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Tag: <span>Columbus</span>

Bears/Everblades Game 3 Recap and a trip around the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Listen to “Bears/Everblades Game 3 Recap and a trip around the Stanley Cup Playoffs!” on Spreaker.

(:36) We’ll go in depth into Game 3 of the South Division Finals in the Kelly Cup Playoffs between the Solar Bears and Everblades that ended in a 3-2 Florida win, and giving the Everblades a 2-1 advantage in the series. Also, Bryan may have irked the superstition Gods – but will it work?!

(28:14) The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, so we’ll go around to each series to get you up to date on the headlines and stats that are making this wild 2019 quest for the Cup so crazy!!! Also, Jack Hughes’ next big challenge. How will he do? We’ll try to figure that out!

Thunderstruck…In A Bad Way

Isn’t it kind of appropriate, for an area that’s used to the weather patterns we are, that we get a really intense and potentially dangerous storm that attacks with fierce precision, multiple threats, and no sign of slowing down…

…and before long…

…it just…fizzles out.

That’s pretty much exactly what happened to the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Record setting point and win totals. Personal accolades. Team dominance. Not only did they clinch a playoff spot in incredible time, but they clinched the PRESIDENT’S TROPHY, the award that goes to the top point getting team in the league for the Regular Season, before ANY OTHER TEAM in the Eastern Conference clinched a playoff spot.

Now, if you’re new to Hockey, understand, it’s widely known that the Presidents Trophy is the kiss-of-death of all kisses-of-death in the sport. You don’t win the Season and then cake walk to the Cup. There is no cake walk to the Cup. There is a reason it’s said that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win, and it keeps being proven right.

When the Lightning sprinted out to a 3-0 lead after the first period in Game 1, it couldn’t have felt more obvious that the Bolts would simply handle the Columbus Blue Jackets. But what came was the proverbial egg on the face of the Lightning. Underwhelming efforts from their stars, which included most importantly, the offensive crown jewel of the team, Nikita Kucherov, who’s Art Ross effort (Most Points in a season) is just not that impressive anymore, clearly showing his emotions at the end of Game 2, with frustrated actions that led to his suspension for Game 3. This is not the Kuch we watched all season.

And then…Steven Stamkos. The #1 Overall Pick the Bolts inherited in the 2008 Entry Draft. Stamkos, the Captain of the team, started the season off slow but rebounded to collect 98 points for his team this year. He’s been productive in past Playoff campaigns, namely the 18 points (7g, 11a) in the Cup Final run in 2015, and the 16 points (7g, 9a) in last years Playoffs. But there is a disturbing stat that can only be exposed when things go wrong:

Of course, to be fair, Stammer scored a goal on Tuesday Night, but…you see where I’m going with this?

However, the problem, for me, wasn’t the offensive production, the defensive meltdowns, the special teams failures…all of which WERE problems. The problem is the reaction to these events. Post-game press conferences tell EVERYTHING you need to know, and in this day and age, we can all watch them. This team was not angry. Intense. Pissed. Motivated. Annoyed.

We got the “we know we can do better, so we need to do better next game and do better” comments. The kind of comments that New York Ranger fans (like myself, at a time) came to be annoyed by from the likes of Ryan Callahan and Ryan McDonagh. Where’s the vinegar. Where’s the Salt. Where’s the emotion it takes to win the Stanley Cup. The Grit. The Heart.

Looking forward to next season, we can be sure the Lightning still have the framework to have a season like they had this year. Stars to score and produce at will. A strong defense centered around Victor Hedman, and yes, even Ryan McDonagh. Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t expected to get worse with age, so things can hold steady there. Jon Cooper is getting up there in years with one team, statistically speaking, but signed an extension.

But you’ll have time this summer, Lightning fans…to figure out where the grit and heart come from next season.

You’ll just have more time to think about it than ANY of us planned.

Hard Start for the Solar Bears and Bolts, so Lets Play The Lottery!

Listen to “Hard Start for the Solar Bears and Bolts, so Lets Play The Lottery!” on Spreaker.

(:39) The Solar Bears dropped their series opener against the South Carolina Stingrays 2-0, but the Solar Bears were closer than the score says, as SC caught an empty netter in the last minute. What happened to the Bears, and the outlook for the rest of the series.

(13:53) Over-confident? Feeling out the Opponent? Missing superstars? What happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their series in which the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame a 3-0 Bolts lead after the 1st Period? We’ll talk about it…and how to fix it.

(24:22) Nick kind of rhymes with fix, and that’s what Floor Nick thinks the NHL Draft Lotto is…a fix. How did the New Jersey Devils win the 1st spot, and how upset should Colorado really be with their lottery luck, as they prepare for their Playoff Series vs. the Calgary Flames? We’ll look over all of the Playoff Series and what could be next in South Florida for the Panthers.

Episode 18 – Jackson Playfair, The Path of the Bolts and Trade Deadline Transactions!

Listen to “Episode 18 – Jackson Playfair, The Path of the Bolts and Trade Deadline Transactions!” on Spreaker.

(:52) Solar Bears Forward Jackson Playfair joins the show to talk about the process of him joining the team after his season at Dalhousie University and his thoughts on the team’s current potential. Jackson talks about taking on teams who play a chippy game, and what he brings to the ice as a player. Also, Playfair shares how his families hockey legacy influences his game. Oh – and his brother is Reilly in Letterkenny!

(24:55) The road is set for the Lightning towards the playoffs, and their 10 game winning streak is evidence of their domination. When do the Lightning start their preparation for the Playoffs? Resting Players? There so much, and so little, to discuss when it comes to the Bolts!

(39:19) Trade Deadline transactions. Pretty much the whole NHL Segment is Trade Deadline transactions. AND John Tavares going back to Long Island to see his old team, and their very upset fans. Mostly Trade Deadline transactions, though.