# 2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning season

The 2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the team's 19th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). For the first time since the 2006–07 season, the Lightning qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

## Pre-season

On May 25, 2010, the Lightning announced Hockey Hall of Fame player and former Detroit Red Wings executive Steve Yzerman as their new general manager. On June 9, 2010, Yzerman hired Guy Boucher, head coach of the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Hamilton Bulldogs, as the Lightning's new head coach.

## Regular season

In October, the Lightning compiled a 7–2–1 record and with 15 points, leading not only the Southeast Division, but also the entire Eastern Conference. This was the first time the Lightning had ever led the East after the first month of the season. Steven Stamkos was named one of the League's Three Stars for the month of October, with Stamkos himself coming away with the honor of First Star. Stamkos led the League with 19 points, scoring nine goals and assisting on ten, and was tied for the second-best plus-minus rating at +9.
The Lightning's record started to slide in November, as they earned only three points in their first seven games of the month. On November 11, Vincent Lecavalier suffered a fracture to his right hand. He underwent surgery on November 15 and was placed on the injured reserve list, expected to miss four-to-five weeks. He would ultimately return one month later on December 15, having missed 15 games. Despite losing their captain, the Lightning were able to win six of the month's final nine games, a stretch that included a streak of five consecutive wins. With a 14–8–3 record and 31 points, the Lightning fell to second place in the Division and fifth in the Conference.
On January 1, 2011, Nate Thompson scored just 19 seconds into the overtime period to give the Lightning a 2–1 home win over the New York Islanders. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 2010–11 regular season.
The Lightning scored the fewest shorthanded goals in the league with just one, and allowed the most shorthanded goals in the league with 16.

## Playoffs

After defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 on March 31, the Lightning clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2006–07 season. They defeated the Penguins in the first round, 4–3, and swept the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the second round. However, the Lightning lost in the Conference Final to the Boston Bruins 4–3.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Southeast Division :
| | vte | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | z-Washington Capitals | 82 | 48 | 23 | 11 | 43 | 224 | 197 | 107 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 40 | 247 | 240 | 103 |
| 3 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 35 | 236 | 239 | 91 |
| 4 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 29 | 223 | 269 | 80 |
| 5 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 30 | 40 | 12 | 26 | 195 | 229 | 72 |

### Conference standings

Eastern Conference :
| R | vte | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | z – Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 48 | 23 | 11 | 43 | 224 | 197 | 107 |
| 2 | y – Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 47 | 23 | 12 | 44 | 259 | 223 | 106 |
| 3 | y – Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 44 | 246 | 195 | 103 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 49 | 25 | 8 | 39 | 238 | 199 | 106 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 40 | 247 | 240 | 103 |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 216 | 209 | 96 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 38 | 245 | 229 | 96 |
| 8 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 44 | 33 | 5 | 35 | 233 | 198 | 93 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 35 | 236 | 239 | 91 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 11 | 32 | 218 | 251 | 85 |
| 11 | New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 35 | 174 | 209 | 81 |
| 12 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 29 | 223 | 269 | 80 |
| 13 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 30 | 192 | 250 | 74 |
| 14 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 26 | 229 | 264 | 73 |
| 15 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 30 | 40 | 12 | 26 | 195 | 229 | 72 |
bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2010–11 Game Log :
Schedule
  Win
  Loss
  Overtime/Shootout Loss :

### Playoffs

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs :

