Senators || 2 – 3 OT || Scotiabank Place || 19,231 || 21-32-14 || 56 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 68 || March 12 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 4 – 1 || Air Canada Centre || 19,209 || 22-32-14 || 58 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 69 || March 14 || Florida Panthers || 4 – 3 SO || BankAtlantic Center || 17,734 || 23-32-14 || 60 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 70 || March 17 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3 – 4 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,793 || 23-32-15 || 61 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 71 || March 19 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 5 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,541 || 23-33-15 || 61 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 72 || March 21 || Atlanta Thrashers || 3 – 4 SO || St. Pete Times Forum || 15,391 || 23-33-16 || 62 |- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb" | 73 || March 24 || Columbus Blue Jackets || 2 – 1 OT || St. Pete Times Forum || 14,454 || 24-33-16 || 64 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 74 || March 26 || Montreal Canadiens || 2 – 3 OT || Bell Centre || 21,273 || 24-33-17 || 65 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 75 || March 27 || Washington Capitals || 3 – 5 || Verizon Center || 18,277 || 24-34-17 || 65 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 76 || March 29 || Ottawa Senators || 0 – 3 || St. Pete Times Forum || 16,427 || 24-35-17 || 65 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 77 || March 31 || Boston Bruins || 1 – 3 || TD Banknorth Garden || 16,996 || 24-36-17 || 65 |- y background:#003366; color:white April: 0-4-1 (Home 0-2-0, Road 0-2-1) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points |- align="center" bgcolor="ffffff" | 78 || April 3 || New Jersey Devils || 4 – 5 OT || Prudential Center || 17,625 || 24-36-18 || 66 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 79 || April 4 || New York Islanders || 1 – 3 || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 12,809 || 24-37-18 || 66 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 80 || April 7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4 – 6 || St. Pete Times Forum || 19,538 || 24-38-18 || 66 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 81 || April 9 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 4 || St. Pete Times Forum || 18,891 || 24-39-18 || 66 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 82 || April 11 || Atlanta Thrashers || 2 – 6 || Philips Arena || 17,122 || 24-40-18 || 66 |- |- | Schedule Record vs. Opponents Team Points Record New Jersey* 106 0–1–3 NY Islanders 61 1–2–1 NY Rangers 95 0–3–1 Philadelphia 99 1–2–1 Pittsburgh 99 1–2–1 Boston* 116 1–3–0 Buffalo 91 2–2–0 Montreal 93 2–0–2 Ottawa 83 1–2–1 Toronto 81 3–0–1 Atlanta 76 2–3–1 Florida 93 3–2–1 Carolina 97 0–4–2 Washington* 108 0–6–0 Chicago 104 0–0–1 Columbus 92 1–0–0 Detroit* 112 0–1–0 Nashville 88 0–1–0 St. Louis 92 0–0–1 Calgary 98 1–0–0 Colorado 69 0–1–1 Edmonton 85 0–1–0 Minnesota 89 0–1–1 Vancouver* 100 0–1–0 Anaheim 91 1–0–0 Dallas 83 1–0–0 Los Angeles 79 1–0–0 Phoenix 79 1–0–0 San Jose* 117 0–2–0 Notes: * denotes division winner; teams in bold are in the Southeast Division; teams in italics qualified for the playoffs; points refer to the points achieved by the