Top 350 songs in my 50 years of Music: 30-21

30. All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers. … Lead singer Brandon Flowers wrote this moving song apparently when he was a bellman at a Casino in Las Vegas. Can’t find a definite explanation of the lyrics from Flowers, but reportedly it is basically about trying to make yourself a better person. “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” has become a sing-along line and their performance of the tune at Live 8 was epic.

29. In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel. … The Englishman wrote this memorable love song and performs it with Youssou N’Dour. It was at its peak of popularity when Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) hoisted a boom box above his head to play it for Diane Court (Ione Skye) in the movie “Say Anything.” “Love I get so lost, sometimes. Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart. When I want to run away, I drive off in my car. But whichever way I go, I come back to the place you are.”

28. Working Man – Rush. … The song received major play on a Cleveland radio station and became popular in 1974, which introduced the Canadian group to America. The trio - including Geddy Lee, the master Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson - built a Hall of Fame career from there and this is their most iconic tune. “They call me the working man. I guess that’s what I am.”

27. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant – Billy Joel. … The song was never released as a single, but remains one of the New Yorker’s most popular efforts with its mix of jazz, rock and pop. It runs 7:37 on the late 70s masterpiece, “The Stranger.” “A bottle of red, a bottle of white, whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight. I’ll meet you anytime you want – in our Italian restaurant.”

26. Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits. … Mark Knopfler reportedly wrote the song about a jazz band performing in a small pub in South London and proclaiming itself the Sultans of Swing. It reached the top 10 in both England and the U.S. in the late 1970s from the group’s debut album. “You check out Guitar George. He knows all the chords.”

25. The Story in Your Eyes – The Moody Blues. … I first heard this song on our old 8-track player, which was later stolen when our house was robbed. The under-rated English band took the smooth song with nifty lyrics to No. 23 in the early 70s. “Listen to the tide slowly turning. Wash all our heartaches away. We’re part of the fire that is burning. And from the ashes we can build another day.”

24. Bad – U2. … Bono wrote this song about heroin addiction for the album “The Unforgettable Fire,” and it is at its best when played live. The most memorable performance came at Live Aid when the Irishman jumped from the stage and took women out of the crowd to dance with. “This desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, revelation in temptation, isolation, desolation. Let it go, and so fade away.”

23. Band on the run – Paul McCartney & Wings. … Paul wrote the song basically about freedom and escape, saying that we were all prisoners in different ways. It was the title track from Paul’s fifth solo album after leaving the Beatles and it reached No. 1 in the U.S. “Thought of giving it all away. To a registered charity. All I need is a pint a day.”

22. Round Here – Counting Crows. … Look up how lead singer Adam Duritz describes the complicated, unique, brilliant song he wrote. It is basically about making decisions on what your life is going to be without the lessons you learned as a kid. “Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, she said she’d like to meet a boy who looked like Elvis. And she walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land, just like she’s walking on a wire in the circus.”

21. Layla – Derrick & the Dominos. … Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon wrote this love song for the short-lived group, inspired by a poem from a Persian poet about a man who went crazy when he could not marry a woman, well, who was out of his league. It lasts more than seven minutes and Clapton won a Grammy for the acoustic version in 1993. 

In the Spotlight: A Year in Movies 2015

By Mark Pukalo

In my lifetime, there may not have been a year in movies better than 2015.

It provided another chapter to some amazing series, gave us a look at what journalism can be, produced perhaps the most beautiful non-human creature ever, gave us interesting looks at the music industry and one of the best cartoons ever.

It was filled with amazing acting efforts, whether on a big scale or a smaller one like RJ Cyler’s turn as Earl in “Me & Earl and the Dying Girl,” or Michael Shannon in "The Night Before." Leonardo DiCaprio will probably win the Oscar, but a 9-year-old named Jacob Tremblay could have won Best Actor after his incredible performance in “Room.” Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Liev Schneider made you feel like you were in an actual newsroom with pitch-perfect performances in “Spotlight.” The world was also introduced to the talent and beauty of Swede Alicia Vikander in “Ex Machina” and others while Steve Carell was surprisingly terrific in “The Big Short,” Will Smith fantastic in “Concussion,” Matt Damon made “The Martian,” fun, Jennifer Lawrence was as powerful as ever in “Mockingjay Part 2” and “Joy,” John Cusack had a great take on a city priest in “Chiraq,” O’Shea Jackson Jr. burst on the scene in “Straight Outta Compton,” Mark Rylance couldn’t have been better as a Russian spy in “Bridge of Spies,” and Andrew Garfield was outstanding in “99 Homes.” There were so many more.

Here’s how much different 2014 was to 2015. The movies I rate between 30 and 40 this past year would have been in the running for around 14-16 in 2014.

