GOOD NEWS: Shocking as Lightning player named Hockey World Champion straight in a roll
TAMPA — For the second straight year, Lightning forward Mikey Eyssimont will play for Team USA in the annual International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships.
Eyssimont was one of nine players named to the Team USA roster Sunday morning. The championships, which will be played in Czechia, begin on Friday and run through May 26.
Last year, Eyssimont had a goal and two assists in nine games in the United States’ fourth-place finish at worlds. Last year’s U.S. team was the first to win its first eight games.
Eyssimont, a Littleton, Colorado, native, will report to Bratislava, where the team is currently training. Team USA’s first of eight preliminary-round games is Friday against Sweden in Ostrava. Select games will be broadcast on NHL Network.
Eyssimont, is coming off his best season, becoming a full-time NHL player for the first time this season with the Lightning at the age of 27. He scored 11 goals and 25 points (both career highs) playing mostly on the team’s third line. His 135 hits ranked third on the team, and he played a strong two-way game dictated by his solid forechecking.
He was also the Lightning’s nominee for this season’s Bill Masterton Trophy, which annually goes to a player who best displays perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
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NHL Playoffs: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Series Recap | 05/03/2024
The Battle for Florida delivered on the rivalry intensity. The score didn’t always reflect how close each game was, as games four and five were blowout wins. Florida looked like a team out on a mission to complete what they fell just short of last season: winning the Stanley Cup. Tampa, meanwhile, was fighting for its life to try and advance to the second round after they were an early exit during the 2023 playoffs, having lost to Toronto in seven games.
Florida’s roster currently holds the top four players in franchise history for most playoff goals, with Verhaeghe topping the list, followed by Tkachuk, Reinhart, and Barkov. The experience of the deep run last season has prepped the team to do the same this year, and with the majority of the team returning from last year, they’re ready to fight for a long postseason again.
Viewers were treated to outstanding goaltending from both the Panthers and the Lightning, including the viral save from game 2 from Bobrovsky, where he stopped Dumba’s shot with his arm without looking at it. Florida’s star players showed up for the big moments, and the depth kept the pressure on the Lightning, along with fantastic defense and a PK unit that suffocated the Tampa power play
Game 1:
In the weeks leading up to Game 1, there was concern among fans that the Panthers had peaked too early in the season after a tough stretch of about a month and a half where wins were sparse and the team chemistry looked completely off post trade deadline. The Cats quickly put that all to rest as they came out fiery and physical in Game 1. Bobrovsky got the start for the Panthers to open the series and would have every game start in the following games as well.
With two elite goaltenders in the nets, goals were tough to come by, but Florida struck first from none other than Sam Reinhart, who tipped in a shot from Gustav Forsling. That goal put him at 58 goals for the season to tie for the second most in franchise history. The Panthers’ defense hounded Kucherov for this game and the entire series, keeping him from scoring a single goal over the course of the five games. Both teams set the physicality tone, with Florida having 54 hits and Tampa having 55.
Toward the end of the first period, the Lightning tied the game off a goal from Hagel. The following twenty minutes of play left the score the same heading into the final period. A late carryover power play for the Panthers gave them the man advantage to start the third, and Carter Verhaeghe made the most of it, scoring 58 seconds into the period and giving Florida the 2-1 lead. Florida’s defense and Bobrovsky’s saves would keep Tampa frustrated until they pulled Vasilevskiy. Matthew Tkachuk got the empty net insurance goal to give the Cats a 3-1 lead.
A late penalty on Florida and an empty net from the Lightning gave them a 6v4, and they scored with just eight seconds left in the period. Florida took Game 1 and looked comfortable doing it, playing with speed and physicality.
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