team whom the Thrashers played against #00FFFF = Member of the Atlantic Division #0000FF = Member of the Northeast Division #7500FF = Member of the Southeast Division #FF0000 = Member of the Central Division #FFFF00 = Member of the Northeast Division #007500 = Member of the Pacific Division Playoffs The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to qualify for the 2009 NHL playoffs. Player stats Skaters player Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Martin St. Louis Martin St. Louis 82 30 50 80 +4 14 Vincent Lecavalier Vincent Lecavalier 77 29 38 67 -9 54 Steven Stamkos Steven Stamkos 79 23 23 46 -13 39 Vaclav Prospal Václav Prospal 82 19 26 45 -20 52 Mark Recchi Mark Recchi‡ 62 13 32 45 -15 20 Ryan Malone Ryan Malone 70 26 19 45 +4 98 Steve Eminger Steve Eminger†‡ 50 4 19 23 -4 36 Lukas Krajicek Lukáš Krajíček 71 2 17 19 -8 48 Jeff Halpern Jeff Halpern 52 7 9 16 -13 32 Evgeny Artyukhin Evgeny Artyukhin 73 6 10 16 +1 151 Andrej Meszaros Andrej Meszároš 52 2 14 16 -4 36 Jussi Jokinen Jussi Jokinen‡ 46 6 10 16 -8 16 Matt Pettinger Matt Pettinger 59 8 7 15 -14 24 Cory Murphy Cory Murphy (ice hockey)† 25 5 10 15 -3 12 Paul Ranger Paul Ranger 42 2 11 13 -5 56 Adam Hall Adam Hall 74 5 5 10 -9 29 Paul Szczechura Paul Szczechura 31 4 5 9 -1 12 Gary Roberts Gary Roberts (ice hockey) 30 4 3 7 -11 27 Matt Lashoff Matt Lashoff† 12 0 7 7 -7 10 Radim Vrbata Radim Vrbata 18 3 3 6 -1 8 Ryan Craig Ryan Craig (ice hockey) 54 2 4 6 -7 60 Steve Downie Steve Downie† 23 3 3 6 +2 54 Marek Malik Marek Malík 42 0 5 5 -3 36 Josef Melichar Josef Melichar† 24 0 5 5 +1 29 Martins Karsums Mārtiņš Karsums† 18 1 4 5 -5 6 Matt Smaby Matt Smaby 43 0 4 4 -11 50 Richard Petiot Richard Petiot 11 0 3 3 +5 21 Vladimir Mihalik Vladimír Mihálik 11 0 3 3 -3 6 Janne Niskala Janne Niskala 6 1 2 3 0 6 Chris Gratton Chris Gratton‡ 18 0 2 2 -3 10 Jamie Heward Jamie Heward‡ 13 0 2 2 -1 4 David Koci David Kočí† 33 1 1 2 +3 132 Matt Carle Matt Carle‡ 12 1 1 2 +1 6 Mike Lundin Mike Lundin 25 0 2 2 -4 4 Brandon Bochenski Brandon Bochenski 7 0 1 1 -3 2 Zenon Konopka Zenon Konopka 7 0 1 1 -1 29 Radek Smolenak Radek Smoleňák 6 0 1 1 +1 10 Ty Wishart Ty Wishart 5 0 1 1 0 0 Kevin Quick Kevin Quick 6 0 1 1 0 0 Jason Ward Jason Ward (ice hockey) 1 0 0 0 0 2 Andrew Hutchinson Andrew Hutchinson (ice hockey)‡ 2 0 0 0 -5 0 Brandon Segal Brandon Segal 2 0 0 0 0 0 Shane O'Brien Shane O'Brien (ice hockey)‡ 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Noah Welch Noah Welch† 17 0 0 0 -4 14 Geoff Kinrade Geoff Kinrade 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Goaltenders goalie Regular season Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO Mike Smith Mike Smith (ice hockey, born 1982) 41 2471 14 18 9 108 2.62 1282 1174 .916 2 Karri Ramo Karri Rämö 24 1311 4 10 7 80 3.66 756 676 .894 0 Mike McKenna Mike McKenna (ice hockey) 15 775 4 8 1 46 3.56 406 360 .887 1 Olaf Kolzig Olaf Kölzig‡ 8 410 2 4 1 25 3.66 245 220 .898 0 Riku Helenius Riku Helenius 1 6 0 0 0 0 0.00 2 2 1.000 0 †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect season totals. ‡Traded mid-season Bold/italics denotes franchise record Awards and records Records Milestones Regular Season Player Milestone Reached Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Game October 4, 2008 Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Assist1st NHL Point October 28, 2008 Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Goal