The best of the best was Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight.” I was in the newspaper business for more than two decades and watching this movie brought back wonderful memories of those times when I couldn’t wait to get back to the office for work. As time went on, things changed. It became more of a job. Whether it was ultimately the price of paper, media conglomerates becoming tone deaf or just bad ideas, newspapers are not the same anymore. It’s more about sensationalism and interaction instead of news. It’s sad. Good, hard-nosed stories are hard to do because there are too many cooks in the kitchen, too many people to please. Report something that’s true, but hurtful, and you can expect to be vilified.

Cate Blanchett had a perfect speech at the end of “Truth,” -- another terrific movie about the media in 2015 – “If they don’t like a story, they scream, they question your politics, your objectivity, heck, your basic humanity. They hope to God that the truth gets lost in the scrum. And when it is finally over and they have kicked and screamed so loud, we can’t remember what the point was.”

“Spotlight” was smart, entertaining and produced emotions through a very distressing subject. It didn’t bash religion. It fought power. It shined light on people that made criminally poor decisions when they were supposed to be there to help the public. It showed what the media was, and should still be. It was – by far – the best movie of 2015.

Here’s a look at the Year in Movies 2015:

Worst of the year: Chappie – Had a lot of competition this year, but this weird robot movie took the cake.

Almost worst of the year: The D Train (Talk about a bad screen play. Ugh), Jupiter Ascending (Mila Kulis is cute, but I had no idea what was going on), Hot Pursuit (Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara not funny together), The Gunman (Could not figure out the plot and lost interest thinking about it), Air (A lot of nothing for an anti-climatic ending), American Ultra (Not even a fun mess)

Barely enough value to make it worth a $1.50 Redbox rent “when there is nothing else available”: Blackhat, The Avengers – Age of Ultron, Paul Blaart Mall Cop 2, Get Hard, Kingsmen, Focus, 71, True Story, Mistress America, Our Brand of Crisis (if it wasn’t Sandra, it would be in the next category down), Vacation (a very few laughs between cringes), Diary of a Teenage Girl (not as smart as it makes itself out to be), Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation (lots of chasing), Dope, Wild Card, The Stanford Prison Experiment

Most disappointing: No Escape (not that I expected a lot, but could have done way more with the story), Rock the Kasbah (Bill Murray with a dud).

Most over-rated: Sicario (Benicio Del Toro and the likeable Emily Blunt in a drug war story that is intense but hard to follow), Mad Max: Fury Road (It was ok for this type of movie, but an Academy Award nomination?)

Did not see (most not by choice): The Danish Girl, Son of Saul, 45 Years, Beasts of No Nation, It Follows, The Assassin, Duke of Burgundy, Tangerine, The Clouds of Sils Maria, Timbuktu, The Tribe, Burnt, Pawn Sacrifice, Captive, Minions, War Room, Selfless, The Gift, Tomorrowland, I’ll see you in my dreams, Pixels, Pitch Perfect 2, We are your friends, Ant Man, Fantastic 4, Heist, Grandma, My All-American, I Smile Back, Entertainment, Fifty Shades of Grey

Worth a Redbox rent (but slightly below high honorable mention): Spy (some funny stuff), Irrational Man (This Woody Allen movie is different), End of the Tour (unique with some good acting from Jesse Eisenberg, but a little thin), San Andreas (not a bad disaster movie), Zipper (Indy about a prosecutor that can’t keep it zipped), Black Mass (the Whitey Bulger story didn’t grab me totally), Woodlawn (a mix of football and religion which is more like an afternoon TV movie), The Walk (Isn’t great, but was better than anticipated), Everest (interesting, but why do these people do this?), Steve Jobs (intense, well-acted, but it didn't grab me), The Night Before (Got a kick out of it. Better than expected), Anomalisa (weird, but kinda good stop-motion film).

High Honorable Mention: Entourage (Heck, it was fun and Ronda was great), Jurassic World (Better than the last few in the series), Man from Uncle (one of Vikander’s other great performances), MacFarland USA (Kevin Costner coaches cross country), Ted2 (funniest movie of the year), Ricki & the Flash (Meryl Streep rocks out), Spectre (decent Bond would’ve been a top 20 in many other years), Mockingjay Part 2 (Finale of Hunger Games was fine, just not amazing), Aloha (Cameron Crowe’s script was lacking a bit, but I enjoyed it all more than most because of the likeable characters), A Walk in the Woods (Redford and Nolte tour de force), Amy (Fascinating documentary on Amy Winehouse was well worthy of oscar), The Age of Adaline (Strange, but it provided a few tears)

Joe Lunardi's first five out:

He Named Me Malala – An interesting, heart-wrenching documentary about the wonderful young woman; The Intern -- Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway are surprisingly good together; Trainwreck -- Second funniest movie of the year with an overplayed, but humorous, appearance by LeBron; Southpaw -- Good stuff overall, but Jake Gyllenhaal was a bit over the top as a boxer; Trumbo -- Bryan Cranston is terrific as the Communist script writer.

