There were quite a few fans in Raymond James Stadium Sunday evening routing on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they demolished the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, to win Super Bowl LV. Unfortunately, despite having the day off, the Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t able to be there. Earlier in the day they had traveled to Nashville where they are preparing to take on the Predators on Monday.
That didn’t stop them from showing their support on social media.
#SuperBowl Sunday attire. 🏈@Buccaneers | #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/tMlng8O5sw
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) February 7, 2021
The biggest highlights are Alex Killorn sporting a football helmet and Tyler Johnson wearing number 13 (Mike Evans) instead of 18 – the number of his namesake, Tyler Johnson. C’mon TJ!
When they made it to Nashville the team was able to get together and watch the game.
Wish we were in Tampa , but this will do. LFG @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/WFNuZS4qB1
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) February 8, 2021
Before you get too excited, no they aren’t violating any of the NHL’s COVID protocols in this picture. The league allows teams on the road to gather in dedicated communal spaces as long as they remained masked and practice social distancing when possible. I’m pretty sure they cleared it with the league before they did it. A couple of press conferences ago, Coach Cooper had mentioned that he wasn’t sure if they would be able to get together, so in order to pull this off (and take a photo) it’s easy to assume that they checked to make sure it would be ok.
It doesn’t make for the best optics while the world is still dealing with a global pandemic, but in regard to the letter of the law, they didn’t do anything wrong. Unlike the Washington Capitals who were gathering in player’s individual rooms, maskless, which is a direct violation of the rules the league and the players union agreed upon. So don’t expect anyone to miss games over this.
Congrats to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who join the Lightning as two-time champions in the city of Tampa.
Lightning Links
The Lightning have racked up 6,000 goals since they debuted in 1992. That’s a lot. We took a look at the numbers yesterday. [Raw Charge]
On the power play they have 1,513 goals scored with Stamkos once again leading the way. His 158 are 9% of the total. The Big Three’s total of 366 is a whopping 21%. Since 2009-10, 50 of those power play goals have come on a five-on-three. For some reason that’s as far back as NHL.com’s Goals For By Strength goes.
Jeff Vinik chatted with the media on Friday about a host of topics. One of the things he spoke about was the possibility of fans returning to Amalie Arena at some point this season. It might be sooner than we expected. [Tampa Bay Times]
So now that’s where we’re at, and we think we’re getting to an environment with all the safety things we’ve done in the building that it can be a safe environment for everybody. So we’re hopeful a week or two from now.
Hockey Links
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets by one goal on Sunday. According to the league, one of the goals shouldn’t have counted, something they admitted during the game, but didn’t take the goal off of the board. [ESPN]
The NHL said in a statement that “during the review, a miscommunication occurred between the Video Replay Booth in Columbus, the Linesmen and the Situation Room and play resumed before all replays could be reviewed to confirm the off-side” and that “the challenge by Columbus should have resulted in the Carolina goal being disallowed.”
Again, they realized this between periods, but didn’t take the goal off of the board. New Blue Jacket Patrick Laine wasn’t a fan of the call.
#CBJ Patrik Laine: “That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever seen.”
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) February 7, 2021
Travis Sanheim of the Flyers joined the COVID protocol list on Sunday. Here’s that list as of Sunday. [TSN]
Goaltending in Edmonton has been a sore subject so far this season. In fact, goaltending in the entire North Division has been questionable. The good news for the Oilers is that they are getting a veteran back between the pipes. Old friend Mike Smith is no longer on Long Term Injury Relief. [Copper and Blue]
Smith is almost certain to get a start in the next two games which are both in Ottawa. This is due partially because Mikko Koskinen has played in 12 of 13 total Oilers games, and it’s also in part after a shaky performance by Mikko Koskinen versus Calgary last night. Koskinen yielded six goals on 28 Calgary shots
Don’t forget that we are looking for a new writer here at Raw Charge. The application process will be open for a couple of more days so please send your information soon if you’re interested! [Raw Charge]
To apply, please submit a resume detailing any previous writing, a cover letter explaining why you want to join our team at Raw Charge, and a hockey-related writing sample to sbn.rawcharge@gmail.com.
