Raddysh has picked up the slack for Bolts./TIM WIRT
Friday, 4 a.m.
In a season that could have been derailed because of defensive injuries, Darren Raddysh has kept the Tampa Bay Lightning on the straight and narrow.
Raddysh was excellent again in a 4-1 win over Winnipeg Wednesday night at Benchmark International Arena. Raddysh scored a goal and had two assists in the victory.
The Bolts have lost just two games -- one in a shootout -- in their last 17 since Dec. 18.
The Bolts have played most of those games without Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonaugh and Erik Chernak. Raddysh has filled in with 15 goals and 32 assists.
Dominick James scored his fifth goal and Yanni Gourde scored his seventh. Nikita Kuchereov scored his 27th on an empty netter.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 of 23 shots for his 24th victory.
Tampa Bay plays the Boston Bruins in the Stadium Series Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
There are nights when he makes the goal mouth look like a mouse hole, when no light, no air, and in particular no pucks can get past him.
On such nights, you might as well dig a moat around the crease and line it with guard dogs.
On those nights, Andrei Vasilevskiy can remind you he is among the finest netminders to ever play hockey.
Raddysh scored 14th goal./TIM WIRT
Monday night was such a night for Vasilevskiy, who pitched a shutout in the Bolts' 2-0 win over Utah at Benchmark International. Vasilevskiy stopped all 28 shots to record the 42nd shutout in his career.
Vasilevskiy is now tied for 44th in career shutouts. He is 24th in career wins with 354.
On the season, Vasilevskiy has 23 wins. He has at least 30 wins in eight straight seasons.
The Bolts scuffled a bit against Utah, but won on power play goals by Darren Raddysh and Brandon Hagel. It was the 14th by Raddysh and the 26th by Hagel.
Tampa Bay is home at Benchmark again on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Winnipeg.
Perhaps the odds said that a game like this was waiting. A game where the defense didn't show up, where too many passes didn't connect. A game where a two-goal comeback was wasted.
The hot streak of the Tampa Bay Lightning -- a 15-game point streak -- blew up in the faces of the Bolts Saturday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets tatooed the Lightning, 8-5, at Nationwide Arena.
The Bolts fell behind 4-2 after one period, but came back in the second to tie on goals by Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli in 1:27.
Still, the Bolts weren't able to seize advantage of the game. Columbus, in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, scored four of the next five goals to win going away. Mason Marchment had a hat trick, the last coming on an empty netter with 25 seconds to play.
Also scoring for the Bolts were two Jake Guentzel and Darren Raddysh. Kucherov had a four-point night for Tampa Bay.
Goaltender Jonas Johansson gave up six goals on 30 shots.
The Bolts are home against Utah at 7 pm. at Benchmark International Arena
The amazing streak of the Tampa Bay Lightning just gets better. And the stars? They keep coming from everywhere.
Dominic James?
Gage Goncalves?
Take your bows, guys.
The Lightning ran its record to 14-0-1 in its last 15 games Friday night, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in a shootout at the United Center..
The Bolts, who have lost just once since Dec. 18 against Anaheim, didn't score the way it has during most of the streak. But trailing by a goal in the shootout, Goncalves and James scored on consecutive shots for the win.
James scored winning goal./TIM WIRT
Nikita Kucherov scored the Bolts' only regulation goal, and his shot gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the shootout.
Chicago scored shootout goals by Frank Hazar and Louis Crevier to take a 2-1 lead in the shootout. Then Goncalves and James scored.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 of 18 shots for his 22nd win of the year.
Tampa Bay travels to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets tonight at at 7 p..m. at Nationwide Arena.
Wednesday, 4 a.m. He is a man of his team. When Andrei Vasilevskiy was struggling, well, so was the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vasilevskiy lost his first five games of the year (two in overtime), and the Bolts struggled. Lately, however, he has won 10 of his last 11 games, and his team has been just […]
Monday, 4 a.m. Could this be the start of another streak? From the way the Tampa Bay Lightning looked Sunday afternoon, it’s a possibility. The Bolts looked sharp in a 4-1 victory over a slumping Stars’ team Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Bolts, who had an 11-game winning streak snapped against […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Finally, another goaltender was hotter than the Tampa Bay Lightning. Finally, a game didn’t end in victory for the Bolts. Finally, the offense grew cold at the wrong time. The streak is over. After winning 11 games in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning has lost. The Bolts, one win short of […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. They have never been better. They have never been hotter. The Tampa Bay Lightning won their franchise-record-tying 11th straight game Tuesday night, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in a shootout. During their streak, many of the games have been runaways. Not this one. The Bolts didn’t score until the third period, and […]
Tuesday, 4 a.m. Someday, they will lose again. Someday, the offense will go cold, or the opposing netminder will have a big night, or a dubious call will come at the wrong time, and they’ll end up short on the scoreboard. On the other hand, the way they’re playing, it might be a while. The […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. As hot as they are, dare you ask the question? Could the Tampa Bay Lightning be getting better? The Bolts won their ninth straight game, overwhelming the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-2. The Lightning has scored 46 goals during their winning streak, giving up just 24. Tampa Bay led just 2-1 after one period, […]
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About Gary Shelton
• No one covers Tampa Bay like Gary Shelton.
• No one has seen as many moments, as many athletes, as many coaches as he has over the last quarter of a century.
• No one has won more awards, including two national Associated Press Sports Editors Best Columnist awards and eight top 10 finishes. He also just received his sixth Sportswriter of the Year award for Florida by the NSSA.
• No one has seen more big events, including 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics and 11 Final Fours. Gary still goes into the locker rooms to obtain his stories.
• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
Now, he begins a website designed to keep him in touch with the readers who have grown up on his words.
