Lightning Give Fans Hope Again

By Mark Pukalo


We have a series now.

You wondered if this was going to be one of the few times that the Tampa Bay Lightning did not respond to a bad game, or a rough stretch, with a big performance. Washington was playing so well and the Bolts looked frustrated after two home losses to start the Eastern Conference finals.

But one thing we should all know from watching this core group of players in Tampa Bay over the past four seasons is they have a lot of pride and character. Some nights they look awful - playing too fancy, failing to shoot, leaving guys wide open in the slot and turning the puck over sloppily. They almost always have had an answer the next game.

That Lightning team showed up Tuesday. They skated harder, were more aggressive defensively, capitalized on the power play (5-for-12 in the series after 2-for-5 in Game 3) and basically put up a fight against Washington. They were even better on the penalty kill.

It wasn’t perfect. The Capitals still had 38 shots on net, but the amount of real quality chances were limited compared to the first two games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy sure had to be good, though, and he was. The Big Cat was seeing the puck better and seemed to be a step ahead of Washington’s shooters. It’s still strange to me that many national writers brought his name up as one of the problems in the first two games.

Give coach Jon Cooper credit. I was thinking just flip Ondrej Palat and J.T. Miller on the top two lines for Game 3 to shake things up. He went one further and matched Miller with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn on a sort of “grind line” as Caps coach Barry Trotz put it. Yanni Gourde joined Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point on a new speedy line and Palat teamed with captain Steven Stamkos along with Nikita Kucherov to give that unit a little more pace. The freshness worked while Cedric Paquette trio with Ryan Callahan and Chris Kunitz was much better than the first two games.

But the most improvement was on the backend as Anton Stralman and Ryan McDonagh came back with a strong effort while Victor Hedman (goal, two assists) was downright dominant. Hedman boasts a franchise playoff-record eight-game point streak and Dan Girardi did his job impeccably beside the Swede on Tuesday.

The victory puts plenty of pressure on Washington to win Thursday night and keep home ice advantage. Expect the Capitals to come out flying and perhaps add injured Nicklas Backstrom (hand) to the lineup for more skill up front.

Vasilevskiy may have to produce his best performance in the playoffs, especially in the first 10-12 minutes. There have been storms the last few days in D.C. and the Bolts will have to weather another one Thursday.

All of that should not matter if the Lightning skate and support like they did in Game 3. But they can’t allow Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov to get 21 shots on net again.

The Bolts are in this series now, though. Even if they lose a close game Thursday, you have confidence a trip to the Cup finals is still possible with two of the final three at home.

What a difference a game makes.

My three stars for Game 3: 1. Hedman; 2. Vasilevskiy; 3. Point. Close: Kucherov, Stamkos, McDonagh, Paquette.

Desperation Time for Confused Bolts

By Mark Pukalo

Well, at least they beat the Bruins.

Let’s start with this. The Washington Capitals are finally playing the 200-foot game they have needed to be successful in the playoffs. They have been great since dropping the first two games of the postseason. Give them credit.

But the Tampa Bay Lightning have somehow reverted back to late-regular season form after an emotional and very strong performance during the five-game semifinal demolition of the Boston Bruins. They are allowing too much room in the defensive zone, having coverage issues and losing puck battle after puck battle. The Bolts have lost their way after playing four straight focused, sharp, complete, low-mistake games against what many thought would be the toughest opponent in the playoffs.

You can understand a little rust in Game 1 against the Capitals, but the Lightning seemed lost and confused from about the third shift on, and did not wake up until the contest was lost after two periods. Washington stood Tampa Bay up at the blue line and controlled the neutral zone, sweeping up every turnover and turning most into scoring chances.

The Lightning passed up a bushel load of shots in the first period and finished with just 10 on net in the first 40 minutes. It’s disturbing how this team can be shown the exact way to win in the first two series of the playoffs and suddenly go back to overpassing and playing fancy with the puck once again. It has been this team’s problem for years. Yes, you can’t shoot all the time. You don’t want to get them blocked. But time after time in Game 1, they failed to take a shot in a golden spot. Simple thought: sometimes, a shot creates a rebound, a deflection. Braden Holtby is not Patrick Roy.

You expected after another Game 1 failure, the Lightning would come out and take command of Game 2. But 28 seconds into the contest, they were down 1-0. They were allowed to fight back and take a 2-1 lead with two power-play goals - the second a bit of a gift - but the second period was one of the most puzzling of the season. They went back to slow-thinking, reactionary play and eventually were punished for it.

First, J.T. Miller controlled the puck on an odd-man break and held it way too long. He didn’t take a shot, did not find the trailer early enough, then turned the puck over. The team’s top line got caught overcommitting at the end of a shift - something we’ve seen from them before - and could not get back after the gaff. Washington’s fourth line tied the game on a 2-on-1.

It got worse late in the period. Anton Stralman falls down, can’t get up quickly and his teammates are not able to pick up anyone as Lars Eller deftly deflects home the go-ahead goal. In the final seconds - again - the Bolts lose a faceoff cleanly and cannot get to a loose puck behind the net. Seconds later, Evgeny Kuznetsov sends the puck into the crease where Ryan McDonagh appears to deflect it through goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Ok, you give up the tying goal. But a little extra effort and awareness and Tampa Bay goes to the third period tied. Instead, they are leaving the ice down two.

Still, you get a goal quickly in the third period and then you are all over a protective Capitals team the rest of the way. Right? Nah, the Lightning did not seem to have any push back in the final 20 minutes. The fourth line - Chris Kunitz-Cedric Paquette-Ryan Callahan - for some reason continues to play against Alex Ovechkin’s first unit. That group can’t keep the puck deep and Braydon Coburn makes a bad pinch, Stralman flops on the ice on a 2-on-1 and Ovechkin whips home a Kuznetsov pass. It’s 5-2.

Game over. Fans head to the exit. Normally, I would get on the faithful for that. Not this time.

Maybe I was too harsh on my tweet after that. But, honestly, I have followed the Lightning for more than 15 years and I can’t remember them quitting in a big game before. I saw a confused, frustrated, but mostly lifeless team in the third period. There’s no way I could have predicted this performance over the first two games of the Conference final, no matter how good the Capitals have played.

