Around the NHL: Stadium Series game for the ages, Kadri and Panarin trade talks heat up

Boston/Tampa Bay Stadium Series game for the ages

The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Boston Bruins in the latest edition of the NHL’s Stadium Series, and the two teams did not disappoint. In what was an absolute instant classic that had a little bit of everything, the Lightning rallied to win 6-5 in a shootout after trailing 5-1 earlier in the match.

All the talk afterward was about the goaltending battle between Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman and Lightning legend Andrei Vasilevskiy. Midway through the second period, there was a wild scrum, with the Lightning down 5–2, and Vasilevskiy and Swayman decided to meet in the middle to drop the gloves for the first goalie battle in Stadium Series history:

Vasilevskiy defeated Swayman, thanks to those left hands, and best of all, it fueled the Lightning. Tampa Bay then scored three unanswered goals to tie the game, ultimately sealing the match thanks to a shootout winner from Jake Guentzel.

Trade talks between Nazem Kadri and Artemi Panarin are heating up

Possible landing spots include the Stars, Red Wings, Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, Kings, Avalanche and Florida Panthers. Friedman confirmed over the weekend that the Avalanche, Stars, Ducks and Hurricanes are all willing to make this trade without an extension. Panarin’s camp currently prefers an expansion.

Quick hits from around the NHL

• There is speculation that the Minnesota Wild will use Jesper Wallstedt as a trade chip and eventually sign Marc-Andre Fleury as the team’s backup goaltender. General manager Bill Guerin is looking for an impactful top-six forward.
• St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas underwent a minor leg procedure and is out until after the Olympics.
• The Winnipeg Jets are getting a lot of interest in defenseman Logan Stanley, who is having a career year and earns a very reasonable AAV of $1.25 million.
• While Panarin is seemingly done in New York, there is a lot of talk about the role of Alexis Lafreniere in a possible trade for Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright. It sounded like in a perfect world the Kraken dealt Wright for Panarin and signed the Russian winger to a contract extension. Panarin had other ideas.
• Edmonton Oil Companies On Sunday he waived goaltender Calvin Pickard.
• It comes down to the wire in Nashville, as several teams have made calls about Predators center Ryan O’Reilly, but so far it’s likely Barry Trotz will keep O’Reilly in Nashville, where he and his family prefer.
• And in the best news of the week, Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark returned to action this weekend and was named the starting star after a 26-save performance that defeated the Devils 4-1. “At the end, even during the setup, it was very difficult to keep it together,” Uilmark said after the match, per Coming in hot. “I didn’t want to hold it together either. One of the things I’ve been working on is letting the feelings flow a little bit. There’s nothing bad about that. I was really happy that we got a win today as well.”