The Bolts
Last night was a decisive 5-2 victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning. “If the way the team played in the third period is truly a sign of the team turning it around, then we should be in for an exciting ride to the trade deadline.” [Raw Charge]
Andrei Vasilevskiy put together a strong performance in net. “Sometimes you need your goaltender to be your best player,” coach Jon Cooper said. “And he was (Tuesday).” [Tampa Bay Times]
Jonathan Drouin is having a great season. “I think it’s been pretty apparent to most Bolts fans that Jonathan Drouin has been the best player on the ice in a Lightning sweater recently, and it’s not even close.” [Bolts Jolts]
So when Drouin is on the ice, relative to when he’s not, the Lightning get a lot of good-looking RW shots. pic.twitter.com/8WS5NtpJwj
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 24, 2017
In the latest installment of the 91 Days of Stamkos series, JustinG dives into the star forward’s path to captaincy and the importance of his leadership to the team. [Raw Charge]
Elliotte Friedman weighs in on the Bolts in this week’s 30 Thoughts column. “I wondered if a Kevin Shattenkirk/Ben Bishop deal would make sense since both teams are looking for that kind of help, but Bishop is struggling and might not be the Blues’ answer… Yzerman has checked out the rental market, but wakes up Tuesday morning five points out of the playoffs with no games in hand.” [Sportsnet]
Arizona’s Peter Holland was fined $3,611.11 for sucker punching Ondrej Palat during Saturday’s game. [Raw Charge]
Coach Jon Cooper had words of praise for Jake Dotchin. “I really liked Dotchin’s game. He just kept it simple. His breakout passes were on the tape. He had good feel for the game. I was really happy with the way he played.” [Tampa Bay Times]
The League
Utica Comets goalie Thatcher Demko will be wearing glow in the dark gear when the Comets face the Syracuse Crunch this Saturday. His gear will be auctioned off and proceeds will benefit the Thea Bowman House which helps low-income families.
Hey! Somebody made a trade! “The Ottawa Senators acquired forward Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Buddy Robinson, Zack Stortini and Ottawa’s seventh-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. As part of the transaction, San Jose will retain 30 per cent of Wingels’ salary commitment.” [Ottawa Senators]
Philadelphia Flyers President Paul Homgren wrote an emotional, moving piece about his older brother who supported his dreams. It’s a truly beautiful story and I highly recommend you read it. [The Players’ Tribune]
There are losing streaks and then there are things like this: “It’s been 105 games and more than three years since one Russian women’s pro hockey team last won, and its whole season is a struggle to stay positive.” [Yahoo! Sports]
If you are ever feeling bad about the Bolts, remember that it could be worse. They could be the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche’s .311 points percentage is the worst of any NHL team — since the 2000-01 season (480 teams). That’s something.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) January 24, 2017