And anyone that says Vasilevskiy has a major part in this is crazy. He made some brilliant saves in Game 2. I’m not sure you can call any of the first five goals soft. Maybe he could have been more decisive on the fourth and not allowed McDonagh to tip the puck past him. Maybe. But he would have needed something like the amazing third-period performance against the Los Angeles Kings at home in the regular season to keep the Lightning close in this one.

It’s all about defense, puck management and coaching. The Bolts seem to be backing up instead of aggressively moving forward like they were against Boston. They are reacting and not dictating play. Lightning radio host Matt Sammon talked about "details," of the game not being executed Sunday. That, too.

Coach Jon Cooper has had his best season at the helm of the Lightning. He has pushed a lot of the right buttons along the way. But he’s had a penchant to panic in the past and he seemed to be doing that in Game 2. When the Ondrej Palat-Braydon Point-Tyler Johnson line struggled against Boston’s top unit in Game 1 of the previous series, he stuck with them and they were great in the final four matchups. For some strange reason, he turned to the fourth line to match up against Ovechkin’s trio in Game 2 on Sunday. Palat ended up playing 13 minutes. He, along with Point, are the Lightning’s best two defensive forwards.

The other odd thing that Cooper has done is on the penalty kill. The unit has struggled all season and had one decent series against New Jersey. The Tampa Bay coach has used three somewhat slow-moving players at forward, along with rookie Anthony Cirelli, often on the top two killing units. The Bolts are slow and stationary on the kill, they aren’t getting to pucks. They need more speed and aggressiveness. They don’t need Paquette’s slow feet. They have given up three power-play goals in the series and struggled mightily against Boston. It’s time for change. Use Johnson, Palat, Yanni Gourde, Point. How about Steven Stamkos? He has often been the best faceoff man. But he has been on the bench instead. How about Miller?

The key goal in Game 1 was Ovechkin’s power-play tally in the final seconds of the first period that made it 2-0. Who was on the ice? Cirelli, who lost the faceoff cleanly to wing T.J. Oshie and is last on the team at 46.7 percent in the playoffs. Callahan was not on the ice either. The veteran is the best shot blocker among the forwards.

The players have been very disappointing in these two games. But Cooper has not helped.

Change the lineup? Nah. Who are you taking out? There’s no one that clearly stands out to me. You could put Cory Conacher in for Paquette and mix and match with three lines, adding to the speed. But I’m not sure that’s the way to go. A very bold move that won’t happen? Conacher or Adam Erne in for Kunitz (0 points, 11 shots, 12 games). I have been very disappointed in him during the postseason.

It’s not over. The Lightning have been counted out before. Many times they respond with a big performance. They will need their very best on Tuesday. One road victory and Washington could start doubting itself.

But it will be far from easy. The Capitals seem to be on a mission and it’s hard to fathom the Bolts can rebound strong enough after one of their worst playoff performances in franchise history.

It’s time to prove me wrong. Show me something 2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning. Now.


Previous rounds: Lack of time and other circumstances did not allow me to recap every game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but here’s a few brief thoughts on those two series.

The Bolts just needed to be sharp and focused against the New Jersey Devils. They avoided big mistakes, except for the penalties in Game 3, and capitalized when they needed to. They were in control physically and mentally. Vasilevskiy was the best player in the series while Nikita Kucherov, Ryan McDonagh and Alex Killorn were all outstanding.

The Bolts totally dominated the Bruins 5-on-5 on the Eastern Conference semifinals and controlled them more easily than I could have ever imagined. The Lightning played better defensively in the final four games than they did all season. They supported each other so well and Vasilevskiy shut the door after mistakes were made. All six defensemen played very, very well while Point and Palat were ubiquitous. It was a very satisfying victory and the triumph made it easy to laugh after all the whining Bruins fans - and media - did about the officiating. Could the referees have called slashing on Stralman late in Game 2? Sure. But how can you complain when you have 20 shots on goal - 14 at even strength? Sorry, but Charlie McAvoy was pushed down. There was no holding or hooking there. Stay on your feet rookie.

And ... sit down Cam Neely.

2017: A Very Healthy Year for Movies

By Mark Pukalo


You never quite know when you are going to see your favorite movie of a particular year.

It could come on the first day of release, a well-planned visit to the theater after seeing promising previews, or simply by chance.

The Year in Movies 2017 ended up being filled with strong films, but very few great ones - perhaps only one. There was plenty of depth with somewhere around 50 that I could recommend, and a solid group of unique, creative movies.

The one that caught my fancy the most was viewed at my neighborhood theater - AMC Regency in Brandon - perhaps the worst run of all the movie houses I have ever gone to. I had heard the film with an odd name was good, but I did not know too much about it. It had been out quite a while, but I had not pulled the trigger on seeing it until the very end of its run in local theaters. Finally, I settled in with my popcorn and found out that it was way more than a pleasant little romantic comedy.

“The Big Sick,” is based on the true story of Pakistani immigrant Kumail Nanjiani, who is working to be a standup comedian, and how he met his American wife Emily. It is about culture, relationships, family, life's obstacles and it is executed beautifully with humor and emotion. It makes you laugh a lot, think and cry.

I had not seen Zoe Kazan in anything since her brilliant effort in a cheeky little movie called “Ruby Sparks” in 2012. Kazan plays Emily with vulnerability, intelligence, cuteness and grace. Holly Hunter, who should have been nominated for an Academy Award, and Ray Romano play her parents very authentically. Adeel Akhtar and Anupam Kher portray Kumail’s parents with aplomb as well. Nanjiani couldn't have played himself any better.

It is a great movie from start to finish. The truth is out there!!

Along with Hunter and Kazan, it was a big year for tremendous performances from women and young girls.

The obvious standouts include Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Frances McDormand (Three Billboards), but there were also fantastic performances from Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game, Zookeeper’s Wife), Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Elizabeth Olsen (Wind River), young Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project), Anne Hathaway (Colossal), Kate Mara (Megan Leavey), Tatiana Maslany (Stronger), Elle Fanning (The Beguiled), hilarious Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes), Brie Larson (The Glass Castle), Zendaya (The Greatest Showman), Jennifer Connelly (Only the Brave), Lily James (Baby Driver, Darkest Hour), Riley Keogh (Logan Lucky), McKenna Grace and Jenny Slate (Gifted), Izabela Vidovic (Wonder) and Lola Flanery (Home Again) along with many others.

