The Bolts
Pull out your abacus, it’s time for some math! “The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2017-2018 season starts on October 6. With that date now exactly one week away, all of the smart people are releasing their points projections for teams across the NHL.” [Raw Charge]
One potential reason for this is that Micah hates the Tampa Bay Lightning personally, and specifically trained his model to put the team outside the playoffs. A more likely reason is that Tampa is coming off of a decidedly mediocre year and so it shouldn’t be too surprising to see a projection that reflects that.
After a hard fought camp, that included some nifty goals, 20-year-old Alex Volkov has been sent down to the AHL Syracuse Crunch. “It was easy to look at how well Volkov played in that first game with Lipanov and the two goals he scored in the second game and buy into the hype. He plays with a lot of hustle and energy and he seems to work very hard. The reality is that his skills are not ready for the big show. He needs to work on his game in both the offensive and defensive zones. He’ll need to perform in the AHL, just like most of the rest of the Lightning lineup has, to earn a spot in the NHL.” [Raw Charge]
J.T. Brown, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Kucherov take us back to 1994 with a good old fashioned online line brawl. #EmojisOnPoint
Things got a little scrappy at the end of playing @EASPORTSNHL with @Vladdy18 & @86Kucherov … 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽 3 W’s 😂 https://t.co/fpCgyw50tu
— Jt brownov (@JTBrown23) September 29, 2017
Great first question, Wyatt!
Just a couple quick questions with 77 – @heds77, because we’re down to JUST SEVEN MORE DAYS!!! #NHLJrReporter #gobolts pic.twitter.com/sgO6APYWXI
— Wyatt Ross (@HockeyWyatt) September 29, 2017
The Prospects
Former Syracuse Crunch goalie, and current goalie coah, Karl Goehring finds himself home after a life on the road. “I’m just thrilled to be back. Obviously, it was kind of a hockey home for me here during my pro playing days. So many great memories. I’m just thrilled to be a part of the Tampa organization and the Crunch organization again.” [Syracuse]
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s pseudo-ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder, begin their season on October 14th. Let’s get to know them a little bit! “Earlier this summer the Thunder announced that they would be proudly affiliated with the New Jersey Devils. However, buried in the news reports was the note that they would unofficially be partnered with the Lightning. If Tampa only needs to shuffle two or three out of Syracuse this arrangement makes sense.” [Raw Charge]
Congradulations to newly signed Lightning 3rd rounder Alexey Lipanov for earning 2nd star of the week honours in the OHL!
Ang, Lipanov, Stanley are Thursday’s #OHL 3 Stars of the Night.
PERFORMANCE RECAP: https://t.co/SaStAofXNA pic.twitter.com/hqFwl4FPHG
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) September 29, 2017
Little brother Pierre-Olivier Joseph is definitely going to miss seeing his big brother, Mathieu Joseph, in the QMJHL this season.
I don’t know if I should be happy or sad that @MathJoseph7 won’t be the #21 with the Sea dogs tonight 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gW34dxYpmc
— P.O Joseph (@POJoseph15) September 28, 2017
Brett Howden and Oleg Sosunov look like they’re having fun in the WHL so far. Both scored in Moose Jaw’s 5-4 overtime win over rival, Regina. Sosunov scoring twice in 2:45 and “captain Brett Howden [in his first game of the season] delivering the knockout punch in a battle of East Division heavyweights Friday night, scoring with 2:13 left in overtime.” [Regina Leader-Post]
HIGHLIGHTS: Moose Jaw (5) vs Regina (4) September 29th 2017 https://t.co/FJi6iyTOZW
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) September 30, 2017
The Game
The Ottawa Senators have extended starting goalie Craig Anderson, signing him to a two-year, $9.5 million contract, spanning the 2018-19, and 2019-20 seasons. “Anderson said he and his wife, Nicholle, talked about his contract situation over the summer and agreed the best thing would be to remain in Ottawa. ‘When I came back and just realized how much fun the game was and how much I missed it I knew that I wanted to push hard and continue to push my abilities to continue to get better and improve.’” Anderson will be 37-years-old when the new contract kicks in. [Sportsnet]
HIGHTLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: We kick off our newest feature for the Quick Strikes with New York Islanders (!?) forward Jordan Eberle makes an absolutely sick move to corral the pass from Anders Lee before roofing the backhard, wow! [Reddit]
Connor McDavid is going to be rich, and so will his peers. How will that affect things for players of his ilk both personally and professionally? “Hockey is becoming a young man’s game: Teams are now spending more on retaining their younger stars with an eye on the long-term future, rather than on adding older players in free agency.” “My buddies are all the same. Nothing’s all that different, to be honest.” – McDavid [Puck Daddy]
There lots of directions pressure can come from when it comes to NHL goalies. “There are some goaltenders this season chasing milestones, others trying to bounce back from a disappointing season, while others are looking to make a good impression on a new home… 35-year-old Mike Smith is past his best days, but Calgary believes he can hold his own behind a strong defence and take them deeper into the playoffs after last spring’s first-round exit.” [Kyle Cicerella: Toronto Star]
