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THE PUCK STOPS HERE

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By CARTER GADDIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2007

Updated: 11/13/2007 11:57 pm

TAMPA - Johan Holmqvist is, frankly, a little tired of hearing about it. He won't tell you so unless you ask, being the stoic guy he is. But annoyed isn't too strong a word.

Oh, sure, the Lightning's starting goalie understands - better than most - how important it is to have good goaltending on an NHL team that hopes to contend for a Stanley Cup championship.

He also believes there's a limit to that importance.

And he'd like to think there's a limit to the conversation about it, even in a region whose one shining Cup moment was provided, in part, by a goalie who left for Chicago and greener free-agent pastures more than three years ago.

"It's always talked about," Holmqvist said. "It's all the time here. I don't want to hear that all the time. We win and lose as a team. I don't think it's all about goaltending."

That might be so. The thing is, at least this season, Tampa Bay's fortunes in the win-loss column have been directly tied to how well Holmqvist has played on a given night.

Overall, he is 8-5-1 with a .893 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average. Need proof of how important it is for him to play well?

In the eight games in which he allowed two or fewer goals, he went 8-0-0.

When he allowed three or more goals, he was 0-5-1, with another team loss that was charged to backup goalie Marc Denis mixed in.

These are raw numbers, of course, statistics that don't measure an unlucky bounce here or an awkwardly screened shot there. Extenuating circumstances aren't quantifiable in hockey.

In other words, as Holmqvist said, sometimes it's not all about goaltending.

In this, Holmqvist has an ally.

"The key in that position is just each and every night giving a team a chance to win," said Lightning coach John Tortorella, who has answered more than his share of questions about the goalie position during the past two-plus seasons. "For the most part this year, Holmqvist has done that. That's the key. That's all we're looking for."

Sometimes, though, giving the Lightning a chance to win means Holmqvist has to play out of his mind.

During his and the team's current three-game win streak, he has made saves that have defied logic, like the point-blank diving grab he made to rob Carolina's Eric Cole on a power play in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday.

"Obviously, any time you get great goaltending like we're getting right now from Homer, it makes you ... a little more confident out there," said defenseman Shane O'Brien. "If a puck bounces over your stick or something happens like that, then Homer is going to be there to make the save."

Athletic plays are nice, Holmqvist acknowledged, but that can only take you so far.

"If you can do those things once in a while, that's great," Holmqvist said. "But you want to have a good position game. If you have good position, you don't have to do those things all the time."

It goes beyond the confidence to which O'Brien alluded. Sometimes, the play of the goalie dictates the very mood on the ice.

"It's obvious how good Holmqvist has been," said Lightning center Brad Richards. "Just watch the games. I noticed a huge difference in Carolina how good he was. He was a wall. Everything was calm. He just looked in control, and that made us play under control."

Unfortunately for Holmqvist, it's not likely that the goaltender talk will subside any time soon. Especially if he continues to play the way he has during the past three games, during which he is 3-0 with a .955 save percentage.

But, unless you ask, he'll keep his peace.

"I think that's the way I am as a guy," Holmqvist said. "You have your ups and downs in hockey, and life goes on. I focus on what I have to do on the ice and move forward."

BROADCAST SCHEDULE: Tonight's game against Carolina is the first of six Lightning games that will be carried over the air on the team's new broadcast partner, WXPX, Channel 66. The other five are the Devils on Nov. 24, the Capitals on Dec. 15, the Avalanche on Jan. 15, the Oilers on Jan. 22 and the Sabres on Feb. 20.

Reporter Carter Gaddis can be reached at (813) 259-8291 or igaddis@tampatrib.com.

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