TOP 25

25. The Revenant – Leonardo was fantastic during his rough journey through the wilderness, but I just didn’t find it incredibly compelling enough to be higher. What a great performance by the bear, too!

24. In the Heart of the Sea – Ron Howard’s story about the inspiration that led to the writing of Moby Dick was much better than I expected.

23. Insurgent – The second in the new series with Shailene Woodley stealing the show again.

22. The Hateful Eight – Typical Quentin Tarantino flick with plenty of over-the-top moments during the bounty hunter’s journey. Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh are especially terrific.

21. Chiraq – Spike Lee’s in-your-face story of senseless crime in Chicago has some real interesting, thought-provoking moments. Teyonah Parris was a commanding presence.

20. Paper Towns – Compelling story about a young man’s quest to find and understand a girl he has idolized since youth. I think there was a Margo in every man’s life.

19. Me & Earl and the Dying Girl – Quirky coming-of-age story that educates and entertains. The young version of Earl -- Edward DeBruce III – spouted a line I may use some day as he walked into his friend Greg’s house and saw a kitty sitting on the porch. “You wanna fight cat? Didn’t think so, punk-ass cat.”

18. 99 Homes – The other, more ugly, side of the story addressed in No. 3 on this list -- about the collapse of the housing market. Michael Shannon is really good at playing villains.

17. The 33 – Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche star in the story of 33 miners in Chile trapped underground for 69 days.

16. Carol -- Rooney Mara certainly deserved her Academy Award nomination with her brilliant performance as the adorable Turesz in this unique drama about forbidden love in the 50s. 

15. Brooklyn – Saoirse Ronan shines as a wide-eyed Irish immigrant who creates a new life for herself before issues surface. Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy, Wild) wrote a terrific screenplay.

14. Bridge of Spies – Tom Hanks impeccably plays an American lawyer who is hired to defend a Soviet spy (Rylance) and work through Cold War tensions. Hanks asks Rylance often why he is not nervous or worried? “Would it help?” Rylance replies. Isn’t that the truth.

13. Love & Mercy – Paul Dano and John Cusack play the young and the older versions of the brilliant, but troubled, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. Dano should have been nominated.

12. Joy – A fun mess about a dysfunctional family the first half and a smart final hour with Lawrence showing her talent and personality.

11. The Force Awakens: Star Wars Episode 7 – A terrific return of the amazing science fiction series, which pulls on the heart strings from the past and introduces appealing Daisy Ridley (Rey) to the mix. Good to see Chewy – the best wing man ever -- again, too!

10. Concussion – Smith’s portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu should have at least garnered him an Oscar nomination in the story about the NFL’s criminal ignorance toward head injuries.

9. Inside Out – Amazing, funny, smart, heart-warming cartoon that pulls you in and makes you think. Probably the best animated movie since “Toy Story.”

8. Creed – Michael B. Jordan brings the series back as the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed while Sylvester Stallone provides perhaps his best performance since the original “Rocky.”

7. Room – Brie Larson and Tremblay produce amazing performances in this harrowing story about an abducted young woman, who is trapped in a shack for five years with her young son. Have some tissues available.

6. Straight Outta Compton – Interesting look at the ground-breaking rap group N.W.A for those like me who did not know much about them, and for those who did.

5. The Martian – Damon kills it as an astronaut left on Mars, where he must figure out a way to live long enough for a rescue mission to arrive.

4. Truth – Blanchett plays CBS producer Mary Mapes with gusto in a story of the doomed (but probably totally true) 60 minutes report on George W. Bush’s military service. Robert Redford was also sharp as Dan Rather and Dennis Quaid as a “Jarhead.”

3. The Big Short – A maddening, yet entertaining, look at the way the big banks and Wall Street helped cave in the economy in 2008 with greed and stupidity.

2. Ex Machina – Vikander plays a gorgeous robot, who is the latest version of an A.I. built by a brilliant -- but sloppy -- rich recluse played creepily by Oscar Isaac. It is unique, interesting, intense and, whoah, what an ending.

1.  1. Spotlight – Impeccably written and acted work of art that perfectly depicts what a great newsroom used to be like.

