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Quick Strikes: Carey Price remains pedestrian against the Tampa Bay Lightning

And Jon Cooper remains correct.

The Game

Reveling in yesterday’s 4-1 Tampa Bay Lightning victory against eternal foes the Montreal Canadiens will never get old. It always brings me back to Jon Cooper’s incendiary words from the 2015 playoff run (as quoted by the Montreal Gazette):

‘’We look back and his numbers against the Tampa Bay Lightning are very pedestrian compared to the rest of the teams,’’ Cooper told Smith. ‘’He, to us, is not a mental block.’’

Whenever the Bolts beat Montreal, I want to get “Carey Price is not a mental block” tattooed over my heart.

Anyway, there wasn’t much news about the team yesterday (due to travel, etc.), so I’m going to focus on the interesting chatter from around the league to start us off.

Should teens be allowed into NHL lineups? Here’s Sportsnet’s take. [Sportsnet]

Pettersson is a classic example of the risk/reward balancing act general managers have to make on these kids. At six-foot-two, 176 pounds, Pettersson is a wisp of a man, a 19-year-old who will grow into his body. While he is physically overmatched by veteran NHLers, he is so gifted. He dances around more experienced players, and is leading all rookie scorers with 10 points in eight games despite missing six contests.

Speaking of the Oilers, our sibling site Copper & Blue got into a long discussion about whether or not Jesse Puljujarvi is a bust. [Copper & Blue]

This got me wondering how Jesse has done compared to similar players. Short answer: Not even close. The long answer is the rest of this article. I even use the Finnish national team (who also healthy scratched him) and compare him to similar players there. I’ve come up with a few players I will use as comparables. Either because they are from the same draft as Jesse or similar Finnish players that Patrick mentioned (eg. Top 10 picks recently).

Here’s some news on the concussion lawsuit settlement. [TSN]

A settlement has not been agreed on, the players stressed in interviews with TSN. However, the players said their attorneys have told them a deal could include a cash payout of approximately $25,000 (U.S.) per player, in addition to funding for players to get treatment for neurocognitive disorders.

Tangentially, the NHL still looking for ways to improve goalie masks [The Intelligencer]

Elliott says he probably gets more blows to the head from direct contact with players standing in or near the crease.

“You probably get more of those concussions from getting bumped into,″ Elliott says. “When you turn in and there’s an elbow there, rather than a shot. I think they do a really good job of the puck glancing off the mask from that design.″

This is a tough read but always important: Former NHL star Theo Fleury opens up about his long journey to mental health [CBC]

”Most of us are hurt, abused, abandoned and neglected in relationships, so that’s been my experience,” Fleury said. “First with my parents who had addiction problems, then the sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of a coach. That was all about relationships.”

Mile High Hockey followed our lead at Raw Charge and wrote up their re-do of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft: Colorado Avalanche Draft Mulligan: The 2012 NHL Entry Draft [MHH]

What goalies in the AHL belong in the NHL? Take note, Ottawa. AHL Notebook: League loaded with intriguing goaltending prospects [NHL.com]

Speaking of goalies, Predators Sign Pekka Rinne to 2-Year, $10 Million Contract [On the Forecheck]

Brad Marchand is my favorite league heel:

The Bolts

The only article of note from yesterday is Raw Charge’s own game recap! [Raw Charge]

The Bolts lost a game on Thursday where they deserved a better fate. They probably didn’t deserve a three-goal victory tonight but they played well enough to win and this evens out the bad luck they experienced against Nashville.

The team now has nine wins in their first thirteen games and earned an important two points on the front half of a road back to back. They head to Ottawa tomorrow to face a Senators team that was blasted by the Sabres this afternoon 9-2.

The Prospects

Sad-face-emoji. Rangers rookie Brett Howden proving that he belongs in the NHL [Newsday]

So far, the acquisition of Howden alone is making that trade look like a winner for the Rangers. Howden has the look of a potential top line or second line center going forward, the kind of steady player who figures to be a central component of the Rangers’ rebuild.

The Syracuse Crunch did well last night, beating the Belleville Senators 6-1 at home. [Box Score]

Nice stat:

Another nice stat, this time about Carter Verhaeghe:

Yesterday, the AHL had Hockey Fights Cancer day, and they celebrated with a certain guy’s photo.

Cal Foote and Alexei Lipanov got a mention by Stacy Roest on Hockey Prospects radio. Nice to hear that Cal is putting his best...effort forward. And also that Lipanov, who had been traded to the bottom-feeder Sudbury Wolves before OHL playoffs, has found his stride with the Kitchener Rangers. In 10 games played, Lipanov has two goals and two assists. Good going, kid.

Cool. Have excellent Sundays, y’all!

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