October 30, 2008 Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Hat Trick February 17, 2009 Transactions Trades July 4, 2008 To Tampa BayMatt CarleTy Wishart1st-round pick in 2009 – Kyle Palmieri4th-round pick in 2010 – James Mullin To San JoseDan BoyleBrad Lukowich August 29, 2008 To Tampa BayAndrej Meszaros To Ottawa SenatorsFilip KubaAlexandre Picard1st-round pick in 2009 – Kyle Palmieri September 29, 2008 To Tampa BayConditional 6th-round pick in 2009 – Jaroslav Janus To Nashville PredatorsNick Tarnasky October 6, 2008 To Tampa BayLukas KrajicekJuraj Simek To Vancouver CanucksShane O'BrienMichel Ouellet November 7, 2008 To Tampa BaySteve EmingerSteve Downie4th-round pick in 2009 – Alex Hutchings To Philadelphia FlyersMatt Carle3rd-round pick in 2009 – Simon Bertilsson November 25, 2008 To Tampa BayFuture Considerations To Phoenix CoyotesWyatt Smith November 30, 2008 To Tampa BayLauri Tukonen To Dallas StarsAndrew Hutchinson February 7, 2009 To Tampa BayWade BrookbankJosef Melichar4th-round pick in 2009 (pick ultimately forfeited) To Carolina HurricanesJussi Jokinen March 4, 2009 To Tampa BayMatt LashoffMartins Karsums To Boston BruinsMark Recchi2nd-round pick in 2010 – Alex Petrovic Free agents Player Former team Contract TermsAdam Hall Pittsburgh Penguins 3 years, $1.8 millionOlaf Kolzig Washington Capitals 1 year, $1.5 millionRadim Vrbata Phoenix Coyotes 3 years, $9 millionMark RecchiCANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - Tampa Bay - Lightning sign Mark Recchi to one-year deal Atlanta Thrashers 1 year, $1.25 millionDavid Koci Chicago Blackhawks 1 year, $525,000Brandon Bochenski Nashville Predators 2 yearsMarek Malik New York Rangers 1 year, $1.25 million Player New teamMarc Denis Montreal CanadiensJunior Lessard Atlanta ThrashersCraig MacDonald Columbus Blue JacketsDoug Janik Chicago Blackhawks Claimed from waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waiversMatt Pettinger Vancouver Canucks October 21, 2008Cory Murphy Florida Panthers January 19, 2009 Draft picks thumb|right|Steven Stamkos was the first overall selection in 2008 Tampa Bay entered the NHL Draft Lottery with a 48.8% chance of winning the lottery after stumbling to a 31–42–9 record in the regular season. The Lightning finished last in the league just four years after winning their first Stanley Cup.CANOE - SLAM! Sports - NHL - Bolts win draft lotteryApril 2026 medicmedic Tampa Bay's picks at the 2008 NHL entry drafthttp://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=DraftStats&service=page&supl=N&year=2008 NHL.com – Stats 2008-06-21 2008-06-21July 2026 medicmedic in Ottawa, Ontario. Round Pick Player Position Nationality Club Team 1 1 Steven Stamkos (C) Canada Sarnia Sting (OHL) 4 117 (from San Jose) James Wright (C) Canada Vancouver Giants (WHL)5 122 Dustin Tokarski (G) Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL) 5 147 (from San Jose) Kyle De Coste (RW) Canada Brampton Battalion (OHL) 6 152 Mark Barberio (D) Canada Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) 6 160 (from Florida via Chicago) Luke Witkowski (D) United States Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL) 7 182 Matias Sointu (RW) Ilves (Finland Jr.) 7 203 (from Anaheim) David Carle (D) United States Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN) See also 2008–09 NHL season References Category:Tampa Bay Lightning seasons T Tamp Tamp