Author: Lauren Burg

Lauren Burg is a Tampa Bay Lightning writer for “Inside the Rink.” A lifelong Tampa Bay Area resident, she graduated from the University of South Florida’s world-renowned journalism program in December 2009. While in college, she discovered hockey and the Tampa Bay Lightning. She quickly became a passionate fan, attending many games over the years. She also experienced an All-Star game in 2018, numerous road games, and, most recently, the Bolts back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Since graduating college, she’s been working hard to combine her two loves, writing and hockey, hoping to one day make that her full-time career. In her free time, she enjoys attending sporting events (both home & road when possible), taking photos, and traveling.

Panthers Eastern Conference Championship Proving Hockey in Florida Works

One day. That’s all that stands between the Florida Panthers and their second-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Tomorrow, the Cats will embark on a journey their brothers to the northwest know all too well, one that will end in triumph or heartbreak. It was 27 years ago that the Panthers made their first […]

How the Tampa Bay Lightning Helped Me Through a Challenging Time

February 28, 2019. A day I had been looking forward to for nearly a year. The Tampa Bay Lightning were at TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins, and I had made the trip from Florida, part of a tradition my father and I had begun in 2010. Unfortunately, I had started feeling off physically […]

Tampa Bay Lightning 2022-2023 Season Review

Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning had high expectations after falling just short of capturing their third consecutive Stanley Cup. While they struggled late in the regular season and even during the playoffs, there were definitely things to celebrate. Going forward into another difficult offseason, it’s important to remember the good times […]

Why a Panthers vs. Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final is Good for Hockey

When thinking about hockey, most people assume that the best teams reside in cold climates. A Boston Bruins vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final, as some predicted, wouldn’t be a surprise and wouldn’t help create future NHLers. The television ratings might be better, but that doesn’t always mean much in the grand scheme of things. […]

Steven Stamkos on the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s High Expectations Make Early Exit Feel Like a Failure

After three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Tampa Bay Lightning entered the 2022-23 season expecting to make the playoffs and advance past the first round. Keeping that in mind, one can imagine the shock and disbelief players, coaches, and management felt when their season ended on April 29, 2023. For the math nuts, that’s […]

Lightning Need More From Their Stars

While the Tampa Bay Lightning avoided elimination in Game 5, they didn’t get any scoring out of their star players. Going forward, that can’t continue happening if they plan to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. The top line of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov has a combined four goals in five games. They […]

Do the Lightning Consider Lineup Changes for Pivotal Game 5?

With the Tampa Bay Lightning facing elimination in Game 5 Thursday night, the question of whether they consider making lineup changes is one worth pondering. They haven’t played poorly in the last two games. In fact, the Lightning controlled play for long stretches in Games 3 and 4. Defensive lapses late allowed the Toronto Maple […]

Lightning in Unfamiliar Territory after Blowing Two Straight Games

Closing out games for the Tampa Bay Lightning was pretty close to perfect over the last three to four seasons. When it came to the postseason, they were money from 2020 to 2022. Since defense and goaltending are a staple of many championship teams, it’s no secret that ability to shut things down late contributed […]

NHL Player Safety Must Send Message by Coming Down Hard on Playoff Headshots

The NHL Playoffs are less than a week old, and already there’s been three players helped off the ice dizzy and out of it. That’s too many, especially considering the league has been trying to cut down on such hits. While it’s true that players own much of the responsibility to avoid contact when possible […]

Vasilevskiy Must Steal a Few Games If Lightning Want to Advance in the Playoffs

With the playoffs in their early stages, it’s hard to say a goaltender has to be better. That’s especially true when the series is tied, and both goalies have been shaky. In saying that, the Tampa Bay Lightning need much more out of Andrei Vasilevskiy. He can play better than fans have seen most of […]