Thanks to Oiler at the Sportsfrog for bringing the Bolts recent run to my attention. The Bolts have won 13 of their past 16 games, and the only hotter team in the NHL are the Penguins (11-0-2). During this stretch the Bolts have moved past Stanley Cup Champion Carolina, and are only three points behind Atlanta for the division lead.
During their run, the Bolts have been led by Lecavalier, who also leads the NHL in goals scored (37). Not a whole lot of Bolts games are broadcast up here in Northern Virginia so I can’t tell what Vinny is doing different but it’s nice to see him live up to the high expectations that were placed on him when he was drafted. I’ve always believed Vinny to be the most talented scorer on the Bolts (even more so than St Louis) because of his unique blend of size, speed and puck handling.
The only other player I’ve watched in person who reminds me of Vinny is Alexander Ovechkin, who is the second leading goal scorer in the NHL (34) and draws little number eight people on his sticks. Which conveniently allows me to mention that Ovechkin and the Caps are coming to Tampa tonight.
Starting tonight the Bolts begin a four game stretch against division rivals, which ends in a week against division leading Atlanta. If the Bolts continue playing lights out they can take the division lead from Atlanta, and move up from the #6 seed in the East to the #3 seed. Which means it’s go time for the Bolts.