Previous picks for Best of the Year

2014 – Birdman

2013 -- Nebraska

2012 – Silver Linings Playbook

2011 – The Descendants

2010 – The Social Network

2009 – Inglourious Basterds

2008 – Frost/Nixon (The Wrestler, a close second)

2007 – Once

Best of Decade 2000-2009 – Almost Famous

Hopes for Oscars (Those nominated)

Best Actor – Damon

Best Actress – Larson or Ronan

Best Supporting Actor – Rylance, but Ruffalo, Bale and Stallone were all spectatcular

Best Supporting Actress – Vikander for the Danish Girl, cause she should have won for Ex Machina

Best Picture – Spotlight

Cinematography – The Revenant

Directing – Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Documentary – Amy

Adapted Screenplay – Brooklyn

Original Screenplay – Ex Machina

Lightning Must Fix Defense Now

By Mark Pukalo

Jon Cooper is right. The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t win every game 6-5.

However, the Bolts can’t win every game 1-0 or 2-1 either – especially with the state of the team’s defense at this moment.

The Lightning have been more sloppy in the defensive zone than usual in the past five games. I’m not sure cheating and over-committing are the only reasons why. While the forwards deserve some blame at times, this corps of blue liners has never been quite good enough from the start of the season – even back to 2014-15. For much of this season, goalie Ben Bishop has covered that up.

While Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman give Tampa Bay a terrific top pair, the bottom – as a group – four or five stand in the lower third of the league in my opinion. Braydon Coburn, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, is capable as a No. 4-5 and Jason Garrison’s absence as a No. 3 has proved to leave a huge hole. Andrej Sustr has played a little better, but is still wildly inconsistent. Nikita Nesterov is exposed when he plays more than eight minutes. Matt Carle? Well, you know.

Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy have had to be heroic at times to hide the deficiencies while Hedman and Stralman ocassionally try to do too much, leading to mistakes. Cooper has often played two checking lines, perhaps to help the defense, but it has ultimately made it tougher because the Lightning have too often managed two goals or fewer.

You may argue that the Lightning produced 34.8 shots per game in their four losses during the current slide, but the chances seem to come in bunches and then there are periods of time where there is nothing happening. I think I’d rather go for the 6-5 win than the 1-0 or 2-1 right now.

GM Steve Yzerman has got to make a move. Former first-round pick defenseman Slater Koekkoek is here and he looked fine Tuesday. It’s time to cut him loose and let him play more. Heck, I’d bring Matt Taormina up and play him instead of Nesterov or Carle until a blue liner can be acquired (or Garrison comes back early). There’s got to be someone out there that can be picked up as a stopgap. They could also make a bold move to get a player like Dan Hamhuis or pull the trigger on a Jonathan Drouin trade for a D man. If cap room is required, put Carle or Erik Condra on waivers.

It’s not panic time. But it is time for action by Yzerman, and a slightly different philosophy from Cooper.

The Lightning was never a defensive team, where the most important thing is “how many we keep out.” Their stats early in the season were deceiving. This is a team with plenty of good offensive players who are often stifled by the lines they skate on. Cedric Paquette plays too much. Brian Boyle doesn’t play enough. There’s no way Jonathan Marchessault should be behind Paquette and Condra. If he wasn’t good enough defensively, why did Cooper stick him in the lineup against the New York Rangers in the playoffs? Marchessault shoots the puck. He adds spirit to a lineup with Drouin in exile. He’s got to play.

I bought a Drouin shirt during the offseason at a mall in Tampa. I kid you not, it came out of the wash a few weeks ago with a new stain on it.

His decision to walk away from the team disappointed me. It was a decision that had very few positives for him, but he still did it. I can’t defend him on that. Someday, maybe soon, he will emerge from the abyss and restart his career. That stain will be removed when he begins to show his skills with a coach that allows him to grow while playing through mistakes. The thing is, even after all this time, if Drouin decided to come back to the Lightning and made a public apology to the fans it would only take a goal or two and a burst of speed for him to be forgiven.

But, come on folks, the kid did not commit a crime or even get accused of some heinous act. Some radio hosts are treating him like he did, though, while gushing over a certain quarterback in this town. It makes me sick. Drouin let his pride and impatience get in the way. He’s 21. I still can’t wait to see him play again, wherever that is.

(Sorry, had to get that in. Hope the bozo on that 10-noon show on WDAE sees it.)

So what can they get for Drouin? It’s hard to say. One of two things is probably going on. Yzerman is either trying to work a bigger, more complicated deal, or the best offers are for futures and he’d like at least one player he can slide onto the current roster – ideally on the right side of the defense.

