Tampa Bay Lightning Bolts Bits: Crunch tied 1-1, IIHF World Championships

Several Tampa Bay Lightning players competed in the final games of the IIHF World Championships over the weekend, and two of them are leaving with gold medals in hand. The Syracuse Crunch also split their weekend games against the Providence Bruins, and now the series is tied 1-1.

Though the offseason is in full swing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, several players, including prospects, have still been busy with hockey action lately, and some were chasing championship dreams. If you’ve been a bit behind, let’s get you caught up.

After falling 4-2 to Team Canada in the semifinals at the IIHF World Championships, Team Russia went on to defeat Team Finland 5-3 in the bronze medal game at Laxness Arena in Cologne, Germany. Finland lost to Team Sweden 4-1 en route to playing Russia on Sunday. Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov had an assist on Russia’s fourth goal, scored by Bogdan Kiselevich, and forward Nikita Kucherov scored in the third period to give Russia a 5-3 lead.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy finished the tournament with a win, and a 6-2 record with a .936 save percentage and a 1.72 goals against average. Kucherov finished second in the tournament in scoring, with seven goals and 15 points, and Namestnikov scored three goals to go along with six points in 10 games.

In the gold medal game, Canada and Sweden faced off for the top prize, with Canada seeking its third straight title at the tournament. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman scored the opening goal for Sweden in the second period, and Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly tied the game for Canada in the third. That would be all the scoring in regulation, though, as the game went scoreless in overtime and ended in a shootout. Canada’s shooters failed to score — including Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point — and Sweden scored twice to seal the 2-1 victory and the gold medal.

Both Hedman and teammate Anton Stralman finished the tournament with four points in 10 games, and for Canada, Brayden Point ended with four goals and five points, while teammate Alex Killorn had zero points overall. Players on both sides, and Canada head coach Jon Cooper, shared their thoughts on what happened during Sunday’s game.

In minor league news, the Syracuse Crunch, AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, opened the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Providence Bruins this weekend with a 6-3 victory in Game 1 on the road. Six different players scored for the Crunch — Tye McGinn, Michael Bournival, Joel Vermin, Gabriel Dumont, Yanni Gourde and Byron Froese — and goaltender Mike McKenna stopped 33 of 36 shots to earn the win. Providence took Game 2 in overtime Sunday by the score of 2-1, and now the series heads to Syracuse tied 1-1. Game 3 will start at 7 p.m. this Wednesday.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning rumor: team to host 2018 NHL All-Star Game

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