Quick Strikes for Monday, January 11

• For the moment, the Lightning has regained a playoff spot (#8 in the East). By record they’re ahead of the Senators (who are tied in points) a sit three points behind the more formally seeded teams in the Atlantic Division. [Tampa Tribune]
• Jonathan Marchessault gets his moment in the spotlight. [The Hockey News]
• Trying to assess the value of #91, and I don’t mean a jersey resale. [Sports Illustrated]
• In Syracuse, the Crunch won their second in a row to go 2-1-0 during their three-in-three weekend. [Syracuse Crunch]
• Congratulations are in order for Alexander Ovechkin who scored his 500^th career NHL goal last night against the Ottawa Senators:

• But was Alex Ovechkin done with 500? Oh, certainly not. He notched 501 in the 3rd as Washington went on to win 7-1 over the Senators last night. [video.nhl.com]
• Vancouver is actively seeking to move left wing Chris Higgins. The 32 year old Higgins has 3 points in 25 games played this season, well off his average during his career. [Canucks Army]
• “The Montreal Canadiens (including Carey Price himself) have only themselves to blame for Price’s extended absence. Nothing but prolonged rest and therapy could properly heal his (suspected) MCL injury, but Montreal has insisted, at every juncture, on playing him despite every indication that he was not fully healed.” [InGoal Magazine]
• It’s been a while since we’ve promoted a CCPT Podcast. CCPT Podcast happens to be our old friend Cassie McClelland along with Su Ring talking about various subjects. This week it’s the 2016 NHL All-Star game, the Florida Panthers and more. [CCPT Hockey]
• The blue line effort of Aaron Ekblad and Brian Campbell is part of the reason the Florida Panthers have seen success. [Today’s Slapshot]
• The youth movement in Columbus is spoken about here. A summarization of the article may be best displayed by Ted Stryker’s nerves as a passenger on an airplane:
  

  [The Dark Blue Jacket]

• Lyle Richardson over at Spector’s Hockey addresses what we’ve been seeing play out in the Eastern Conference in the first half: The Washington Capitals and the fact this could be the year they go all the way. [Spector’s Hockey]

The latest after a week of scuttlebutt and fodder regarding Jonathan Drouin’s trade request…

• Jonathan Drouin’s first weekend in the AHL is over now (and we’ll touch on it in our weekly Syracuse Crunch update), and those efforts are going to play a part in his future and where he goes. [USA Today]
• Where he goes? It is confirmed he’s on the table? Yeah, pretty much… IF a deal makes the Bolts a better team. [NHL.com]
• The Royal Blue isn’t working out Drouin, so how about Kelly Green deep in the heart of Texas? [Defending Big D]
• The blame for what’s transpired between the Lightning and Jonathan Drouin applies to both parties. [Tampa Bay Times]
• Regarding blame and where you as a fan sit, who do you side with? Drouin and his agent Allan Walsh? Steve Yzerman and Jon Cooper? Cast a vote in our poll below.

In the Jonathan Drouin affair, I side with . . .