The Bolts
Erik Erlendsson has a piece out today about Ryan Callahan! Whispers of doubt only add to fuel Ryan Callahan’s inner-fire as he prepares for new season: ”The level of frustration I had last year, I can’t put in to words,’’ he said. “It was tough, it was a very, very tough year on me. But throughout injuries I’ve had before, setbacks I’ve had before in my career, I’ve always tried to use it as motivation that has helped propel me to the place I am right now in my career. I’m looking at this the same way, this is motivation.’’ [Lightning Insider, subscription]
2020 vision: What the Tampa Bay Lightning roster will look like in three years. “Should Vasilevskiy pan out as a true No. 1 netminder and the development go well on the blueline, the Lightning’s Stanley Cup window should still be wide open in three seasons’ time. Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman is going to have to make some careful calculations with the salary cap to make that a certainty, but there are few missteps in his management history that would lead anyone to believe he’ll set this team up for anything short of success.” [THN]
Where’s Joe Smith?
First time in Alaska. Wow. Can’t wait for this cruise to start! Any tips @NateThompson44? #cruisin #glaciers. pic.twitter.com/BZ0s1B8luO
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) August 21, 2017
25 Greatest Scorers in Lightning History: #3. “In constructing this list, I not only took into account the number of goals a player scored while playing in Tampa, I also considered a number of games they suited up for the Lightning. As this list progresses over the next few weeks, you will notice that some players are ranked higher than others even if their goal total was less. This is because although someone scored slightly fewer goals, they reached those numbers in fewer games.” [Hockey Buzz]
Yesterday, Justin wrote about Alex Killorn on a hockey card. First Goals: Alex Killorn’s first NHL goal immortalized on a hockey card. “For Lightning fans, Killorn’s inclusion in the set is kind of odd. There are 20 total cards and the set features names such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Nail Yakupov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Leo Komarov. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it seems the Lightning had a plethora of other choices on their roster.” [Raw Charge]
Was this eclipse better or worse than the time Superman pushed the moon in front of the sun? Discuss.
— Brent Axe (@BrentAxeMedia) August 21, 2017
Tampa Bay Lightning photographer Scott Audette will have the “Lightning’s Better Halves Pet & Player Calendar project” avaliable for order in October!
Tampa
New Tampa Bay Rays Ballpark Site Emerging in Channel District-Ybor City? “For their effort to replace Tropicana Field with a modern new facility, the Rays have been canvassing their site options in both Pinellas County and Hillsborough County. Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, is believed to be zeroing in on the Channel District-Ybor City area as the site of a new facility.” [Ball park digest]
The Game
Opinion: It’s Time for Jim Nill to Trust His AHL Youth. “When Dallas struggled to deal with injuries, suddenly Lauri Korpikoski was playing with Jason Spezza, and Antoine Roussel with Tyler Seguin. If injuries strike Dallas again, will Dallas ice Flynn with Seguin, and Pitlick with Spezza? Naturally, the justification is that the prospects hardcore fans know and love are “not ready”. Dallas needs a veteran lineup that has “been there” to compete. I, respectfully, disagree.” [Defending Big D]
Sassy Matt Sammon of the day:
Regrets: Not selling thousands of pairs of Kent Tekulve’s sunglasses for the eclipse today. pic.twitter.com/CH151wZpRd
— Matt Sammon (@SammonSez) August 21, 2017
Watch Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand in some puck battles.
Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand doing puck battles 👀: pic.twitter.com/15AglzA0i1
— From The Faceoff (@FromTheFaceoff) August 21, 2017
