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Quick Strikes: NHL suspends New Jersey’s Miles Wood for hit on Tampa Bay’s Vladislav Namestnikov

and pictures from the Bolts Family Carnival!

The Bolts

The NHL department of player safety has suspended New Jersey Devils forward Miles wood for two games for his boarding of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov. [NHL Player Safety]

According to the video, it was deemed that Vladdy did not change his motion at the last second, Wood had sufficient time and space to adjust his course, and Wood left his feet for the hit on Vladdy’s numbers. Wood will forfeit $9,946.24, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. [Tampa Bay Times]

Wood left his skates and hit Namestnikov high, forcing the Lightning center face-first into the boards. Sustr immediately jumped to his teammates defense, though lost the fight when Wood punched through the visor on Sustr’s mask. Wood received a two-minute boarding penalty and two minutes for roughing.

It’s been almost three years to the day since Steve Yzerman acquired defenseman Braydon Coburn. Let’s looks back at the trade and see where all the components of it are now. [The Hockey Writers]

Even though the Lightning had multiple first and third-round picks in the 2015 draft, and received two 2nd round picks from the Boston Bruins for Brett Connolly that same evening, this trade received mixed reactions from Lightning fans. While Coburn was a proven veteran, he was far from a flashy player statistically.

The Lightning built a carnival at AMALIE Arena on Sunday for families to come and play with the players (and ThunderBug). My sources tell me that it was a howling success!

They literally made a ice hockey table!

*hugs*

It never sunk in how tall Andrej Sustr is until I saw him next to Geo. Yes, I measure things with respect to the heights of the writers in the masthead, don’t you?

I hope so!

Everyone needs a side hustle.

The Prospects

It took 49 minutes for the Syracuse Crunch to score against the Charlotte Checkers but from there the Crunch potted two more and completed the comeback for a 3-1 victory. [Syracuse]

Olivier Archambault tied the game before Carter Verhaeghe and Erik Condra scored 24 seconds apart to split the weekend series against the Checkers. Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 20-of-21 shots in net for the Crunch. The win advances Syracuse to 30-18-2-3 on the season and gives the team a 2-1-0-0 lead in the four-game series against Charlotte.

The game-winning-goal. That Carter Vehaeghe kid has a heck of a shot.

They don’t ask how, only how many.

That said, the game did have some rougher moments.

Brett Howden scored the game-tying goal for the Moose Jaw Warriors but it was not enough to stop Libor Hajek’s Regina Pats. [Bolt Prospects]

Howden assisted on Jayden Halbgewach’s (SJS, FA ELC) power player marker in the 1st to open the scoring for the Warriors in the third straight match between Moose Jaw and Regina. He then scored 16 seconds before the end of the 2nd to knot the game 2-2 going into 2nd intermission. But Hajek would setup Cale Fleury (MTL, 2017 3rd round pick) on the game-winner for the Pats in the 3rd, with Regina taking two straight off Moose Jaw, whetting everyone’s appetite for the WHL playoffs.

The Game

The United States Womens National Hockey Team has advanced to the Gold-medal game of the PyeongChang Olympics after beating Finland 5-0. [WTVB Local]

Two goals Dani Cameranesi and a shutout from goaltender Maddie Rooney led the U.S. squad. In the kind of offensive burst U.S. coach Robb Stauber has been waiting for, the Americans, silver medalists in Sochi and Vancouver, converted on three of six powerplays. Heading into the game the U.S. had been one-for-11 on the powerplay during the tournament.

“It’s sad. 2018 we’re still talking about the same thing over and over. It’s sad that athletes like myself 30-40 years ago standing in the same spot, saying the same thing. You would think there would be some sort of change or progression butwe’re still working towards that, I guess. We’re going to keep our composure.” That was Washington Capital’s forward Devante Smith-Pelly. [ESPN]

Smith-Pelly told the Toronto Star in 2017 about an incident when he was playing in his first rookie tournament in Penticton, British Columbia. He was coming off the ice and heard a fan scream, “Go back to playing basketball.”

Former-Bolt J.T. Brown agrees.

The case for New Jersey Devils winger Taylor Hall winning the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player is strong. Just don’t tell Oilers fans. [New Jersey]

One of the biggest arguments against Hall and the Hart Trophy would be where his point total sits compared to league leaders. Hall’s 60 points have him alone in 17th place in the NHL this season. He trails the league’s leader, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, by 16 points. But Hall is eight behind Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, who is in second place with 68 points.

Highlight of the Night: William Nylander’s pass (yes, it was a pass) was utter brilliance.

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