I can’t imagine Ottawa giving up Cody Ceci after it solidified its top four on defense with the Dion Phaneuf deal. The Kevin Shattenkirk possibility in a bigger deal is probably more of an offseason project -- if at all. Minnesota suffered some injuries on defense when Matt Dumba’s name popped up. Drouin would certainly fit in Colorado, but what can the Avalanche send back in return? They are already weak on defense, so how could they trade a young D? Not sure Nashville has anything available the Lightning would want. Winnipeg? To Dallas for Valeri Nichushkin, as one local reporter guessed Tuesday? It would be interesting to try and get a guy like Mika Zibanejad from Ottawa to insert as a gritty third-line center or wing.

Dumba, a right-handed blue liner with bite and offensive ability, is someone I would like the Bolts to go after. He has yet to emerge as a sure thing yet, but the 21-year-old is improving and seems to have all the tools. No doubt Minnesota knows that, too, though. We’ll see.

The next 12 days before the trade deadline are going to be very important for now and the future. But I don’t think Yzerman can wait that long to address some issues. If he doesn’t act soon, there may not be a postseason in Tampa Bay.

Top 350 songs in my 50 years of Music: 40-31

40. American Girl – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. … **Casey Kasem takes over from here!**. … Named one of the top 100 “guitar songs” of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Tom wrote about standing on the balcony near a California freeway and basically watching life go by with, “waves crashing on the beach.”

39. Taxi – Harry Chapin. … The late, great storyteller and humanitarian from New York wrote and performed perhaps the ultimate story song, about Harry and Sue’s chance meeting. “Through the too many miles and the two little smiles, I still remember you.” The artist died in a car crash on the LIE in 1981. Hey Harry, keep the change.

38. Long Cool Woman – The Hollies. … The Hall of Fame band from England made it to No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard chart in 1972 with this old-school rock tune about a “5-foot-9, tall, beautiful” woman, after Graham Nash had left the group. “With just one look I was a bad mess. ‘Cause that long cool woman had it all.”

37. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen. … One of the most powerful songs ever, whether you are listening in the car or at a concert. The Boss wrote about a street-wise rebel urging a young woman to take off with him. “Together Wendy we can live with the sadness, I’ll love you with all the madness in my soul.”

36. Tempted – Squeeze. … Soulful number from a British band which released several catchy tunes. The song, basically about infidelity, was never a hit single in the U.S. but has been used in several commercials and became more popular later in the 1980s. “Tempted by the fruit of another. Tempted but the truth is discovered.”

35. You’ve got a friend – James Taylor – The great Carole King wrote this moving tune and performed it on “Tapestry” before JT’s magical version won both a Grammy in 1971. “Close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there, to brighten up even your darkest night.”

34. Won’t get fooled again – The Who. … The epic tune was originally supposed to be the conclusion of a rock opera, but ended up on “Who’s Next?” Pete reportedly said the song “screams defiance at those who feel any cause is better than no cause,” but it wasn’t only an anti-revolution song because “revolution could be unpredictable.” Now, it works perfectly as entrance music at NHL games.

33. No Myth – Michael Penn. … Sean’s brother and Aimee Mann’s husband wrote this song about a relationship that fell apart at an early stage. It reached No. 13 on the billboard chart in 1989 as his debut single. “What if I were Romeo in black jeans. What if I was Heathcliff, it’s no myth. Maybe she’s just looking for. … someone to dance with.”

32. Radar Love – Golden Earring. … The Dutch rock band hit a home run with this epic tune about lovers sending telepathic messages. “When I get lonely, and I’m sure I’ve had enough. She sends her comfort, comin’ in from above. Don’t need a letter at all.”

31. Alison – Elvis Costello. … I’ve often been told that Alisons – those who have just the one L -- are trouble. The particular one that Elvis sang about let his little friend take off her party dress. But seriously folks, this catchy little tune graces one of the best albums ever made – “My Aim is True.” 

Top 350 songs in my 50 years of Music: 50-41

50. Tequila Sunrise – The Eagles. … Don Henley and Glenn Frey co-wrote this beautiful, short song from the under-rated album, “Desperado.” “Take another shot of courage. Wonder why the right words never come. … You just get numb.”

49. Under the Milky Way – The Church. … Bass guitarist and lead vocalist Steve Kilbey said the song just came to him and then-girlfriend Karin Jansson while smoking a joint one day. The Australian band did not quite fulfill its potential, but this late 80s masterpiece will live on.

48. I saw her standing there – The Beatles. … The first track on the Fab Four’s debut album “Please, Please Me” in 1963 is my choice as their top tune. “We danced through the night, and we held each other tight. And before too long, I fell in love with her.”

47. What I like about you – The Romantics. … The Detroit band’s “power pop” tune brings back memories of UConn days. It only made No. 49 on the billboard charts in 1980, but has become much more popular as a party dance song since. “Keep on whispering in my ear, tell me all the things that I wanna hear.”

46. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd. … The best song from a masterpiece concept album named, “The Wall.” Roger Waters and David Gilmour wrote about a troubled rock star and end the tune with some amazing guitar work.

45. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day – Chicago. … The “rock and roll band with horns” will finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. The group was at its best in the first half of the 70s, led by this powerful tune.

44. (Just like) Starting Over – John Lennon. … Some songs bring back vivid memories. The lights went on to end a concert at Jorgensen Auditorium when I was at UConn and this tune blared through the big speakers. It never sounded better and I remember people dancing, arm and arm out of the building. It was released as a single less than two months before John was murdered and reached No. 1 after his death.

43. Put the Message in the Box – World Party. … Maybe a reach, but this likeable sing-along tune, from a brilliant album named “Goodbye Jumbo,” sounds the call for saving the environment. “See the world in just one grain of sand. You better take a closer look. Don’t let it slip right through your hand.”

42. Every little thing she does is magic – The Police. … Sting and the boys have fun with this nifty little tune that mixes a little dance, reggae and rock from the album, “Ghost in the Machine.” “I resolve to call her up, a thousand times a day, and ask her if she’ll marry me, in some old fashion way.”

41. Voices Carry – Til Tuesday. … Aimee Mann calls out her boyfriend triumphantly at the end of one of the best videos of all time. Mann penned the song, reportedly, about one of her own bad relationships. “I’m in the dark, I’d like to read his mind. But I’m frightened of the things I might find.”

Drouin Drama Could Turn Positive

By Mark Pukalo

Two wrongs may end up making a right for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the case of Jonathan Drouin.

You read that correctly. The issues are all out in the open now. That’s ultimately good for many reasons.

The team’s potential star probably should have kept his trade request in-house a little longer because injuries have made it somewhat prudent that he spend a few weeks of conditioning in the minors. It would not have been my choice, but it is understandable. You never like 20-year-olds making this declaration. Perhaps he should have battled through the entirety of one more season, and then made a decision.

That being said, the Bolts have bungled the development of a skillful, creative player since the start of last season. No one was asking for him to be given anything. He knew he had to work for his top-nine minutes. The problem was, it’s difficult to earn more time when you are playing 10-12 minutes on the fourth line and not using your skill on a power play that was seriously lacking playmakers. Despite all that, he led the league in assists per minute. Not for rookies. The whole freaking league, as I told ESPN’s Scott Burnside on twitter after he called Drouin a “major disappointment.”

Whether he should have been in the lineup or not in the playoffs, coach Jon Cooper unnecessarily embarrassed the third pick in the 2013 draft by relegating him to the black aces at one point and dressing Mike Angelidis for the pregame skate instead of him.

Drouin had a solid camp this September and put up six points in the first five regular-season games while playing with Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan. He was a plus-5 the first seven contests and appeared to be screwed out of another assist in Buffalo. Drouin had a few off games – apparently -- after the first injury and suddenly was on the fourth line, playing 9:26 against Calgary. Perhaps, that is when the trade request came.

The left wing had two points against Anaheim in his first game back after sitting out for a third stretch. He struggled in the following contest versus San Jose on Dec. 5, but was the best player on the ice for the Lightning against the LA Kings one day later with four shots and several nifty setups that went unfinished. Soon after, he was injured again.

That brings us to today. Why could it be a positive that this drama has occurred? The bolt of Lightning could develop a better Drouin if he returns, and I think he will. He should be even more determined to prove himself. It will also force the coaches and GM Steve Yzerman to take a fresh look at what they are doing with him – and finally get on the same page. If all else fails, it creates a huge bidding war for a top prospect and a possible overpay (more on that, later).

The fact that teammates seemed to come out in support of Drouin on Monday was a major positive. There didn’t appear to be a hint of a concern about his work ethic. Ben Bishop told the Tampa Bay Times, “we’ll probably laugh about this (request)” some day.

After the disappointment of a demotion and getting the request off his chest, Drouin should have some serious steam when he takes to the ice with the Syracuse Crunch on Friday in Albany. Could we see him with Mike Peca and Adam Erne? Maybe with Jeff Tambellini? The hope is, Drouin puts up 10 points or so in six to seven games and he comes back to Tampa ready to make an impact, diving in for the final 35 games as things work themselves out with the lineup.

Yzerman has probably gotten offers for Drouin before. Now he will get more. This is not a Marty St. Louis situation. He can wait as long as he wants. He can wait to see if Drouin changes his mind. He can say no, very easily. The only difficult thing now is the team is up against the cap. Personally, I hope they keep him and see what happens in the offseason. But if they are to trade him, this may be the opportunity to free up cap space for the future. Here’s how. Hey, Colorado, you want Drouin to play beside his buddy Nathan MacKinnon? Ok, give us a No. 1 in 2016 and you take Matt Carle’s whole contract off our hands in a package deal that could include a few more items.

