In a bit of a quirk to the NHL schedule, there will be two nights this week where there will be no games being played. Thursday is understandable, as fans have other priorities on American Thanksgiving, and the NFL dominates the day in the sports world. Even the NBA is taking the day off. Tuesday is a different story. Why weren’t there any games last night?
Sportnet’s Jeff Marek had the explanation:
So it was an odd combination of limited arena availability, CBA restrictions on how many nights a team can play over a length of time, and the Global Series.
Yeah, it was unfortunate series of events, but nothing to get too upset or excited about. Trust me, there are way more messed up things that this league does than not play. Besides, we can all use the occasional night off from this sport. Not too much, though. Or else we might have to care about a former ref bickering with a sports writer.
The good news is that the league is right back in action tonight with 14 games, including the Lightning and Jets at Amalie Arena.
Lightning / NHL News
How Frantz Jean has helped guide the goaltending tandem in Vasy’s absence [Tampa Bay Lighting]
There have been times where Jean has drawn the ire of the Lightning fan base, but the long-tenured goaltending coach has been instrumental in getting Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins ready for roles they weren’t exactly expecting when they came into the organization.
‘Ebb and Flow’: Episode Two of Recharge [ Lightning YouTube]
Jean gets a call out in the latest Recharge episode as the team celebrates his 1,000 NHL game. The off-ice adventures of Tony and Hags is the real star of the of the show as Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel hang out and get ready for the team’s Halloween party.
Plus Minus: Lightning, Spitfires, Global Series, Penguins [The Hockey News]
The Lightning get a “plus” for their resiliency over the last few games. That’s nice.
World Juniors 2024 roster predictions [The Athletic]
We’re about a month away from the Men’s Under-20 World Junior Championship so it’s time to start predicting rosters. Scott Wheeler moves ahead of Corey Pronman in our prospect evaluators as he includes Isaac Howard on Team USA:
“The real chemistry of former NTDP linemates Frank Nazar and Isaac Howard, who looked good together again at the World Junior Summer Showcase, makes a lot of sense alongside [Gavin] Brindley (who they’ve also played with), too.”
Pronman left him off his list stating, “Howard is very skilled but not a driver at even strength.”
It’s a testament to how deep Team Canada is that Ethan Gauthier and his 23 points in 22 games doesn’t even warrant a consideration.
How struggling NHL contenders can get back in the mix [ESPN]
I’m guessing the wins over Edmonton and Boston pulled the Lightning out of consideration for this article.
