Raw Charge
Summary
Lightning News: Mantis took his weekly spin around The Atlantic Division yesterday. How about those Ottawa Senators? Kind of forgotten about in the division, a little banged up on the blueline, yet they keep putting up points. Meanwhile, Montreal and Buffalo are scuffling a bit to start the season. Will these trends continue? [ Raw Charge ] Thirty years and still going strong. The Ice Palace/St. Pete Times Forum/Tampa Bay Times Forum/Amalie Arena/Benchmark International Arena just celebrated a birthday. For a building that opened when frosted tips were still a thing, it’s holding up pretty well. [ Bolts By the Bay ] Despite a few tweaks to the line-up early in the season, Coach Jon Cooper has kept his second line, comprised of Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel, together through all five games. The ‘rat pack’ has rewarded him with some solid play, but Coach Cooper wouldn’t mind seeing them be a little more greedy and put some more shots on net. [ Tampa Bay Times – subscription required ] Justin and Jason chat about the three wins the Lightning put up last week and talk briefly about the upcoming games in New York and against Seattle. How did Justin go in regards to his latest gambling scheme? Watch, listen, like, and subscribe to find out. [ Backchecking the Bolts ] League News: Connor Bedard has yet to play a game for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. Could that change today? Maybe? The young forward (and his coach) have been coy about his possible return from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the line-up so far this season. It sounds like they are waiting for a final clearance from the doctors, but based on his participation in practice, he could play against Pittsburgh tonight. [ Second City Hockey ] TRAAAAAAAAADEEEE. Speaking of the Penguins, they pulled off a trade with the Buffalo Sabres that involved a total of three defensemen. The Pens sent Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to the Sabres for former first-round pick Ryan Johnson. All three of the players were at the AHL-level this season, so it’s unlikely to have much of an impact for the NHL clubs, but the Pens add a prospect while the Sabres get a little bit of organizational depth in Jones as they deal with an injury to Rasmus Dahlin. [ Pensburgh ] The Worldwide Leader put together a list of potential breakout players for the 2026-27 season. While most of it is focused on younger players, 36-year-old John Carlson made the list under the “New Scenery” category. The rest of the list highlights a nice crop of young players and rookies coming into the league. [ ESPN ] Auston Matthews, Jake Oettinger, and Alexis Lafreniere are your three stars of the week in the NHL. Matthew appears to be back to his old ways after a couple of wayward seasons. The son of Arizona posted 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in three games this week. Oettinger went 2-0-1 in three games and turned aside 59-of-60 shots on the week. Not too shabby. Lightning fans will see Lafreniere tonight as he celebrates his third star after a week in which he compiled 5 goals and 2 assists. [ NHL ] It hasn’t been a great start in Philadelphia so it’s not unexpected that rumors of his future unemployment are swirling. As of right now, it doesn’t look like he’ll be fired just two years into a five-year contract, but he’ll need some wins to go with the vocal support he’s receiving from players in order to keep his job. [ Broad Street Hockey ] The PWHL season is right around the corner and the folks over at The Ice Garden are well into their league previews. Each team has a handful of players looking to make the roster after receiving invites. [ The Ice Garden ]