Despite painful last-minute loss, Lightning future is bright

It tells you how deep into the abyss the Tampa Bay Lightning plummeted the last two years when they're three games into a new season, still haven't won a game, and yet we can honestly say they really do look a whole lot better.

Honest.

In fact, for 59 minutes and 59 seconds Thursday night in their home opener they looked real good. But with the Bolts up by a goal and the much-less-than-sellout crowd screaming in anticipation of a victory, New Jersey's Travis Zajac scored with one measly second left to tie the game.

You know what happened next, right?

Off we went to bonus hockey, where the Bolts lost 4-3 in - please don't make me say it - yes, a shootout. When the Lightning get to a shootout, it's time to walk the dog, take out the trash, or basically do anything that doesn't involve watching, because it rarely ends well for them.

Back on point, though. It's not exactly a slogan for the season - "We still don't win but we're no longer completely hopeless" - but for now that's where we are with this team. Its terrific teenagers, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, are making an impact beyond their years.

"The future is bright in Tampa with two young guys like that," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said.

Indeed, the future seems like the big winner for the Bolts in this early part of the season.

Stamkos, 19, was born the same year Devils goalie Martin Brodeur was drafted into the National Hockey League. He scored twice against Jersey's human force field, which would be a career for some guys.

And in Hedman, the 18-year-old defenseman and No. 2 pick in the draft this year, you can see what all the fuss was about. He seems to be in a hurry to become the special player everyone says he can and will be.

Hedman twice got into scraps defending teammates, including goalie Mike Smith (who really deserved much better than a loss for his play in this one). That was impressive enough for a rookie. He won't be intimidated, that's for sure. That's part of the package, but it's not what sets him apart.

His play at 5:41 of the third period in what was then a tie game ... that's what sets him apart.

Not many 18-year-old, 6-foot-6 defenders playing only their third NHL game could have controlled the puck the way he did as he skated up the left side through traffic, then swept a pass to teammate Todd Fedoruk at the center of the ice. Fedoruk scored to put the Bolts up 3-2.

"A lot of people didn't think I was ready to play in this league," Hedman said. "But it's always been my dream to come down and play in this league."

There is an opportunity here for the Lightning. The Bucs are wandering lost in the desert, and the Rays are back among the also-rans. If the Bolts could actually finish a game - or at least figure out how to handle a shootout - they might win back some of the goodwill they squandered during these last two dismal seasons.

They'll have to earn it, though.

The announced crowd of 17,454 (about 2,000 fewer than a sellout) seemed generously inflated. The Forum was about half-filled when the game began, and large pockets of unfilled seats remained as the evening wound on.

But the Bolts have something positive in these two kids. We saw what Stamkos could do in the second half of last season, and he looks even better now. If Hedman doesn't get worn down by the rigors of a full NHL season, the Bolts will have a second major building block as they again start to build a championship team.

Three games into the new season, they still don't have a win. At least they've got one thing they didn't have the last two years, though.

Hope.