TOP 25 of 2017

(tie) 25. Get Out - While I believe that the movie was over-rated a bit as far as being nominated for Best Picture, Jordan Peele's creative script should be celebrated and gets it over the hump on the list.

25. Okja -  The Netflix original is a unique, odd, but compelling film about a young Japanese girl who tries to save her GMO Super Pig from being slaughtered.

24. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Not quite as good as Vol. 1, but Baby Groot steals the show as the motley crew attempts to save the world again.

23. Baby Driver - Fast-moving crime drama centers around Baby (Ansel Elgort), who has some mad skills behind the wheel. It's a fun movie overall, although some of the violence is over the top.

22. Dunkirk - Director Christopher Nolan keeps you interested during the difficult evacuation of English troops from France, without much dialogue and few stars.

21. LBJ - Woody Harrelson seemed like he was in every movie of 2017 and somehow he did not get nominated for his brilliant performance as President Lyndon Johnson. The critics got this one wrong. Thought Rob Reiner's film was a good one.

20. The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro's Academy Award-winning monster movie is impeccably acted, and the underlying message is about being able to accept people that are different than us. The monster is cool, too.

19. Last Flag Flying - Steve Carell takes his old military friends (Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston) with him on the trip to retrieve his son's dead body, after it returns from Iraq.

18. Megan Leavey - Kate Mara stars in the true story about a lost young marine and a bomb-sniffing combat dog named Rex, who changes her life after she trains him.

17. Battle of the Sexes - Emma Stone (Billie-Jean King) and Carell (Bobby Riggs) make it fun through the story of how one of the most memorable tennis matches of all time came about.

16. Darkest Hour - Gary Oldham kills it as Winston Churchill, trying to get England through the potential of an invasion by Nazi Germany while battling home-grown opponents.

15. All the Money in the World - Impeccably-acted story about the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's son with Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer, who was brilliant after taking over for disgraced Kevin Spacey in the role of Getty.

14. The Last Jedi - Episode VIII started slow and finished with an outstanding second half. Mark Hamill has never been better in a movie during the trilogy.

13. Wonder Woman - Gadot is a powerhouse in this well-done story about the female super hero. Had my doubts going in to see this movie, came out very pleased with the script and action.

12. Columbus - John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson form a unique relationship by chance in the Ohio City. He is visited his dying father. She is younger and dealing with alcoholic single mother.

11. War for the Planet of the Apes - The latest installment of the modern day version of the trilogy follows the great Caesar and his crew as they try to save their threatened tribe. It is more than just a war movie. It has a heart.


10. Thank You For Your Service - Miles Teller stars as one of three soldiers who come home from the horrors of war and deal the PTSD in different ways. It was authentic and powerful to me.

9. Three Billboards, outside Ebbing Missouri - McDormand is terrific as a mother trying to get more attention after the local police give up on finding her daughter's murderer. Sam Rockwell and Harrelson are outstanding as well in a powerful movie with a few plot flaws.

8. Detroit - Kathryn Bigelow got screwed out of a Best Director nomination as she took a very difficult subject and made a strong film about the racial incident at the Algiers Motel in 1967. It is not entertaining, but it is historic and makes you feel like too little has changed in 50 years.

7. Logan Lucky - Channing Tatum stars in the southern comedy caper with Adam Driver, Daniel Craig and Elvis' grand daughter (Riley Keogh) as the crew makes a unique heist attempt at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

6. Lady Bird - Liked this movie better the second time I viewed it, especially its wonderful dialogue from director Greta Gerwig. Simply said, it is about the difficult relationship of a loving mother and her coming-of-age teenage daughter.

5. The Post - Steven Spielberg's film about the Pentagon Papers, with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep deciding how to release government secrets the public deserves to know. Bob Odenkirk is also outstanding.

4. Wind River - Jeremy Renner, who should have been nominated for Best Actor, plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent who finds an 18-year-old girl dead in the frozen tundra of an Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The mystery of her death takes several turns into a violent, but compelling and emotional ending.

3. Molly's Game - Chastain plays Molly Bloom in Aaron Sorkin's film, based on a true story about a former Olympic-hopeful skier who gets caught up in the world of running underground high-stakes poker games.

2. I, Tonya - Margot Robbie plays Tonya Harding in a hilarious black comedy about the whole sorted episode around the attack of Nancy Kerrigan. Allison Janney easily deserved her Oscar for playing Tonya's mom and Paul Walter Hauser is great as Shawn.

1. The Big Sick - Nanjiani hits a home run with his sly humor "you're the Pakistani Sammy Sosa," and Kazan was the perfect casting as Emily "I don't date time nerds," but the big surprise was Romano's perfect deadpan performance. Everything seems to come together perfectly for this film, which you can watch over and over and still smile throughout.


Joe Lunardi's first seven out

A Ghost Story - The ghost of her dead husband observes Rooney Mara and the progression of lives in their house. It's odd, quiet, artsy, but somehow compelling.

The Year of Spectacular Men - Lea Thompson directs while her two daughters Zoey and Madelyn Deutch star in a likable story about life's hurdles and relationships.

Only the Brave - A gripping film based on the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who died fighting a fire in 2013.

Roman J. Israel Esq. - Kept thinking about this film after renting it. Denzel Washington plays an enigmatic defense lawyer, who gets himself into trouble with a series of unfortunate decisions and circumstances.

Stronger - The well-acted story based on Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), who lost both legs in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Wonder - Cute and heartwarming. Jacob Tremblay is one heck of a child actor.

Icarus - Tremendous documentary uncovers a Russian steroid program for its athletes.

---

Most Over-Rated: Phantom Thread - Extremely well-acted, but, frankly I didn't get it.

Hoped to see, but couldn't: Atomica, Father Figures, Justice League, Personal Shopper.

Top Honorable Mention (Recommend): American Made (Tom Cruise is good at smuggling), The Beguiled (weird, but ultimately interesting and different), Blade Runner 2049 (decent long-awaited sequel, but too long),  Borg vs. McEnroe (the buildup to a greatest tennis match in history at Wimbledon), Colossal (strange concept movie that held me to an odd ending), Eight Days A Week (Beatles documentary), Gifted (McKenna Grace is adorable), Girls Trip (very fun stuff), The Greatest Showman (better than expected circus movie), I Don't Feel At Home in this World Anymore (Netflix, unique), Logan (liked this X men story), Marshall (historic and well done about old Thurgood), Mudbound, Paddington 2 (liked that bear), Spiderman Homecoming (some cool stuff), Thor: Ragnarok (entertaining super hero flick), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (liked the science fiction film, but few others did), The Zookeeper's Wife (Chastain was a powerhouse again in this strong film, based in Poland).

