Before we get into this, just a note. I will not be on the road trip that goes through Minnesota, Colorado and Philly. Brant James will be with the team while I take Thanksgiving off. You are in good hands.

Anyway, did you see how much better the Lightning played when it got PO'd? The hitting, the fighting the intensity around the net gave Tampa Bay the chance not only to stay with the Rangers on Wednesday but to outplay them for a significant amount of time.

Sure, they lost, 3-2 in a shootout, But that goes into a whole other range of problems. Will Tampa Bay ever win another shootout? Both the shooters and Mike Smith have to be better. Can i prevent opponents from getting into these minutes-long, offensive-zone possessions? But those are subjects for another day. For now, it's enough to know the Lightning plays better when it plays angry.

This goes beyond the fights. That is easy. That's a byproduct of playing angry. I'm, talking about someone like Evgeny Artyukhin, who threw around his 6-foot-5, 254-pound body and got under New York's skin. Witness Colton Orr jumping Artyukhin after a clean hit on Blair Betts. Tampa Bay should have had a four-minute power play but because a bewildering call by the referees, it got only two as an innocent Artyukhin was called for roughing.

But you see what happens when you stir things up a bit.

The adrenaline gets pumping, the focus is intensified and players start doing things like getting in front of the net, setting screens, going for tip-ins, hitting  a little harder. Makes for an entertaining game. Makes for a better chance of victory.

We're not talking about fighting here, but playing gritty, going after pucks, hitting hard and getting to the net.

It is a difficult way to play. It takes will and conditioning. Perhaps it also takes a coach like Rick Tocchet, who was that kind of player in his day, to threaten his guys with a loss of playing time if they don't keep it up.

One thing is sure, the Lightning played with an edge against the Rangers. Isn't that what all players are looking for?