The Tampa Bay Lightning's unbeaten start through seven games (5-0-2) may have the league all abuzz, but coach John Tortorella certainly isn't planning the Stanley Cup parade route.
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CHIRPIN'
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"It's not comfortable. It's a lot easier to play every night and to be relaxed and know you're going to play. But I've been around enough and played in these situations enough where I'm about as relaxed as I can get in there. Thinking doesn't really accomplish anything, it just gets in the way. I'm going to focus on stopping the puck and then go home and enjoy my day. And that's it. Whatever decision Robbie makes, the ball is in his court."
-- Bruins' goaltender Steve Shields on coach Robbie Ftorek's decision-making process
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THE NUMBER
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The percentage of the Penguins' 20 goals that star/owner Mario Lemieux has scored or set up through the first six games.
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WHO'S HOT
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Tampa Bay's Dan Boyle, who registered 15-44-59 in 170 career games before this season, entered Friday's tilt with Washington tied for the league lead among defensemen with nine points (2-7-9). Boyle, a minus-32 since entering the league in 1998-99, is also a plus-7.
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WHO'S NOT
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The Islanders' center Alexei Yashin has been a ghost this season, scoring just two goals in his first six games. He made an appearance Thursday with a goal and two assists in the Islanders' 5-3 win over the Panthers.
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THIS WEEK'S SIGN ...
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... the Earth is off its axis: The Senators played three games at the start of the season and then the schedule maker gave them an eight-day hiatus. That wacky week-plus was followed this week by three games in four nights.
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Despite the positive results and being the first team in the NHL to earn 10 points, Tortorella sees a big need for improvement. His club has gotten off to very slow starts in games -- falling behind in five of the first six contests -- and has to battle back in order to get points.
Offensively, the Lightning have been a juggernaut. Defensively, they could be a whole lot better. Workhorse goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin gave up two goals on the first three shots he faced against Columbus on Wednesday, but settled down to earn the 2-2 tie. Tortorella, who is missing Vincent Lecavalier because of a right knee sprain, isn't knocking his troops. He's just letting them know they've gotten away with a lot and they can't expect it to continue.
"Everyone's getting carried away with this record of ours," said Tortorella. "It's still so early in the season."
Flashes of Lightning
Days the Lightning have spent above .500 in franchise history, entering the 2002-03 season:
3 games: 52
4 games: 46
5 games: 19
6 games: 16
7 games: 7
8 games: 0
Counting fans (on one hand)
Buffalo isn't exactly the biggest media market in the nation but their fans have been loyal to their pro sports teams, especially the Bills. Perhaps it's the state of flux in the Sabres' ownership or the fact they're stumbling out of the gate. Whatever the reason, the crowd at HSBC Arena to see the Sabres and undefeated Flyers on Tuesday was a scant 10,140, which is only 24 more than the rink's all-time lowest attendance set on Oct. 9, 1997.
"It's kind of sad to see the fans don't even show their support," said forward Vaclav Varada. "It seems like an exhibition game. It's tough, it feels like there's no help."
Fleeting opportunity
If there is a better story than Boston's Tim Thomas, we haven't heard it. The 28-year-old netminder, who played the last two seasons in Europe, made his NHL debut for the Bruins in Edmonton last Saturday night. This is a young man whose parents once sold their wedding rings in order for their son to have the money to play in an important tournament. There are a million stories of sacrifice by hockey parents, but to have it all pay off in the dream of a lifetime, is oh so Hollywood.
"I definitely appreciate it more," said Thomas. "At 23, I'd think when [the Oilers] tied it to make it 3-3 in the third period, instead of really still hoping so hard for the win, you can think in the back of your head, 'Well, I'll get another chance some time.' Or if you have a bad game, you feel like 'I'll get another chance' but at my age right now, I just really beared down because I knew there may never be another chance. There may be but you don't count on it like you did when you were young."
Kasper the out-of-position defenseman
When the Rangers lured feisty defenseman Darius Kasparaitis to Gotham during the offseason, it was believed he would be a key component in the club's march back to respectability. So far, though, Kasparaitis is still trying to find his niche. In the Rangers' first eight games, he was a plus player in just two of them.
"I'm worrying way too much about hitting and then I'm overhitting guys so I end up going out of position," he said. "I'm pushing more to play good defense than pushing to be a good hitter. After a couple of games, I realized it was more about the win than about being a feisty player."
The depth chart
Perhaps the Maple Leafs thought every game was going to be as easy as their season-opening 6-0 pasting of the Penguins. Instead, they're off to a 2-5-1-0 start, their worst since 1997-98. "What might be the worst thing was winning easy on the first night," said coach/general manager Pat Quinn. "Fear is an immobilizer. We're beating ourselves."
With center Radek Bonk sidelined by a chest contusion, the Ottawa Senators recalled 19-year-old Jason Spezza, the No. 2 pick overall in the 2001 draft. He made his NHL regular-season debut Thursday night against Boston, playing 13:58 and registering an assist on Marian Hossa's power-play goal that gave the Senators a 2-1 lead. He was second among AHL rookies with six points (three of them goals) in four games and was tied for the lead with Brad Smyth in Binghamton.
Buffalo forward Maxim Afinogenov continues to be bothered by headaches from a concussion he suffered on Sept. 5 when he was hit by a puck during a workout in Russia. Afinogenov signed a two-year, $2.4 million contract but won't get paid until he is cleared to play.
Flyers' netminder Roman Cechmanek absorbed the Flyers first loss of the season -- 2-1 in Buffalo -- but no one was blaming him for it. "You don't want to lose points when your goalie is that good," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "Both teams felt that way, especially sitting there at 1-1. You don't like to waste good performances and we had one going."
As players age, it's nearly inevitable that they will find themselves disappointed or angry as a result of diminished ice time. In the case of long-time Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko, he vented his feelings at former coaches Larry Robinson and Robbie Ftorek. "I always regret what happened with Larry," he said. "It hurt me to get into a feud with him because that's a man I respect. I probably overreacted [to not playing] a little bit. These things happen. We had a great talk at the end of last year." As for Ftorek, Daneyko admits to having been ticked but he said he got over it: "I don't hold a grudge, I say hello to Robbie when I see him. I have no bitterness toward Robbie." He's averaging 15:01 this season, sixth among the Devils regular defensemen.
Carolina coach Paul Maurice had a sit-down with talented-but-struggling forward Sami Kapanen on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Kapanen was limited to 11:13 of work (during which he had just one shot) in the club's 3-1 win over the Devils. His message? Do what made you successful and stop tying yourself up in knots. The result? Two goals against the Islanders on Tuesday in a 4-1 win.
The Thrashers are winless in their first seven games (0-6-0-1), but at least one player who is earning rave reviews: defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist. The 26-year-old is averaging more than his age in minutes per game. "The better teams have a horse on defense who can fill any role," said coach Curt Fraser. "Daniel can be that for us. Is he ready to play 30 minutes right now? I don't think so, but by January, he will be."
The Florida Panthers beat Toronto on Wednesday, giving them two wins in a row for the first time since Dec. 14-15 of last year, when it took them until Games 30 and 31 to do so.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