Second Honorable Mention (recommend marginally, but make sure it's for you): All Eyez on Me (Tupac), An Inconvenient Sequel (Al), Atomic Blonde (good stunts), The Babysitter (bloody), Bad Moms Christmas (not as good as the original), Baywatch (Alexandra Daddario has some nice eyes, sue me), Before I Fall (Zoey Deutch rocks, but have seen this storyline before), Book of Henry (heartwarming, but a little dull),  Call Me by Your Name (Excellent acting, but otherwise, ahh), Daddy's Home 2 (I laughed a lot, sorry), The Disaster Artist (some laughs, but also somewhat annoying), Flatliners (better than expected), The Florida Project (strange film that was quite compelling, but ultimately unsatisfying), Geostorm (lots of action and minor intrigue), The Glass Castle (interesting, but not particularly entertaining), Going in Style (light and funny), Good Time (A24 Crime story), Goon: Last of the Enforcers (not as good as the first one), Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie, Hitman's Bodyguard (not as bad as reviews), Home Again (TV-type movie with Reese Witherspoon, but entertaining), Kong: Skull Island (the big guy held my interest), Mark Felt (historic, but kinda boring), Murder on the Orient Express (nothing special), November Criminals (missed opportunity; great actors, decent story line, really, really bad script), The Only Living Boy in New York (Not a great film at all, but Kate Beckinsale is gorgeous), War Machine (netflix)

Did not see, but don't care that much: Alien Covenant, A United Kingdom, Beauty and the Beast, Blind, Brad's Status, Chips, Coco, A Cure for Wellness, The Dark Tower, A Dog's Purpose, Downsizing. Drone, Everything Everything, The Fate of the Furious, Ferdinand, Fire Fire, Ghost in the Shell, Hostiles, Insidious: The Last Key, Kingsmen: The Golden Circle, Jigsaw, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Layover, The Lost City of Z, Maudie, The Mountain Between Us, The Mummy, Pitch Perfect 3, Power Rangers, Sleepless, The Snowman, The Ticket, The Transformers, Tulip Fever, Victoria & Abdul, John Wick, Chapter 2, Wilson, Wonder Wheel, 47 Meters Down.

Not Recommended: American Assassin, The Circle, Fist Fight, The Foreigner, The House, It, Just Getting Started, Kidnap, Life, Snatched, Suburbican, Woodshock.

Almost the worst of the year: Beatriz at Dinner, The Dinner, Rough Night

Worst of 2017: Mother! - Shame Jennifer Lawrence. This was confusing, uninteresting, gross at times and just not watchable. One of the worst movies I have ever seen.

Previous picks for Best of the Year

2016 - Lion

2015 - Spotlight

2014 – Birdman

2013 -- Nebraska

2012 – Silver Linings Playbook

2011 – The Descendants

2010 – The Social Network

2009 – Inglourious Basterds

2008 – Frost/Nixon-The Wrestler (tie)

2007 – Once

Best of All Time - Almost Famous

The Worst Movies of 2017

By Mark Pukalo


It would seem there were more bad movies in 2016 than 2017 if you compare my two lists.

Not really.

I just punished myself by renting anything I could in 2016 and saw many awful films. Throughout 2017, I stopped myself from doing that. I’m sure there are some others that could be added to this list, but there was no need to spend the extra $1.61 to see how bad “Everything, Everything,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “The Mountain Between Us,” “The Dark Tower,” “The Layover,” or “The Mummy,” was. So, ultimately, even some of the movies at the bottom of my list of the worst of 2017 have some redeeming value if you want to see them.

Here's my list of the worst of 2017:


 15. Snatched - Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn provide a few laughs, but it kinda goes off the rails at times.

 14. It - Just didn't find anything particularly fascinating about this thriller. Don't really get IT I guess.

 13. The House - Will Ferrell is always a little fun to watch, but he does not have a whole lot to work with here.

 12. Just Getting Started - The Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman senior caper movie just never draws your interest. Bet they both made some good money though.

 11. Fist Fight - Has some funny moments, but the ultimate story line is sort of preposterous.


 10. The Circle - How can Tom Hanks make a bad movie about a subject that could be interesting like a society that goes overboard with social media? A really, really bad script.

 9. Life - Let's say the ending shocked me and made me feel an ounce better about the film, but it was still boring and head scratching before we got there.

 8. American Assassin - The counter-terrorism film thinks it's smarter than it is. Pick better movies Michael Keaton.

 7. The Foreigner - Jackie Chan sleep walks through this baffling crime drama, with an evil Pierce Brosnan, that is hard to follow.

 6. Kidnap - Calm down and think Halle Berry. Sheesh. Just a series of crazy car chases that does not seem to end.

 5. Suburbicon - A violent, strange, ugly, maddening film from the Coen Brothers that leaves you wondering why you rented it. The concept isn't awful. The execution is.

 4. Beatriz at Dinner - Kept waiting for something thoughtful and interesting out of this film about race and class structure, but it just seemed like a mess that made me angry in the end. Even adorable Salma Hayek couldn't save it.

 3. The Dinner - A good cast with Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall and an idiotic script that centers around two wealthy families trying to decide what to do about their children's crime. It's bad from start to finish.

 2. Rough Night - The only one of these 15 that I spent money on at the theater. It's crass, not funny at all and the trailer actually made it look like it could be good. I got fooled. Could have been No. 1, but Scarlett Johansson looked really, really good in short hair.

 1. Mother! - Love you, but shame on you Jennifer Lawrence. Director Darren Aronofsky has made some good films like "The Fighter" and "The Wrestler," but this strange mystical thriller is gross, mindless and just so crazy you want to turn it off 20-30 minutes in. I'm not sure what positives anyone can take out of this mess. Some critics say Aronofsky made the film to get a reaction - either way. Well, here's mine. IT SUCKED! I want my $1.61 back!



