Another scary episode happened during the yesterday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first period, when a Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson fell on Steven Stamkos near the boards and stayed on him for several seconds while battling for the puck. After getting up, Stamkos was clearly struggling with putting weight on his left leg and immediately went down the tunnel to the dressing room. It was announced later that he wouldn’t return for the rest of the game.
Stamkos has left the game with an apparent leg injury. pic.twitter.com/PNaU3lJYpL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 12, 2023
During his post-game press conference, however, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was optimistic, saying that the Lightning captain is going to be OK, and keeping him out of the rest of the game was a precaution. Reportedly Stamkos was seen in the locker room after the game, while walking without a limp. He’s expected to be evaluated today.
.@TBLightning coach Jon Cooper talks about the status of captain Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point’s two-goal night and more after the win over the Blackhawks on Saturday night. #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/D5QbrxEUcI
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) March 12, 2023
That happened just six days after Victor Hedman suffered an injury during a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Swedish defenceman missed two straight games this week, returning last night against Chicago.
Lightning Links
The Lightning defeated the Blackhawks 3-1 on Saturday night. Brayden Point scored twice, Brandon Hagel added an empty-net goal at the end of the game. Taylor Raddysh scored the only goal for Chicago, while two other former players from the Lightning organization, Tyler Johnson and Cole Guttman, assisted on that goal [Raw Charge]
Should they have blown out Chicago based on their spots in the standings? Sure, but the ‘Hawks have been playing hard over recent weeks despite fielding a weakened roster after the trade deadline. Parity in this league still means any team can win on any given night and the Bolts can’t just throw their sticks on the ice and expect to win. The underlying stats were a little more favorable for the Bolts as they dominated the high-danger chances (16-8) and expected goals (3.33 to 2.13) at 5v5. They are doing a better job of getting back to the front of the net and generating chances, something that was virtually non-existent during their losing skid.
With two goals yesterday, Brayden Point set a new career-high in a single season with 43 goals. He’s now third in the NHL in a goal scoring race, behind only Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak.
Lightning Brayden Point leads the NHL with 26 goals since the Xmas break#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/Ry2dlIT5u2
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 12, 2023
The Syracuse Crunch rebounded after last night’s win, beating the Rochester Americans last night.
That’s the bounce back we wanted.
📝: https://t.co/BVhG2mJiZM pic.twitter.com/hJUt3YaXYx
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) March 12, 2023
Hockey News
Here are the last night’s result from the NHL.
And just like that, we call it a night on a 15-game Saturday.#NHLStats: https://t.co/xLY8AtJTBS pic.twitter.com/3OSIGRKsy3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 12, 2023
The Boston Bruins have become the first team to secure their playoff spot this spring.
FIRST TO CLINCH 🐻
The @NHLBruins have officially secured their spot in the #StanleyCup Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/F0I7AAQgmp
— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2023
The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to a three-year contract extension.
THREE-V-R
The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to a three-year contract extension. van Riemsdyk’s contract will carry an average annual value of $3 million.#ALLCAPS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 11, 2023