## Player stats
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Martin St. Louis | 82 | 31 | 68 | 99 | 0 | 12 |
| Steven Stamkos | 82 | 45 | 46 | 91 | 3 | 74 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | 65 | 25 | 29 | 54 | -5 | 43 |
| Teddy Purcell | 81 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 5 | 10 |
| Simon Gagne | 63 | 17 | 23 | 40 | -12 | 20 |
| Ryan Malone | 54 | 14 | 24 | 38 | -3 | 51 |
| Dominic Moore | 77 | 18 | 14 | 32 | -12 | 52 |
| Steve Downie | 57 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 8 | 171 |
| Brett Clark | 82 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 2 | 14 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 80 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 0 | 56 |
| Victor Hedman | 79 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 3 | 70 |
| Nate Thompson | 79 | 10 | 15 | 25 | -6 | 29 |
| Pavel Kubina | 79 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 2 | 62 |
| Adam Hall | 82 | 7 | 11 | 18 | -12 | 32 |
| Dana Tyrell | 78 | 6 | 9 | 15 | -5 | 12 |
| Randy Jones | 61 | 1 | 12 | 13 | -4 | 15 |
| Mike Lundin | 69 | 1 | 11 | 12 | -3 | 12 |
| Marc-Andre Bergeron | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -10 | 8 |
| Mattias Ritola | 31 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -5 | 11 |
| Mattias Ohlund | 72 | 0 | 5 | 5 | -7 | 70 |
| Blair Jones | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| Johan Harju | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| Eric Brewer$^†$ | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 24 |
| Michael Vernace | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 2 |
| Marc-Antoine Pouliot | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Matt Smaby | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
| Mathieu Roy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 |
| James Wright | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Martin St. Louis | 18 | 10 | 10 | 20 | -8 | 4 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | 18 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 16 |
| Teddy Purcell | 18 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 4 | 2 |
| Steve Downie | 17 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 40 |
| Steven Stamkos | 18 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -5 | 6 |
| Simon Gagne | 15 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| Dominic Moore | 18 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 18 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 16 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| Eric Brewer | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -3 | 14 |
| Ryan Malone | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 24 |
| Victor Hedman | 18 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Adam Hall | 18 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -2 | 8 |
| Nate Thompson | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Mattias Ohlund | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Brett Clark | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Pavel Kubina | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Marc-Andre Bergeron | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
| Mike Lundin | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Randy Jones | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mattias Ritola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blair Jones | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
| Dana Tyrell | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 |

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; GAA= Goals against average; SA= Shots against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save percentage; SO= Shutouts
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Dwayne Roloson$^†$ | 34 | 1993 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 85 | 2.56 | 967 | .912 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Dan Ellis$^‡$ | 31 | 1679 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 82 | 2.93 | 741 | .889 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Smith | 22 | 1202 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 58 | 2.90 | 576 | .899 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Cedrick Desjardins | 2 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.00 | 63 | .968 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Dwayne Roloson | 17 | 982 | 10 | 6 | 41 | 2.51 | 541 | .924 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Smith | 3 | 120 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.00 | 48 | .958 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect time with Lightning only. $^‡$Traded mid-season Bold/italics denotes franchise record

## Awards and records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Steven Stamkos | NHL Third Star of the Week | October 25, 2010 |
| Steven Stamkos | NHL First Star of the Month | October 2010 |
| Steven Stamkos | NHL Second Star of the Week | January 24, 2011 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | NHL Second Star of the Week | April 11, 2011 |
| Martin St. Louis | Lady Byng Trophy winner | June 22, 2011 |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Dana Tyrell | 1st Career NHL Game | October 9, 2010 |
| Dana Tyrell | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | October 27, 2010 |
| Mattias Ritola | 1st Career NHL Goal | October 30, 2010 |
| Dana Tyrell | 1st Career NHL Assist | November 9, 2010 |
| Johan Harju | 1st Career NHL Game | November 12, 2010 |
| Martin St. Louis | 700th Career NHL Point | November 17, 2010 |
| Johan Harju | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | December 4, 2010 |
| Victor Hedman | 100th Career NHL Game | December 4, 2010 |
| Johan Harju | 1st Career NHL Goal | December 7, 2010 |
| Martin St. Louis | 800th Career NHL Game | December 7, 2010 |
| Matt Smaby | 100th Career NHL Game | December 11, 2010 |
| Randy Jones | 100th Career NHL Point | December 15, 2010 |
| Dominic Moore | 400th Career NHL Game | December 15, 2010 |
| Steven Stamkos | 100th Career NHL Goal | December 20, 2010 |
| Randy Jones | 300th Career NHL Game | December 26, 2010 |
| Cedrick Desjardins | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Win | December 30, 2010 |
| Steven Stamkos | 200th Career NHL Game | January 1, 2011 |
| Dwayne Roloson | 25th Career NHL Shutout | January 12, 2011 |
| Mike Lundin | 200th Career NHL Game | January 14, 2011 |
| Steven Stamkos | 200th Career NHL Point | January 14, 2011 |
| Dwayne Roloson | 200th Career NHL Win | January 18, 2011 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | 900th Career NHL Game | January 18, 2011 |
| Marc-Andre Bergeron | 400th Career NHL Game | February 6, 2011 |
| Simon Gagne | 700th Career NHL Game | February 6, 2011 |
| Steven Stamkos | 100th Career NHL Assist | February 8, 2011 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 100th Career NHL Point | February 8, 2011 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 300th Career NHL Game | February 12, 2011 |
| Michael Vernace | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | February 15, 2011 |
| Marc-Andre Bergeron | 200th Career NHL Point | February 23, 2011 |
| Mattias Ohlund | 900th Career NHL Game | March 22, 2011 |
| Adam Hall | 500th Career NHL Game | March 25, 2011 |
| Pavel Kubina | 900th Career NHL Game | April 8, 2011 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Sean Bergenheim | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Victor Hedman | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Mike Lundin | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Teddy Purcell | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Steven Stamkos | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Nate Thompson | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Dana Tyrell | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | April 13, 2011 |
| Victor Hedman | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 15, 2011 |
| Nate Thompson | 1st Career NHL Playoff Goal 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 15, 2011 |
| Steven Stamkos | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 18, 2011 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 1st Career NHL Playoff Goal 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 20, 2011 |
| Teddy Purcell | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 20, 2011 |
| Sean Bergenheim | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist | April 23, 2011 |
| Mike Lundin | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist 1st Career NHL Playoff Point | April 23, 2011 |
| Steven Stamkos | 1st Career NHL Playoff Goal | April 23, 2011 |
| Nate Thompson | 1st Career NHL Playoff Assist | April 23, 2011 |
| Steve Downie | 1st Career NHL Playoff Goal | April 25, 2011 |
| Teddy Purcell | 1st Career NHL Playoff Goal | April 25, 2011 |
| Blair Jones | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | May 1, 2011 |
| Simon Gagne | 100th Career NHL Playoff Game | May 17, 2011 |
| Mike Smith | 1st Career NHL Playoff Game | May 17, 2011 |
| Mike Smith | 1st Career NHL Playoff Win | May 21, 2011 |

