There was a big Swedish hole in the Lightning defense last night in their 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Victor Hedman, who had left Saturday’s game against Seattle, was scratched from the line-up with Haydn Fleury drawing in for the second consecutive game.
Mikhail Sergachev (26:37) and Darren Raddysh (20:00) both eclipsed the 20 minute mark in playing time while Calvin de Haan skated for 18:24. With Hedman out, Sergachev took his spot on the first power play unit while Raddysh backfilled the point position on the second unit.
As you can see from the Tweet above, Hedman’s status is “day-to-day” and Coach Cooper said he was “game time” prior to match-up with Vancouver. Calling up Philippe Myers seemed to be precautionary, especially with the flu bug scampering around the locker room. It’s a good sign that the he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve, and hopefully the extra day off will have him ready for Edmonton on Thursday.
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Lightning lose in Vancouver [Raw Charge]
Cooper noted that the Lightning played a good 185-foot game. They just couldn’t put the puck in the net. With the power play struggling on the road, they have got to find a way to score 5v5.
Craig Berube relieved of duties in St. Louis [St. Louis Post Dispatch]
A four-game losing streak brough Berube’s reign in St. Louis to an end. Former Lightning defenseman Drew Bannister, who had been the head coach of their AHL affiliate, will be their interim head coach. Berube is asked to leave after coaching them for 382 games and one Stanley Cup victory, which came in 2019. Odd note, Bannister is now the third active NHL coach that used to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning, joining Marty St. Louis (Montreal) and Sheldon Keefe (Toronto).
Death of Adam Johnson prompts new look at neck guards in youth hockey [AP News]
A long-form piece on how youth hockey leagues are dealing with the concern for safety following the high-profile incident. Former Syracuse Crunch forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond is quoted in the story.
Governor announces plan to build arena for Caps, Wizards in Virginia [Inside NoVa]
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced plans for a new entertainment district in Alexandria that will include a new arena for the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards. The $2 billion project is slated to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2028, but still requires approval from the state and city legislature. Monumental Sports will kick in $403 million while the $2 billion will be funded by bonds issued by a newly created Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority. Meanwhile, leaders in D.C. are trying to entice the Caps and Wizards to extend their lease until 2052 with the promise of $500 million to renovate Capital One Arena, which opened in 1997.
NHLPA files appeal in David Perron suspension [TSN]
The players’ association is appealing the six-games handed down by DoPS in regards to Perron’s crosscheck to the head of Artem Zub. The appeal will be heard by commissioner Gary Bettman, who has usually upheld the decisions made by Player Safety in the past. If the NHLPA still wants to pursue it, a neutral arbitrator will rule on an appeal of the appeal.
NHL overhauls All-Star Skills Competition [The Athletic]
There will be 8 events with 12 players competing to rack up the most points in order to win a $1 million prize. So the league is basically bribing the players to try harder in these skills contests.