OSCAR PICKS/HOPES


BEST ORIGINAL SCREEN PLAY - The Big Sick (hope), Lady Bird (pick)

BEST ADAPTED SCREEN PLAY - Molly's Game (hope), Call Me By Your Name (pick)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Allison Janney, I Tonya (hope, pick), although Laurie Metcalf was great in Lady Bird

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World (hope), Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards, Outside Ebbing, Missouri (pick). All five are very worthy.

BEST ACTRESS - Margot Robbie, I Tonya (hope), Sally Jenkins, The Shape of Water (pick)

BEST ACTOR - Gary Oldham, Darkest Hour (hope, pick)

BEST DIRECTOR - Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk (hope), Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird (pick)

BEST FILM  - The Post (hope), The Shape of Water (pick)

Let's Debate Lightning Moves, Not Drink the Kool-Aid

By Mark Pukalo

There is a certain phrase that I had never used before last month, when describing more than a minor issue, since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010.

“I totally disagree with that decision.”

Trading a young, successful goalie (Dustin Tokarski) for a journeyman (Cedrick Desjardins) annoyed me and allowing Richard Panik to be lost for nothing on waivers when there were other options was also disappointing. Re-signing B.J. Crombeen and giving Erik Condra three years didn’t seem worth it to me either. There have been a few decisions in the first round of the draft you could question and I might have tried to figure out a way to keep Guy Boucher as well, but that would have been difficult.

Those moves are all relatively insignificant, though. We don’t always get what we want as fans and, with all the decisions a GM has to make, he can’t be perfect. Yzerman has made some absolutely amazing deals to build the Lightning into a Stanley Cup contender. He gets an A through the end of the 2016-17 season.

The Lightning GM has built quite a lot of room for error. It is easy to just say “he knows what he is doing” and go along with everything he does - like many are right now. It’s logical, because there’s little evidence to show where he has damaged the team. He knows what good hockey looks like. The Lightning will be competitive and, if a particular 19-year-old Russian defenseman becomes a star, they will probably be better than that.

That doesn’t mean a loyal Bolts fan can’t be concerned. While people sometimes go overboard with emotional exaggerated responses on twitter - me included - the basic fact is we all have our opinions. That means one thing. We care. Some are more informed than others. Some include a lot of thought and guard against personal leanings most of the time. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

Few have seriously come out publicly against the decisions made by Yzerman during this offseason, for a number of reasons. Some truly believe he is on the right track and needed to make some of the moves while others are just going along with them lazily without looking at the big picture. We have a good hockey market in Tampa Bay, with intelligent fans - except for the few out there that still don’t appreciate the talent of Victor Hedman. There should be a lot of different opinions. Aside from bashing a current or traded player unfairly like we have seen lately, all sides should be heard. We may not want to become Toronto or Montreal, but debate is good.

Differing opinions about the GM’s moves should be embraced and talked about honestly. There shouldn’t be one narrative. ... or else. That’s what the best hockey markets look like.

It’s no surprise I was against the Jonathan Drouin trade. It wasn't because Mikhail Sergachev can’t be a good defenseman. You just don’t trade a player with Drouin’s special talent at 22 years old. But I’m more surprised at the direction Yzerman has taken the team in the last month with many other moves. While Sergachev could cure some ills if he develops quickly, in my opinion the Lightning have gotten a little older and slower over the last month. If healthy and many things fall into a place, they can still be a playoff team. But I’m not sure they are better, unless many of their young players make a major leap forward.

The Drouin trade was not about the cap. It wasn’t about the expansion draft. It was a choice. I have worked on a scenario that would have kept him around and makes the Lightning a better team going forward, in my opinion. You can judge.

The trade to assure Vegas took Jason Garrison in the expansion draft was strong and I’m not sure the Golden Knights would have asked for more if Drouin had to be protected over Vladislav Namestnikov. If another pick was needed, fine. If Vegas wanted Vladdy, another deal could be made to send him to Sin City.

I would not have qualified defenseman Andrej Sustr. If the big Czech wanted to stay around as a seventh or eighth defenseman for a season to try and move up, I may have offered $1 million and he would likely walk. Sustr has had plenty of time to show he is worth almost $2 million. In my opinion, he hasn't come close.

Once that move was made, I would work the phones to see what the interest was in Tyler Johnson and Namestnikov. Brayden Point is a better bet long term as a No. 2 center. Plenty of groundwork was likely done to see what young defensemen were available. I’m not sure Winnipeg was willing to trade Jacob Trouba anymore and they are probably looking for defense help in return anyway. The focus had to be on Anaheim (Sami Vatenen, Brandon Montour), Minnesota (Matt Dumba) and Vancouver (Chris Tanev).

There’s no doubt in my mind Minnesota wanted Drouin. But I’m not sure a deal couldn’t have been made without him. Anaheim certainly could use some speed up front and Vancouver as well. In my model, I trade Johnson near his home in Spokane to the Canucks for a couple future picks and a prospect - perhaps forward Jake Virtanen. Then, I overpay for Matt Dumba from Minnesota - perhaps dishing the Wild the versatile but inconsistent Namestnikov (who could replace Erik Haula) and their choice of young forwards Adam Erne, Mathieu Joseph, Dennis Yan or Mitchell Stephens along with a high pick or a defense prospect (Matt Spencer?). I can’t imagine that deal not being better for Minnesota than the one they worked with Buffalo for Marco Scandella. You have to make it worth their while, if Drouin is not part of the deal. There is some talk about Dumba not being a great listener, but he’s young. You work with him. You could also offer a similar deal to Anaheim with Johnson instead of Vladdy for Vatanen.

My defense would now include combos of Hedman-Jake Dotchin, Slater Koekkoek-Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn-Dumba. Bringing in a veteran seventh defenseman, perhaps to push Koekkoek on the left side (John-Michael Liles, Fedor Tyutin, Jyrki Jokipakka, Eric Gelinas, someone else?), wouldn’t cost all that much and there will be about $4 million in cap space left at the end to adjust if one of the top six guys get hurt. You have Erik Cernak, Dominik Masin, Libor Hajek and Ben Thomas coming and the solid draft pick of versatile Callan Foote gives you even more depth on the blue line. 

