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Quick Strikes for Saturday, March 28

The Lightning tweak the power play, the Syracuse Crunch hit a nice round number, marking anniversaries with flagship game participants, and the warm and fuzzies on display at Maple Leafs practice (sarcasm oozing).

By John Fontana
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
  • Brian Boyle, first unit power play member? The Lightning tried it out in practice on Friday. [Tampabay.com] (corrected link)
  • Last night, the Syracuse Crunch got their 40th win this season as they beat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-3. [Syracuse.com]
  • "I expected [the AHL] to be a rough and tough league, and that's what it is. The guys are bigger, stronger, faster; there was a bit of a learning process, but everything has been going well. I'm happy so far." Slater Koekkoek learns the rigors of the AHL. [NHL.com]
  • You're seeing tanking glorified by loser NHL teams right now (and the media) and Travis Yost draws the wrong conclusion to remedy this: Kill the draft. Killing the draft lottery I can understand, making draft order determined by other means (of competition - not losing) is wise... But shedding the draft? No. [And One Last Thing]
  • The ballad of Vincent Lecavalier rambles on this week; houses for sale, head coaches he'd like to displace so he can "finish his career on a high note" and now, trades that other team owners intervened on to stop them. Ever wonder why the Lecaalier-to-Nashville rumors died? [On the Forecheck]
  • The Philadelphia Flyers would like to host another Winter Classic, with the justification being that it'd mark the 50th anniversary of NHL expansion to 12 teams. [Broad Street Hockey]
  • Forest City Ratner built Barclays Center in Brooklyn; they've got a renovation plan for Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. Now they're dropping lawsuits. [NYI Point Blank]
  • The warmth in the Toronto Maple Leafs locker room is comparable to that of the temperature of a tropical climate like... Pluto. Phil Kessel and David Booth demonstrated the warm bonds between teammates at practice on Friday:

  • Things weren't all negative in the Maple Leafs organization on Friday though. A bright, gleaming source of hope and fresh spirit graced the franchise. [Pension Plan Puppets]
  • The Florida Panthers playoff chances just took another hit - Nick Bjugstad is out for the season after back surgery. [Litter Box Cats]
  • Darren Dreger gives the latest update on Las Vegas: NHL expansion candidate. [TSN]

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