The Bolts

Braydon Coburn deserves more credit for his stellar play, particularly in the 2015 playoffs. “You look at the defensemen the Tampa Bay Lightning had on the roster when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and Braydon Coburn is not high on the list of guys you would expect to eat a ton of minutes at 5-on-5... Coburn actually got a fairly significant run-out as Hedman’s partner at 5-on-5. Somehow, he played a larger percentage of Tampa’s full-strength minutes in that run to the Final than Karlsson has so far.” [Puck Daddy]

Scouting the 2017 NHL draft: Don’t confuse Cody Glass for Tanner Glass. One Glass is “gritty,” the other Glass is good. “Cody Glass would provide the Lightning with another center with some size with top six potential to go with their first round choice from last year, Brett Howden.” [Raw Charge]

Off-site executive meetings @TheDonCeSar. Here is a look at what the @TBLightning organization is all about. Proud to be a part of it. pic.twitter.com/c3QK3F24wN — Eric Blankenship (@eblankenship) May 11, 2017

TSN published their projected draft list for the Vegas Golden Knights. “Vladislav Namestnikov, C/LW, Tampa Bay – It would seem to be poor management for the Lightning to allow Namestnikov to reach expansion, and there isn’t much evidence that management is a problem for Tampa Bay. So, if it’s not Nametnikov, defenceman Jake Dotchin is a strong candidate.” [TSN]

The inherent masochism of sports fandom. “Anything is possible. Look at what the Ottawa Senators have done. The risks are high but so is the reward. We’ll pose a question to you. Is making the playoffs always worth the heartache and queasy game day stomachs?” [Lightning Shout]

The Worlds

With ten members of the Tampa Bay Lightning participating across four teams at the IIHF World Championship, we'll be keeping a close eye on Canada (Jon Cooper, Alex Killorn, and Brayden Point), Russia (Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and prospect Nikita Gusev), Sweden (Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman), and Switzerland (Tanner Richard).

Russia defeats Denmark 3-0

Gusev scored a goal, Kucherov picked up an assist, Namestnikov was held off the score sheet, and Vaslievskiy stopped all 21 shots he faced.

Vasilevskiy spoke after the game. Official translation by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, with a few edits for clarity provided by Natalia.

Did the two days off take their toll? Maybe. I didn't feel at my best and gave up a couple of cheap rebounds. However, the guys scored three goals in just one minute, showed their class and played well defensively to maintain the lead. This is what team play is about: we all help each other. Denmark is a good team, they created chances. It wasn't easy to play against them.

Photos from Team Russia’s victory, courtesy of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

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Sweden defeats Latvia 2-0

Hedman and Stralman were both held off the score sheet in the victory.

Stralman has the experience that Sweden needs. “He’s played so much quality hockey that he’s a leader on this Swedish team and will be an invaluable veteran as Sweden seeks to qualify for the quarterfinals. Stralman is averaging 23 minutes per game and has also picked up three assists. He has been paired with Victor Hedman and they’ve worked special teams together. The pair has been very effective.” [IIHF]

Canada defeats France 3-2

Point did not pick up any points in yesterday’s game and Killorn has yet to score in this tournament.

The Prospects

The American Hockey League announced its new realignment and a breakdown of the 2017-2018 schedule. “The Syracuse Crunch will face 14 teams in the North and Atlantic Divisions. The most frequent matchup will be 12 contests against Utica. Syracuse will also play 10 each against Binghamton and Rochester, [and] eight each against Belleville, Laval and Toronto.” [Syracuse Crunch]

The #AHL Board of Governors has approved a new divisional alignment for the 2017-18 season→https://t.co/rnz6ItzXKa pic.twitter.com/ilCxwkvVSw — AHL (@TheAHL) May 11, 2017

Bokondji Imama and Mathieu Joseph win the QMJHL Championship. Next stop: Windsor and the Memorial Cup. “Bokondji Imama finished the series with 1 goals and 1 assist, while Mathieu Joseph had 10 points in the 4 games, with 2 goals and 8 assists.” [Raw Charge]

Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh is making the most of playing hockey with his older brother Darren Raddysh - both play for the Erie Otters and it’s Darren’s final year with the team. “It's crazy to think how quickly those three years went by,” Taylor reflects. “It's even crazier to think that we could only have a few series left and maybe even a Memorial Cup.” [VICE Sports]

The Game

A truly brilliant breakdown of the upcoming expansion draft. “I’d like to introduce a few concepts that I think are being overlooked in the various mock drafts which have begun to percolate. To me, there are dynamics in play that are to be far, far more multi-pronged than simply a list of thirty selections from thirty teams.” [Blueshirt Banter]

The Buffalo Sabres have a new general manager. “Jason Botterill made a solid first impression today at the KeyBank Center. He comes highly recommended from just about everyone from the folks in Pittsburgh to the national media, and it’s easy to see why. Botterill gave smart, prepared answers for all the questions thrown his way without making too many boasts or promises on his first day as GM.” [Die By The Blade]

Paul Kariya!!! [Heart-emojis. - Acha]