When I first heard that the Lightning were interested in Daniel Girardi, I thought it sounded great. They could sign the bought-out righty D man for about $1 million or so to replace Sustr. Then, soon after, Sustr was re-signed. I like Girardi. I covered the Hartford Wolf Pack a little when he broke in. I just don’t like him at $3 million per for two years. You wonder how many teams in the league were offering anywhere near that much, but there are some defense-starved organizations in the league. I have to ask, though, when has the signing of a discarded, bought-out player for more than $1 million or so ever worked out?

The Bolts have depth up front, but I will need to find a few short-term fixes to allow the young players to develop in my model. The big swing could have been to take a chance at catching Lightning in a bottle with Nial Yakupov or convincing Vegas to trade Jonathan Marchessault back to the Bay, but I’m fine with Chris Kunitz for one year. I’m not wild about him because he seems to be declining after scoring just nine goals last season and two in the playoffs, but if Drouin is there (at six years, $5.5 million or a little more) he may work as a heady left wing with Steven Stamkos and the former Halifax Moosehead. With Namestnikov and Johnson gone, I need someone to fill the hole as third-line center and it is an obvious choice - Brian Boyle. New Jersey did not have to go three years to sign Boyle to a reasonable $2.75 million deal and that fits for me. Boyle loved it here and I’d find it hard to believe if he wouldn’t have come back for slightly less than what Ray Shero offered. It’s interesting that Boyle was one of the main supporters of Drouin, isn't it?

Yzerman seems to have an affinity for Namestnikov, who has had chance after chance. Vladdy is not without talent and he flashes it brightly at times, but anyone who watched him last season would be lying if they did not see a drop off in his play when he scored 12 goals fewer than Panik (22) and struggled defensively. You can argue that coach Jon Cooper moved him around too much, but his effort was lacking many nights. The same with Johnson, who was great some games and invisible a lot of others. Matt Carle may end up being Yzerman’s worst contract - although it would be hard to be against it at the time - but giving Johnson a seven-year deal with what he has done the last two injury-prone seasons (33 goals combined) baffles me. Johnson is a talented player. No doubt. I just don’t think he is a long-term answer. The argument that the structure of his contract makes Johnny tradeable after four years or something is laughable at best. Ondrej Palat does more and you can project he is going to be just as valuable five years (or seven) down the road. That was a good contract.

With Kunitz, Boyle and perhaps Erne if he survives the trades, you have some flexibility up front in my model. You have also allowed room for future center candidates Anthony Cirelli and Brett Howden to develop and then jump in for Boyle in a year or two. If Boyle’s cranky back acts up you have Yanni Gourde, Cedric Paquette, Matt Peca and others to sub in the short term and if a third-line center is needed for the playoffs there will be cap room available. I originally thought about a four-year, $16.4 million contract for third-line center Nick Bonino, but you wouldn't want to block top-notch prospects like Cirelli and Howden.

Here would be my lines to start the season: Kunitz-Stamkos-Drouin, Palat-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn-Boyle-Ryan Callahan, Gourde-Paquette-J.T. Brown. You could also put Gourde at center and move Boyle to the wing or the fourth line at times. Erne or another reasonably-priced free agent could push for time or sub for Callahan, if he does not come back 100 percent.

Ultimately, I would have chosen Drouin over Johnson and subbed Gourde into Namestnikov's No. 1 swing role, then added veteran leadership like Kunitz and Boyle. I am going for a quicker fix on defense with Dumba (or Vatanen, Tanev) over Sergachev, which is a slight risk. I might also be losing a prime prospect like Joseph or Stephens, but you have to give up something good to improve now.

The debate on my model is how much would be needed for the new contracts of Dumba in 2018-19 and Kucherov, along with Point, in 19-20. But Kunitz perhaps moves out after next season in favor of a younger, cheaper player while Coburn and Boyle are out after two years with Callahan moving toward the end or a possible buyout. Things change, you adjust. You would have Stamkos, Hedman, Drouin and Palat, along with Killorn, wrapped up long term as your core. Killorn deserves another column, because I think fans and talk-show hosts have been very unfair to him for a few disappointing months to end his career-high season (19 goals) in 2016-17.

I could be totally wrong. In some ways, I hope I am. Sergachev could become a superstar quickly and make everyone forget how good and entertaining Drouin is. But, until then, we can debate whether my roster is better than the one the Lightning will start 2017-18 with.

Let’s discuss. Let’s disagree, respectfully. Let’s talk pucks all summer. Please, though, let’s not always just drink the Kool-Aid. 

The Case for Drouin II

By Mark Pukalo

Those who traveled to Brandon Ice Sports Forum for the first practice of training camp in 2015 may have thought they were finally witnessing the true start of the Jonathan Drouin era with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There was the former Halifax Moosehead and third-overall pick in the 2013 draft skating on the left side of captain Steven Stamkos with veteran banger Ryan Callahan on the right in the opening drills.

Little did we know, less than two years later despite a strong 2015-16 postseason performance and a solid 2016-17 campaign (21 goals, 53 points) filled with highlight-reel plays, he would be traded to Atlantic Division-rival Montreal. The road to that result was filled with drama.

Drouin was the only one of the top six picks in 2013 to be sent back to juniors. It was different, but the decision had merit with the Lightning's situation at the time.

His rookie year in the NHL showed some promise as he was near the top of the league in assists per minute while mostly playing on the fourth line and getting very little power-play time. However, that season ended with him sitting out all but six playoff games. He was even demoted to the black aces at one point with other unproven and unproductive players put ahead of him. The easy question after that campaign was why didn’t he play more during the regular season when the Bolts were rolling toward the playoffs - especially on the power play - to prepare him for a more prominent postseason role?

But all that seemed to be part of the past as he began the 2015-16 season on one of the top two lines and posted six points in the first five games with Stamkos and Callahan - also seemingly screwed out of an assist in Buffalo when his strong forecheck helped set up a tally for the trio. At some point after that fast start, coach Jon Cooper seemed to lose interest in the development of the trio after a few somewhat unproductive games. It wasn’t strange for Cooper, who changes lines like socks.

From there, Drouin could never find a prominent place in the top-six consistently for Cooper. He was injured, came back and had two brilliant games in Anaheim and Los Angeles, then was hurt again. When he came back he played sparingly against the New York Rangers and the decision was made to send him down to the minors to get some playing time. It seemed logical at the time - go down and play a few games to get back up to speed after the injuries. But it wasn’t really stated that way. The Lightning had a glut of healthy forwards and there was no telling when he would return. He had seemingly lost his spot for no good reason.

