So, how was the break for everyone? We’re not going to lie, it was nice to have a few nights off from writing, but now we’re back for the stretch run. The 4 Nations Face-Off was fun (and made all-star games boring by comparison), and it appears the Lightning participants made it through without any serious injuries. With that tournament behind us, everyone can focus on the ultimate goal – getting to the playoffs.
While the majority of the league returns to action today, the Lightning have one more day before returning to action against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. With a practice today, we should get an idea of what the new pairing will be with J.J. Moser back in the line-up. The forwards could be shuffled a bit, especially if Coach Cooper gives the returning players an extra day off.
Six of the next eight games for the Bolts will be at home, so they’ll have a good chance to keep ascending in the standings. After the next three games, it will be mostly Eastern Conference opponents the rest of the way, so they will have an excellent opportunity to start creating some separation in the Wild Card standings if they can keep up their winning ways.
We’re about two weeks from the trade deadline, and one can assume that the framework for some deals were laid out over the tournament break, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we see a couple finalized over the next few days.
It should be a fun sprint to the finish, so buckle in and enjoy the ride!
Lightning News
Tampa Bay Lightning recall Jesse Ylonen [Raw Charge]
The Bolts shuffled some prospects around during the break with Gabe Fortier spending a day with the team. We’ll see if Ylonen makes it into Sunday’s game or not.
The road to recovery for J.J. Moser had no shortcuts [Lightning Insider]
For a lot of players, the hardest part of rehab is the lack of daily competition. So they need to find a way to fuel that drive, for Moser it was challenging himself during his workouts.
Lightning/Rays games available through Amazon Prime [Tampa Bay Times]
The seemingly endless saga of how to watch the Lightning locally received some good news. FanDuel Sports Network Sun is now available as an app through Amazon Prime video. It will be $19.99 a month and allow local viewers to watch Lightning and Rays games.
Crunch blank Marlies, 5-0 [Syracuse Crunch]
Matt Tomkins pitched a shutout while Max Crozier scored twice in the Crunch’s big win over Toronto. Dylan Duke, Joel Teasdale, and Max Groshev had the other goals while Conor Sheary had two assists. Sheary continues to roll as he has eight points in his last six games with the Crunch.
Hockey News
Fan Voting Underway for All-Quarter Century Team [NHL.com]
Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos are among the finalists, so go forth and vote!
4 Nations Face-Off Final draws 9.3 million viewers [The Athletic]
For a money-grab tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off did alright. With a dash of political intrigue thrown in, viewers in both countries tuned in to watch a little hockey. It’s estimated that roughly 16 million American and Canadian viewers watched the overtime game, and the peak of 9.3 million in the U.S. made it the most watched nhl-sanctioned game since 1995. We now expect Gary Bettman to shoehorn thirteen international tournaments into next season.
NHL Headlines as the season resumes [USA Today]
Along with the trade deadline, the big news down the stretch will be Alex Ovechkin’s chase for greatness. With 27 games to go he needs 16 goals. That is….doable?
Mikko Rantanen back on the trade board [Daily Face-Off]
Just two weeks into his Carolina career, Rantanen has trade rumors swirling around him again. Why would the ‘Canes flip their latest acquisition? It seems there is some concern about their ability to re-sign him, and they don’t want to lose him for nothing (a la Jake Guentzel last summer). With Chicago already retaining a portion of his salary, the Finnish forward could be a tantalizing addition for contenders looking for a scoring forward.
Vancouver signs Kevin Lankinen to 5-year deal [Vancouver is Awesome]
Fresh off of his 4 Nations Face-Off appearance, Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen agreed to a five-year extension with the Canucks. With a $4.5 million AAV, Vancouver locks in (there is a full no-move clause over the first two years) a goaltender that can give them some quality starts if Thatcher Demko can’t overcome his recent injury troubles.
