Tampa Bay Lightning Headlines: Nikita Kucherov, Syracuse Crunch, And More

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Take a look at some of the top Tampa Bay Lightning Headlines and other NHL news making its way around the Bolts Nation today.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have experienced a rough couple of days. On Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden in Boston, the Lightning were nearly shut out as they suffered their second-straight loss; this time at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

Fortunately, the Bolts don’t have very long to dwell on their loss. On Tuesday night, the Lightning continue their current three-game road trip with a stop at the Nationwide Arena where they will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time within a four day period.

Much like the Bruins were coming into Sunday afternoon’s encounter, the Lightning will most certainly be looking for some redemption as they head into Columbus; especially considering it was the Columbus Blue Jackets that handed them their first loss in their current skid.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning could very well receive a shot in the arm of the blueline on Tuesday night. There have been discussions about the possibility of Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman returning to the ice at some point during the current road trip. Considering there are just two games left, there is a 50/50 chance of him playing.

The Bolts have suffered a great deal defensively since Anton Stralman went down to an Upper-Body Injury on November 12th. Including Sunday afternoon’s contest in Boston, Stralman has already been forced to miss a total of seven games. Hopefully, the Lightning won’t have to add another game to the list on Tuesday.

While Tampa Bay Lightning fans make their way to the edge of the seats in anticipation of tomorrow night’s encounter with the Columbus Blue Jackets, let’s take a closer look at some of the top Lightning Headlines and other hockey news making its way around the Bolts Nation today.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov got off to a pretty slow start this season. After missing the entirety of training camp thanks to not having a contract in place at the time, Kucherov waited a total of six games to get his name on the board in the goal column.

Since that time, Nikita Kucherov has been the backbone of the Lightning’s offense and has quickly skyrocketed into first place on the team in all manners scoring and made the jump from zero to hero. [Bolts By The Bay]

While the Tampa Bay Lightning may have struggled over the weekend, their American Hockey League affiliates, the Syracuse Crunch, have been on quite a roll. The Crunch picked up back to back victories with a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Saturday and a 4-2 victory over the Binghamton Senators on Sunday. [Raw Charge]

If you have ever been to a Tampa Bay Lightning home game at the Amalie Arena here in the heart of the Bolts Nation, you are more than well aware there are a plethora of food choices for you to sink your teeth into during the battle on the ice. There’s everything from your traditional American fare to ice cream and other snacks.

We would be lying to you if we told you we didn’t have a certain affinity for Smoke’s Poutinerie at Section 306 on the Terrace Level. It’s not exactly what one would consider healthy, but the tastiness kind of evens things out in the end. At least that’s what we’ve chosen to tell ourselves as we dive into a fresh serving of Poutine.

Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning have taken a closer look at some of the newer food installations at the Amalie Arena and offered up some suggestions for fans to try on their next visit to the arena. Again…we recommend you add Smoke’s Poutinerie to your list of places to try. [Tampa Bay Lightning]

Before players make their way to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s main roster, many players make their way to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. If you live in the Syracuse area and are looking for something to do, the Crunch have a pretty amazing ticket sale just in time for Cyber Monday.

For just $60, you can get two tickets to select Crunch home games, two ticket vouchers for any 2016-17 regular season home game and a free t-shirt. That’s two games, two tickets each, for just $60. Where else are you going to find a deal like that? You better hurry, though. Tickets are sure to go quickly. [Syracuse Crunch]

Next: Nikita Kucherov: From Zero to Hero

As we mentioned previously, the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. After the way things have turned out in the last two contests, the Bolts will be looking for a little redemption tomorrow night. We can’t wait to see how things play out.