A friend of mine, who has a good hockey mind, apparently wants me and others to bash Yzerman. While I disagree with his hands-off approach with coaches and a few of his decisions (why three years for Erik Condra?), Yzerman has done a great job overall. I have confidence he knows what he has with Drouin and will do the right thing. It’s also good that Tyler Seguin happened. It spikes fear into every NHL GM that thinks of dealing a high pick.

Cooper may also re-evaluate the way he puts together a lineup if the Lightning continue to wallow below the playoff line. As I have said before, the modern-day NHL does not require two scoring lines, a checking unit and a threesome of muckers. It’s nine forwards with solid defensive instincts sprinkled among them and a strong checking unit for a fourth line. Cooper seems to prefer two scoring lines and two checking units. In my opinion, I’d go Drouin-Stamkos-Callahan, the triplets, Alex Killorn-Valtteri Filppula-Jonathan Marchessault and a fourth unit that is anchored by Brian Boyle with J.T. Brown, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette around him at this point. If Marchessault continues to struggle defensively (look it up, he’s minus-7), maybe Namestnikov or Brown can move up.

My hope is that Drouin returns to Tampa in a few weeks and gets a substantial role while helping the Lightning climb back into playoff position. Then, as Bishop says, we all can have a good laugh about the last few days.

Lightning Need to Find Swagger

By Mark Pukalo

You knew it would not be easy for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. You didn’t expect this.

The Lightning are barely over .500 with the midway point of the campaign just around the corner and they are not showing any signs that a complete turnaround will occur. This 2-2-1 start to an important homestand is example No. 1. No consistency. Little spark.

Blame it on injuries all you want, but it is only one of the many issues the Lightning have developed after getting within two victories of a Stanley Cup last June. The biggest problems seem to be mental, but there are lingering lineup concerns as they return to full health.

“I don’t know what to say, there is no magic answer,” captain Steven Stamkos said Wednesday after the 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers at home. “These close games, last year we were finding a way to win. Now we’re the team sitting back on our heels. I don’t know if it’s lack of confidence or lack of execution, but there is really no consistency to our game right now.”

Solutions are elusive, because most of the problems are in their heads.

Some people who were there more often than I have told me the Lightning went through the motions a bit in the preseason. That is understandable after a long playoff run. It’s also dangerous. The thing is, if it was a smoldering issue it didn’t seem to affect them as the Lightning came out of the chute with three straight wins to start the regular season. It might have been the worst thing for them. It told them – “We’re fine. No problem. It’s just going to happen.”

However, once it did not “just happen” for them and they needed to find that fighting spirit, that intelligent play and that aggression they had last season -- it wasn’t there. More hungry teams kept finding ways to beat them. Playing only good stretches of games was not nearly enough.

The goal-scoring drought also worked on their confidence. Because the puck wasn’t going in, it seemed as though they reverted back to the “we-have-to-pass-the-puck-into-the-net” mindset that has made their fans’ heads explode at times over the past half dozen years. There’s no doubt with shot blockers everywhere, you have to get pucks through and be careful. But the Lightning have to lead the league in shots passed up.

The perfect example was the blown lead in Washington when Nikita Kucherov passed up a try at the right side of the net and sent the puck back to Vladislav Namestnikov in front. Philipp Grubauer made a great save, but only because he was still there. He wasn’t at the right post where Kooch could have probably flipped a shot into the corner of the cage.

I can be too hard on coach Jon Cooper at times. I admit. He has needed to tinker with the lineup and forward lines this season with injuries and lack of production. No doubt. But his impatience with the chemistry of lines has been a problem in my opinion. I still wonder why the Jonathan Drouin-Stamkos-Ryan Callahan unit was never reunited after some early success.

Cooper can’t seem to figure out how to use Drouin. It is easy to me. Stick him with players that can score in places that he can succeed (the power play?) and let him grow. He is the third pick in the draft. Not a third rounder. Instead, the Lightning have sent him to the minors today, screwing with his head again. Other teams put players picked much lower than Drouin in the lineup and let them progress on their time. Drouin is not a finished product. He has shown improvement defensively this season and his positioning is better, but she still holds onto the puck too long sometimes. He needs to play at this level to learn and adjust, and not on a checking line. The Lightning may realize this when he’s putting up 80-90 points a season for some other organization some day while Stamkos continues to search for a setup man.

