Downie developing into quite a player

Late in the third period Saturday night, a chant began in the cheap seats and swept across the lower bowl of the St. Pete Times Forum.

"Downie, Downie, Downie."

As No. 9 skated off from a corner to the penalty box, leaving Thrashers strewn in his wake, Lightning winger Steve Downie gazed straight ahead.

He didn't acknowledge the adoring crowd or his teammates banging their sticks on the boards in appreciation of an emerging Bay area love affair.

Downie, who turns 23 next month, may be the ultimate blue-collar player in a blue-collar town.

"One of the reasons we play so well against the Capitals is that Downie's a loose cannon and they don't know what he's going to do out there," said Coach Rick Tocchet, who has seen Downie thrive with additional ice time. "He's got that edge about him, but he's also got the skill."

Obtained from the Flyers in a trade 16 months ago, Downie is developing into quite an effective two-way player.

A first-period assist Saturday extended his point streak to 10 games and Downie is on pace for a 20-goal season. He ranks second to Steven Stamkos in team shooting percentage (18.0) and easily leads the Lightning with a plus-18 mark.

"It's been a big improvement from my first two seasons," said Downie, a first-round pick in 2005 who frustrated Philadelphia management with his penchant for drawing suspensions and playing undisciplined. "I've been a fourth-line player and I knew I could contribute more."

Saturday's late outburst was a case of Downie finishing what he started.

Skating down left wing, Downie passed across to Marty St. Louis and then left his feet to flatten Atlanta center Marty Reasoner. After his shot was stopped, St. Louis was standing behind the net without the puck when he was leveled by Clarke MacArthur of the Thrashers.

With St. Louis in a daze, Downie immediately took off after MacArthur and the ensuing skirmish left Downie with a double-minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct, prompting a sellout crowd to voice its approval.

Tocchet, a former NHL standout who likely sees a little of himself in Tampa Bay's rambunctious forward, said Downie rededicated himself to the game last summer, working out diligently in Minnesota.

"If he has another great summer, this kid's going to go to another level," Tocchet said. "Now he's a disciplined guy, on and off the ice. His consistency level has really taken off."

Downie is still known as a major pest and his 184 penalty minutes rank second in the league to teammate Zenon Konopka.

The surprise is how well this pest can play.

Some people in the organization believe Downie is the only NHL player whose volatility scares Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.

"Coach Tocchet and (assistant) Adam Oates have really helped me a lot," Downie said. "I was the type of guy who needed a lot of work."