There wasn’t a place for a player who started the season with six points (should have been seven) in five games?

Every other player picked in the top six of the 2013 draft was placed in the lineup immediately, allowed to learn from their mistakes and grow with minutes, except for Drouin. Nathan MacKinnon (1), Sasha Barkov (2), Seth Jones (4), Elias Lindholm (5), Sean Monahan (6) all had things to learn and they progressed. Only Lindholm is not All-Star caliber now, but he has slowly improved.

This was a special talent. The team needed Drouin. They needed him to push forward his development and help a failing power play. They needed him in Tampa Bay after a few practice games.

Then, all hell broke loose. Drouin decided to make his trade request public and, after a deal did not happen quickly, he left Syracuse. He made a very poor decision. He was 20. My bet is he was getting really bad advice and he went with it. Perhaps those convincing him to walk away wanted him to out of Tampa Bay and closer to home. Funny how that eventually happened.

Drouin has no excuses for leaving the team. I said so at the time. I say so now. But he came back before the end of the season and seemed to mend fences. Drouin was outstanding in the 2015-16 playoffs, on both ends of the ice. He was hitting, playing gritty defense, making simple plays when needed and putting up points (14 in 17 games) while igniting the power play.

Surely, this would be the start of the Drouin era in Tampa. All seemed forgiven from the fans as the 2016-17 season began. Drouin sweaters were everywhere. But there were times during the first half of last season when he still didn’t get consistent playing time with top players. You wondered at the time if he would have even played much with Stamkos if the captain wasn’t injured. While the trio of Drouin, Brian Boyle and Val Filppula had a little success for a period of time, it was basically a third line. Drouin even played on a pseudo third line with Cedric Paquette and Joel Vermin for a few games and set up a pair of goals in St. Louis.

Was Drouin perfect? Absolutely not. He was 21 until late March. He is still developing, learning. There needed to be more production at even strength and Drouin was inconsistent other than a red-hot stretch in the middle of the season. Cooper never seemed to have faith in him, though. His playing time went up when the Lightning were behind in the third period. That raised his average time on ice, especially when the team was struggling. There was also the game against Boston when the Filppula-Boyle-Drouin line was benched for the start of the third period after they were on the ice for a late goal by the Bruins in the second. But defensemen Jason Garrison and Andrej Sustr were mostly at fault.

We should have known at the time. Drouin was not part of the team’s future. He was traded for a prospect about three months later.

I can understand part of it. GM Steve Yzerman is a hockey lifer. He is mostly a traditionalist. His style is to stay out of things - let the coaches coach and players play - with communication at a minimum with the athletes. He played under Scotty Bowman and won two Cups that way.

Yzerman had to be thinking after the season, how can I give a player that deserted his team for two months $5-6 million per year long term? What would it look like if I did? I just gave Nikita Kucherov three years and $4.7 million per. I have to sign Drouin to a bridge deal just under that or trade him.

Cooper wasn’t going to change his mind. Drouin is not his kind of player. He didn’t coach him in the minors. He isn’t a gritty grinder. Drouin is all about creativity. You have to accept a few risky passes that go array per game to get all the good stuff he can provide.

Whether it was Yzerman’s style or the coaching staff putting him over the edge, it appears the decision was that Drouin was the one to be dealt. He was ultimately never forgiven for his youthful mistake.

No doubt, Drouin could bring in the best prize in the trade market. But I believe it was more than that.

I have been around hockey locker rooms long enough to understand players. Drouin was not disliked in the room. No way. He is confident. He plays with a swagger. You can even call him cocky. But don’t you want that in your best players?

Drouin was never going to win a Selke. But his defensive prowess had nothing to do with his minus-13 last season and my head explodes when people say on the radio that he wasn’t responsible defensively. Watch the 2015-16 playoffs again. The plus/minus statistic can be deceiving at times. Most of his total last season was a minus-7 in January when the whole team stunk.

All of this contributed to a bad decision, in my opinion. It had nothing to do with the cap. I could think of two players - if discarded - that could provide almost $4 million of additional cap room right now. The Lightning have plenty of space to take him at $5.5 for six years - what he signed for in Montreal after the trade. Perhaps he would have asked for more in Tampa? Who knows? But if $33-36 mil was waved in his face by Yzerman, I doubt Drouin would have turned it down.

It could have worked here. I can’t imagine Kucherov being upset for making a little less for a few years to get 20-25 nifty saucer passes from Drouin on the power play.

But I just don’t think Cooper wanted it to work and Yzerman’s plan probably wouldn’t allow a six-year deal for him.

I find it hard to believe that the Lightning could not have improved the defense by trading Tyler Johnson or a first-round pick or by putting together a creative package with prospects.

Drouin is a special talent. He is a future All-Star if he keeps his head on straight. He can be a top-10 scorer in the league. In my opinion, you don’t trade players with that type of potential when they are 22 for a maybe. This has nothing to do with Mikhail Sergachev. He’ll probably turn out to be a nice player. But we don’t know for sure. We know how good Drouin is. We saw a glimpse this season and you can only imagine what he could have been with Stamkos and Callahan in the lineup. But we never got to see that on a consistent basis, even when they were all healthy.

Cooper has done a lot of good things since he came to the Lightning organization. Yzerman has done just about everything right since taking over the Lightning. But the decisions made in the development of Drouin led to a poor outcome, something that could have been avoided.

Yzerman may pick up the pieces and turn the Lightning back into a Cup contender. He’s that good. But it is hard to lose a player that creates goals like Drouin. Whether he becomes a superstar is up to him, and fate.

It could have been done another way. Drouin could have fit into the plan. They should have made it work.

Don't Trade Drouin - Vegas Projection

By Mark Pukalo

Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman were signed long term. Important ground work was also completed before the last trade deadline. Now, the heavy lifting will be done to remodel the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The next month will be an interesting period for the NHL with the expansion draft, and Bolts fans should be in for a roller coaster ride of emotions. The way GM Steve Yzerman plugs all the leaks with the media, we never seem to know what he is going to do next. That often leads to wild rumors and speculation, which adds fear to the equation.