The power play, even though it is somehow 9-for-29 the last five games despite still looking mostly dreadful, has become the butt of jokes. As Stamkos said recently, “it is costing us games.” The Lightning make everything look so difficult, passing the puck into crowds, trying high-risk plays. They need to be more selfish. Move it, shoot it, get to the rebounds. Jonathan Marchessault does all those things and he’s had success. Valtteri Filppula never wants to shoot. Kucherov tends to defer to Stamkos. Drouin rarely gets chances. Special teams play is one issue that can be solved on the chalkboard. It is one thing that can turn the team’s season around. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

No doubt the Lightning miss Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson has not been the same player all season -- although he showed a little more burst the last four periods. Drouin has not been able to stay healthy either and build off his strong start (six points, five games). It just seems like there is something missing, though, apart from injured players.

The emotion, the spirit, the skating is there for a few shifts and then disappears. They play simple and smart in their own zone at times and then they are getting rid of the puck like it’s a grenade on their sticks, too often to the middle of the ice without a teammate in site (see winning goal Wednesday, and it was two of the team’s best players). Yes, it’s difficult to play 60 minutes of great hockey. But the Lightning has been in and out all season. In 2014-15, that was not the case with the same lineup.

Let’s face it. While the Lightning showed their grit and were very worthy of their trip the finals, it was close to being over in the first round. Johnson saved them in Game 4 against the Wings or else they probably lose in five and Ben Bishop stood on his head in the first period of Game 7 before the Bolts found their footing. Where would we be now if they had lost in the opening series two straight seasons?

One thing I was concerned about in preseason was that they appeared to have six players who were better at center than wing. Namestnikov has played some good minutes on left wing, but he still looks better at center and Cedric Paquette seems to play his best hockey in the middle. In my opinion, Paquette and Brian Boyle are two solid fourth-line centers. Both can’t be there. Maybe I make too big a deal of this. But I believe it’s an issue when Cooper puts together his lines.

The lack of a Stamkos contract extension is definitely an issue. Is it a big one in the locker room? No. I’m not sure it isn’t affecting the captain’s play though. He is having his worst season as a pro and it’s not necessarily only about his 16 goals and 28 points. He is making poor decisions with the puck all over the ice and that has led to more time working in his own zone. In Stamkos’ defense, he has continually had different linemates and it’s been hard to find a rhythm. But let’s be honest, he has not been the same since Marty St. Louis left.

The thing is, before his injury Lightning fans – including this reporter -- were arguing Stamkos was better than Alex Ovechkin. Right now, you can’t say he is. Stammer is not playing like a star that makes others around him better. He needs to use his speed, be aggressive, play North-South hockey and forget the little cute passes. Is he still a great player, a great leader and good person? In my opinion, yes on all counts. Is he worth $88-100 million for eight years? Not at the present time.

This might sound strange after saying that, but I would still sign Stammer for eight and 80-88 -- if I knew I could jettison a particular bad contract and had a plan to keep Kucherov, Palat and Alex Killorn, along with inking Victor Hedman to a long-term deal, and made it all work. But if it’s Hedman or Stamkos, the answer has to be the big Swede. He makes more of an impact on the game nightly at this time.

The defense has not played as good as their numbers indicate. Bishop is the reason the Lightning is seventh in the league in goals-against. The top four is solid and Andrej Sustr has shown some progress. But they could use another impact defenseman, especially with Brayden Coburn in the last year of his contract.

It may be time for Steve Yzerman to do something to change the deck chairs a bit. Instead of sending Drouin down, it could have been as simple as putting Erik Condra on waivers and bringing Slater Koekkoek up to play. The Bolts brass has reportedly been at a lot of St. Louis Blues games of late. I speculated a Kevin Shattenkirk-Filppula deal could help both teams, although the Blues appear to be getting center Patrik Berglund back.

Perhaps Yzerman has considered it already, but struggling defenseman Matt Carle (zero points) would likely accept a trade to Colorado where he played college hockey. It would have to be a very creative deal, but the Lightning’s GM has pulled off some gems before. Carle (two years left after this one) and a pick for injured Brad Stuart (one year left after this one for less money) would help with cap space. I’d also make Paquette available. He can be a good player, but I’m not sure he’s a third-line center long term and the Bolts have one of the best fourth-line pivots in the league. He’s got value, so maybe packaging him with Carle could get a trade done. Or maybe I’m dreaming.

It will be an interesting few months. All is not lost. Palat’s return will help and if Drouin can come back in a week or so more confident and healthy with a chip on his shoulder, he would be a big plus. You cannot complain about their goaltending. Bishop has been terrific.

I don’t doubt the players’ desire. They care. You can tell by looking at their faces in the locker room. Through the first 38 games of the season, they are simply not dealing with adversity the way they did last season. That must change. They need to find that swagger they had most of the previous two seasons. Play simple. Be aggressive. Make other teams react to them. There’s only 44 games left. It has to start Saturday.