## Transactions

The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2010–11 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 1, 2010 | To Philadelphia Flyers Andrej Meszaros | To Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd-round pick in 2012 – Colton Sissons |
| July 19, 2010 | To Philadelphia Flyers Matt Walker 4th-round pick in 2011 – Marcel Noebels | To Tampa Bay Lightning Simon Gagne |
| August 16, 2010 | To Montreal Canadiens Karri Ramo | To Tampa Bay Lightning Cedrick Desjardins |
| August 27, 2010 | To Toronto Maple Leafs Matt Lashoff | To Tampa Bay Lightning Alex Berry Stefano Giliati |
| December 9, 2010 | To Boston Bruins Juraj Simek | To Tampa Bay Lightning Levi Nelson |
| January 1, 2011 | To New York Islanders Ty Wishart | To Tampa Bay Lightning Dwayne Roloson |
| February 18, 2011 | To St. Louis Blues Brock Beukeboom 3rd-round pick in 2011 – Jordan Binnington | To Tampa Bay Lightning Eric Brewer |
| February 24, 2011 | To Anaheim Ducks Dan Ellis | To Tampa Bay Lightning Curtis McElhinney |
Player signings
PlayerContract terms
Mark Barberio3 years, $1.74 million entry-level contract
Martin St. Louis4 years, $22.5 million
Mitch Fritz1 year, $525,000
Mike Lundin1 year, $750,000
Teddy Purcell1 year, $750,000
Blair Jones1 year, $550,000
Paul Szczechura1 year, $550,000
Nate Thompson1 year, $625,000
Vladimir Mihalik1 year, $600,000
Radko Gudas3 years, $1.8 million entry-level contract
Steve Downie2 years, $3.7 million
Alex Hutchings3 years, $1.75 million entry-level contract
Nate Thompson2 years, $1.7 million contract extension
Richard Panik3 years, $2.22 million entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

Tampa Bay will pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, California.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Club Team |
| 1 | 6 | Brett Connolly | RW | Canada | Prince George Cougars (WHL) |
| 3 | 63 (from Florida via Los Angeles) | Brock Beukeboom | D | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) |
| 3 | 66 | Radko Gudas | D | Czech Republic | Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 3 | 72 (from Anaheim) | Adam Janosik | D | Slovakia | Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 96 | Geoffrey Schemitsch | D | Canada | Owen Sound Attack (OHL) |
| 4 | 118 (from San Jose) | James Mullin | C/RW | United States | Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN) |
| 6 | 156 | Brendan O'Donnell | C | Canada | Winnipeg South Blues (MJHL) |
| 7 | 186 | Teigan Zahn | D | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |