The Lightning is getting the short end of the schedule right now. It is not the five-game road trip; every team goes through those, and worse. But to have Tampa Bay play five games on the road in eight nights and then have it suit up for a sixth game in nine nights at home against the Red Wings is not a way to strike competitive balance.

And it's not just that it's the Red Wings, but a Red Wings team that has Wednesday off and, as it turns out, is probably pretty PO'd about Tuesday's overtime loss. A guy I know predicted the Lightning would have the puck all of 10 minutes against Detroit on Thursday.

Look, I understand about trying to put together a schedule for 30 teams and having to take into account building availability, and all that. But it sees like the Red Wings are getting the greater consideration here. Detroit plays the Panthers on Friday as the second game of a back-to-back, and then has two days off so it can fly home and rest up for Edmonton. The Lightning? It gets back on the road to play Sunday at Carolina.

I know, they're big boys and are paid a lot of money and should be able to handle the stress. On the other hand, Detroit is playing its third back-to-back of the season. The Lightning is playing its second in a week.

This is not a homer rant. It's simply acknowledging a blip in the schedule. The Panthers are going through the same thing. Games in Montreal and Ottawa, fly home to face San Jose, back on the road to play at St. Louis, back home to play the Senators, on the road again for five in three time zones, back home for two and on the road for three.

Just doesn't seem fair, for anybody.