Quick Strikes for Tuesday, May 24

Goalie Ben Bishop is not going to rush back from his down-time caused by a lower leg injury in game 1. There’s also a token update here on Steven Stamkos‘ situation and the comeback of Anton Stralman. [Tampa Bay Times]
Erik Erlendsson, doing his thing over at Lightning Shout, recaps the game 5 antics of the Bolts. [Lightning Shout]
Hey, Tampa Bay Lightning? Yeah, GeoFitz4 wrote a good-idea goal song article yesterday. It would seem that Victor Hedman has already played up that notion in a way…
Hedman: “I thought Cally’s was in for sure… But then our Russian Assassin came through.” #PITvsTBL https://t.co/oDY38AGio3

— #GoBolts (@TBLightning) May 23, 2016
- Speaking of Kucherov, he gets his time in the press spotlight (not in a TV interview, sorry) with his play for the Bolts. [USA Today]
- Smooth Criminals aren’t entirely applicable to how Game 5 was won by the Bolts. There’s also a tail that inspires such a story of the comeback by the Lightning. [Facebook]
- Joe Thornton got time in the spotlight through feature coverage on ESPN for his antics in the game and away from the ice-sheet. [ESPN]
- A first person, in depth retelling of time at the SAP Center (Shark Tank) in San Jose. [St. Louis Game Time]
- (Sorry folks, no game recap stuff because Quick Strikes were amassed during the Sharks–Blues game at Scottrade Center last night. Looking for that coverage? Check out our comrades at Fear the Fin and St. Louis Game Time for their reports on Game 5.)
- While the Blues, Lightning, Penguins and Sharks vie for Stanley Cup finals berths, the rest of the NHL has moved into off-season mode. One sought after commodity from outside the league is KHL star Vadim Shipachyov. Reports say the Montreal Canadiens are on the verge of making the signing. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]
- In Chee-cah-go, the Blackhawks have reportedly signed KHL defenseman Michal Kempny. [Second City Hockey]
- Player movement is not entirely east-to-west though; Nashville Predators defensive prospect Taylor Aronson signed a deal with a KHL club yesterday. [CBS Sports]
- And of course there’s NHL free agent speculation ongoing at this times of year… With the same subject matter driving a blog representing a now-idle team: Steven Stamkos, NHL free agent. Is signing him to the [insert team here] even feasible? In this case, the speculation revolves around Detroit. [Wings Nation]
- Signing that guy, signing this guy, speculating about signing that guy… What about buyouts? That window is opening as the NHL contract year comes to a close. In this case, here’s speculation regarding five players who could be bought out by the Calgary Flames. [Calgary Flames from 80 Feet Above]
- What else happens besides player transactions? Oh, yeah, coaching… That’s already played out to a degree in Ottawa with the hiring of Guy Boucher, and Minnesota with Bruce Boudreau joining the club. Boudreau has done what you’d expect from a new coach: Made changes. [Hockey Wilderness]
- A potential assistant coach addition for the Detroit Red Wings stands at John Torchetti. [Winging it in Motown]
- Former NHL greats Peter Bondra and Sergei Federov have been inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame.[Russian Machine Never Breaks]
- News came out Monday of the passing of former Toronto Maple Leafs coach John Brophy. Brophy’s playing career had him in the EHL in markets destined for NHL franchises. He was coach of the Maple Leafs in the late 80’s, but spent many a year as a coach in the minors. [Pension Plan Puppets]

Talking Points