This season, the Tampa Bay Lightning put a little twist on the annual family trip eschewing the parental units for siblings. So, instead of treating moms and dads to morning skates and luxury boxes, it was the brothers and sisters experiencing the NHL lifestyle for a few days. According to the Tampa Bay Times article linked above, the organization invited 19 of the players’ siblings along with another 16 family members of the staff and coaches along with them on their two-game trip to Pittsburgh and Columbus.
For Cam Atkinson, the trip has been a family reunion as all four of his brothers plan to be at the game tonight in Columbus, the city where the 35-year-old veteran began his NHL career. The only question now will be if they get to see him play. Atkinson has been a healthy scratch the last three games, but with Nick Paul’s status in doubt, the free-agent forward could draw into the line-up.
Hockey News
Andrei Vasilevskiy named third star of the week [NHL.com]
We missed this, but Vasy earned some league-wide recognition as he was named the league’s third start for the week ending November 17th. Along the way to picking up his 300th career victory, he went 2-0 with a .981 SV% and 0.50 GAA. Not too shabby. Connor McDavid and Mason Marchment were the first two stars of the week.
NHL Player Poll [The Athletic]
If you’ve wondered what the players were thinking about things such as expansion, Alex Ovechkin’s chase for immortality, and the Fanatics jerseys, The Athletic has you covered. Interesting to see Houston picked as the preferred choice for the next hockey city. Well, maybe not so interesting when you read why. “Tax-free state. Tax free. Sunshine states.” Also, props to the two players that picked Helsinki.
2025 World Juniors roster predictions [The Athletic]
With the weather finally cooling in the south, it can only mean that prospect Christmas is near! A quick look at the rosters projections for some of the power teams in the upcoming Men’s World Juniors Tournament show a bevy of NHL draft picks, including a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. The prospect watchers at The Athletic have Joona Sarelainen penciled into the second line for Finland. While they aren’t eligible for the tournament, the staff also put together a team for Russia.
Blackhawks, Blues officially unveil Winter Classic Uniforms [Second City Hockey]
Initial thoughts:
Chicago – feels like a lot of their other outdoor looks.
St. Louis – fine, if a bit bland.
Another reason to inject some different teams into these outdoor games is that it would provide some new looks on the ice. When teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh are in 40 different outdoor games, their jerseys start to look recycled.
Patrik Laine skates with Montreal [ESPN]
The return is near for the enigmatic winger as he took to the ice with his Montreal teammates for the first time following a left knee strain. Injured during the preseason, Laine has yet to play an official game with his new team, but is expected back in early December.
Block Party: J.J. Moser [The Tampa Bay Lightning – video]
Moser joins the show this week to speak about his first season with the Bolts