Still, Yzerman has yet to make a major mistake in his tenure that will hurt the team long term. He often pulls rabbits out of top hats with skill and a little luck. He has earned the fans’ confidence.

At the last trade deadline, Yzerman waved his lightsaber and Valtteri Filppula’s $5 million cap hit was gone to Philadelphia. He also received a big right-handed defense prospect (Erik Cernak) and a second-round pick by trading a pair of unrestricted free agents.

The next month to six weeks may offer the most difficult decisions for the Hall of Famer, though. Despite the fact the Lightning did not make the playoffs last season, there’s not an expert that doesn’t think they are close to being a Cup contender in 2017-18. The final pieces to the puzzle could come in the next few months, but at what cost?

Yzerman has always found a way. But there is one major mistake he could make this time around and a few other decisions that may create issues.

While there are many minor things that he can do to remake the roster, the two key issues are finding a top-three defenseman to add to the mix with the duo of Hedman and Anton Stralman, and deciding what to do up the middle behind Stamkos.

Yzerman must decide whether to go all in on getting a top-notch defenseman or acquire a young emerging player - someone like Brandon Montour from Anaheim - that may come a little cheaper. I have no doubt the Lightning brass has looked at every angle to what it would take to get Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg or Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles or Matthew Dumba from Minnesota, and even Sami Vatanen from Anaheim - despite his injury.

The Bolts have a strong corps of prospects and extra draft choices to deal. They also have a few young productive players like Tyler Johnson that can be moved.

The one thing they should not do? Trade Jonathan Drouin.

You just don't deal someone with special talent at this age. You are really tempting fate if you do.

There’s plenty of rumors out there that have the Lightning dealing Drouin to various teams for defense help. Normally, it doesn’t faze you because most of it is just uninformed speculation. But when Bob McKenzie reports the possibility, it has more credence. The only hope for Drouin fans is that 95 percent of the interest is coming from teams asking about him rather than the Lightning offering the talented wing around.

Even if the Lightning must shell out $5.5-6 million per for six years to keep Drouin, that may be a steal in a few seasons when he’s putting up 80 points.

Meanwhile, the most volatile issue for the Lightning faithful is who to protect before the expansion draft. For some reason, Alex Killorn has become a whipping boy for many Bolts fans after a rough second half in 2016-17.

Yzerman signed the power forward to a seven-year deal last offseason and Killorn went out and put up career highs of 19 goals, 176 shots, four power-play tallies and 10 power-play points in 2016-17. Sure, he takes the odd bad penalty. Sure, his second half was disappointing after a very fast start. But it seems very strange to me that fans have turned on him so quickly.

I’m willing to give Nikita Kucherov the benefit of the doubt that he was frustrated and did not expect his comments to find their way to Tampa Bay from Russia a few months ago. It appears he was questioning Killorn’s work ethic and I find that ridiculous. I’ve watched Killorn since he was in high school and one thing that has never crossed my mind is that he doesn’t work hard enough. My thought is that Kucherov wasn’t happy with who coach Jon Cooper put him with at times and took it out on Killorn because the left wing didn’t capitalize on a few of his passes. The one thing about Kucherov is that sometimes he overpasses and surprises players who are heading to the net for a possible rebound. Once he started to shoot more, the Russian sniper was outstanding last season. Kucherov and Killorn may just not work as linemates. That’s fine. But Kooch was out of line. Killorn is needed.

The argument that many are making is to keep Vladislav Namestnikov and expose Killorn to Vegas in the expansion draft, perhaps ridding the team of his $4.45 million cap hit for the next six seasons.

I’ve been hard on Namestnikov. Maybe too hard. But I’m not the only one who has been disappointed in his progress - especially last season. Vladdy produced when he was put with Stamkos and Kucherov for a few games, but then often cooled off and was dropped. There’s no doubt he has some offensive skills and can make a play, but I was most disappointed in his defensive intensity, consistency and the ability to accept passes cleanly. There were too many games when he was just invisible.

I’m not against Namestnikov getting the first chance to be a third-line center behind Stamkos and Brayden Point - if Johnson is dealt for defense help and Vegas decides to pass on him - but protecting the former London Knight and possibly losing a glue player like Killorn would be a mistake in my opinion. While I like Adam Erne more than some, I’m not sure he can immediately fill Killorn’s role as well. There are also potential third-line center candidates on the way in Brett Howden and Anthony Cirelli. If I were GM, I’d try to find a veteran third-line center with size to fill the gap for now and deal Namestnikov or let him go to Nevada.

It will be interesting to see what Yzerman comes up with. You can expect at least one major move. Trouba or Dumba would be solid additions. Vancouver’s Chris Tanev and Montour could work as well. Muzzin, although he is a lefty, is also interesting. More than likely, Yzerman will surprise us - and not overpay.

Ready or not, changes will come. Let’s just hope No. 27 is not one of them.

Vegas Baby

The more and more you hear out of Vegas, GM George McPhee will likely make many choices in the expansion draft to use in deals afterward. The Golden Knights are open for business and have probably gotten inquiries from all 30 teams.

Much will happen before the protected list is out, but here are my most recent projections from the Capfriendly.com expansion draft tool.

Forwards – Vladislav Namestnikov (Tampa Bay), Hunter Shinkaruk (Calgary), Phillip Di Giuseppe (Carolina), Lukas Sedlak (Columbus), Andreas Athanasiou (Detroit), Andrew Copp (Winnipeg), Trevor Lewis (Los Angeles), Jacob de la Rose (Montreal), Colton Sissons (Nashville), Devante Smith-Pelley (New Jersey), Michael Grabner (NY Rangers), Alan Quine (NY Islanders), Joel Ward (San Jose), Jori Lehtera (St. Louis), Kerby Rychel (Toronto).

Defensemen – Josh Manson (Anaheim), Adam McQuaid (Boston), Trevor van Riemsdyk (Chicago), Mark Barberio (Colorado), Jamie Oleksiak (Dallas), Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton), Alex Petrovic (Florida), Jonas Brodin (Minnesota), Fredrik Claesson (Ottawa), Ian Cole (Pittsburgh), Alex Biega (Vancouver).

Goalies – Philipp Grubauer (Washington), Linus Ullmark (Buffalo), Louis Domingue (Arizona), Michal Neuvirth (Philadelphia).