Thunderbolts

The sky-is-falling crowd has quieted a bit after the Thunder’s two road wins, improving the team to 2-3. Some random tidbits after catching up with coach Brent Bilodeau.

First impressions: Three newcomers have contributed immediately for the Thunder: Defenseman Pascal Bedard (2 games, 1 assist, +3); defenseman Bryan Nathe (3 games, 3 assists, +5) and forward Jordan Hack (2 games, 3 points, including two power-play goals). Bilodeau’s thoughts on each follow.

On Bedard: “He’s solidified things a bit for us back there. He has some skating ability. He can move the puck.”

 On Hack: “He’s one of those young guys who brings some speed, finishes checks, brings some energy to the game. He can skate. He’s a dangerous player.”

On Nathe: “He hadn’t skated for a week. Now, he’s starting to find his shape again. He plays strong back there.”

Another new guy: Luke Hunter, a rookie forward recently released from Las Vegas of the ECHL, is the latest addition to the Thunder. Bilodeau is about as even keel as they come, but he talks about Hunter with the same enthusiasm as he did when Hack arrived. “He’s a centerman, very good on face-offs, high energy,” Bilodeau said of Hunter. “You won’t see anyone who works harder.”

Let’s get physical: Bilodeau wants to see more consistent physical play from his team. “It’s been OK,” he said. “I still think we have to finish a few more checks. When we were playing well over the weekend, we were taking the body. When we got away from our game, it was partially because we stopped hitting people. I’m not talking about running guys through the glass; I’m talking about finishing checks, just playing hockey.”

The Three…Chrises: I’m a little disappointed that Bilodeau changed up the line of Chris Tarkir, Chris Green and Chris Shudo. (Jordan Hack has replaced Shudo.) I was already working on some corny nicknames for the all-Chris line. Tres Chris. Chris Mas or Mas Chris. I coulda sold T-shirts, coffee mugs. Now it’s just wasted inspiration.