The Lightning
The Bolts bounced back to win 3-2 against the Pens in a game featuring a wild third period. Check out the recap from last night for all the details.
Tristan Jarry was excellent for Pittsburgh and nearly stole the win. Andrei Vasilevskiy was just as good and flashed some last second heroics to hold the lead. The Lightning got solid performances from players up and down the lineup and one of its stars, Victor Hedman, stepped up with the big game winning goal late in the third period.
The highlight of last night. Forty-six living Medal of Honor recipients were honored prior to the game last night. [NHL on NBC Twitter]
A SPECIAL NIGHT in Tampa Bay as the @TBLightning honor 46 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
We cannot say THANK YOU enough! pic.twitter.com/z5hxWS4cBQ
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) October 24, 2019
There are some new faces on the Lightning this season. After the first batch of games, we can see how they’re fitting in. The verdict – not too bad for the most part. [Raw Charge]
While the debate over Witkowski and Verhaeghe is interesting, the impact of a fourth line wing is minimal and even if the coaches make a sub-optimal decision, it likely won’t have a major impact on winning and losing games. Kevin Shattenkirk’s usage, on the other hand, represents a real impact. He’s played on all three pairs so far this season and seems to be taking some time to adjust to his new surroundings.
Joe Smith delves into some more questions (including one we discussed last week) as he unleashes the second part of his mailbag. [The Athletic – subscription required]
Judging from line combinations at Tuesday’s practice, it looks like Witkowski will remain in the lineup, at least for Wednesday’s game against the Penguins. Verhaeghe, a rookie, is probably going to be a healthy scratch. But this could be a case where the two take turns as the 12th and 13th forwards, potentially based on matchups and how the team is playing.
The holidays are right around the corner. The Lightning have a new collection of items featuring the work of British designer Julia Gash. [Tampa Bay Sports]
Introducing the Tampa Collection by British artist Julia Gash!
Shop all items in store and online. #ItemOfTheGame
➡️ https://t.co/t6SR6eImM7 pic.twitter.com/zeL3vvRX3T
— Tampa Bay Sports (@ShopTBSports) October 23, 2019
Jeff Vinik is shutting down his day job, well one of them anyways. [Tampa Bay Times – subscription required]
But for the fund to succeed, it needed to operate at a significantly bigger scale, he said, and it didn’t make sense for someone his age to spend two more years trying to build it to that level. Vinik said he works an average about 100 hours a week, and was spending about 75 hours a week managing the hedge fund. Unlike the Lightning and his other business ventures, he did not delegate day-to-day management of the fund to trusted executives.
The Prospects
It looks like the return of Daniel Walcott is imminent. The veteran (and possible Crunch captain) was placed on waivers by the Lightning on Wednesday. He had been recovering from shoulder surgery. [Joe Smith Twitter]
Daniel Walcott put on waivers by #TBLightning @SyracuseCrunch
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) October 23, 2019
The Pink in the Rink game is this Saturday in Syracuse. Details on how you can honor friends or family members battling breast cancer. [Syracuse Crunch Twitter]
Honor friends and family who have or are battling breast cancer during Pink in the Rink by submitting photos that will be displayed on the scoreboard during the game.
Photos and names should be submitted to Andrea Marino at amarino@syracusecrunch.com by noon this Thursday.
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) October 23, 2019
The Game
Ralph Krueger has brought a new attitude to Buffalo. Despite it still being rather early in the season, he seems to have a pretty good grip on who his team is. [ESPN]
“I know what the team is already. I know what our strengths are, and I know what we need to work on,” he said. “I think this group is also very honest, so players interact with us coaches in a very honest way and are working together on those deficits and working on those strengths.”
TRADE!! Joel Quenneville’s last two teams swapped some minor league players. [Blackhawks Twitter]
TRADE ALERT: The #Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Ian McCoshen from the Panthers in exchange for forward Aleksi Saarela.
McCoshen’s two-way deal has an AAV of $700,000 and is signed through the 2019-20 season. He will report to the @goicehogs. pic.twitter.com/vm2DYW5K6b
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 23, 2019
Mikko Rantanen is part of the young core of the Colorado Avalanche. He sustained an injury against the Blues on Monday night. Coach Jared Bedner provided an update on his condition. [Mile High Hockey]
While the team isn’t volunteering much information, head coach Jared Bednar said he expects Rantanen to be “week-to-week” but that he doesn’t expect the 22-year old to be out more than a month. Bednar also called the diagnosis “best case scenario” given the team’s fears immediately following the injury.
The Minnesota Wild are dealing with some injury issues. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk has been added to that group. [Hockey Wilderness]
Wednesday, the Wild announced forward Kevin Fiala will be joining Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve. Fiala, nursing a lower-body injury, will not be able to rejoin the Wild until their October 29 game against the Dallas Stars. Through seven games, the 23-year-old has managed just one assist with a minus-4 rating.
The Wild also recalled goalie Kaapo Kahkonen from the AHL. Devan Dubnyk took a nasty fall in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, which kept him out of action for the remainder of the contest.
Things that need to be burned with fire
You food vendors were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn’t stop to think if you should. I like Cheetos. They’re one of my favorite processed food groups. I may even have once crushed some up used them as a crust for baked chicken (wasn’t that bad), but that doesn’t mean they should be anywhere near ice cream.
New at @NYRangers & @nyknicks games: A standalone Cheetos stand that will serve a Cheetos Ice Cream Sundae pic.twitter.com/B4OJFf3sXu
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 23, 2019
