Off The Dot: Tampa Bay Lightning Lose The Game And Maybe Ben Bishop In Edmonton by James Blevins

Dec 23, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson (9) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) with left wing Ondrej Palat (18) and left wing Ondrej Palat (18) in the second period at BB

Today, the Czech Republic announced their official roster for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. On the list are two well-known Tampa Bay Lightning players. So, who made the cut? Defenseman Radko Gudas and left wing Ondrej Palat will be heading to Sochi to represent the Czech Republic, and of course, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With his assist in last night’s game against Edmonton, Palat extended his point streak to six games. So far this season, Palat has scored 7 goals and 12 assists for a total of 19 points to go along with his plus-11 rating.

Last season with the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse Crunch, Palat lit up the scoreboard with 13 goals and 39 assists for a total of 52 points and a plus-26 rating.

This season, Gudas has been an absolute freight train for the Lightning. Among the players on the blue line, Gudas is bar far the hardest hitting and aggressive defenseman the Lightning has in their arsenal.

So far this season, Gudas has suited up for 37 games with the Lightning. In that time, he has scored 2 goals and 9 assists for a total of 11 points. This puts him in third amongst the Lightning defensemen in points. He is only surpassed by the like of defensemen Victor Hedman and Matt Carle.

Last season with the Crunch, Gudas scored 4 goals and 16 assists for a total of 20 points to accompany his plus-32 rating.

Both of these players have played extremely well for the Bolts this season. They will be joining veterans like Jaromir Jagr of the New Jersey Devils, who will be playing in his 5th Olympic Games this year, Michal Rozsival of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, and David Krejci of the Boston Bruins.

Not only will this be a tremendous experience for them, but it will also help the rookies’ development in the long run. It will open them up to all sorts of experiences that they may not have otherwise encountered over the course of their careers.

If you would like to see who else made the roster for the Czech Republic, you can see the entire list on NHL.com.

Now that you have seen the roster for the Czech Republic, do you think they have a chance at finding themselves on the podium this year? How do you think Gudas and Palat will react to Olympic play? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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