The Lightning Learned Their Lessons Well

 

By Mark Pukalo

Most of the players grew together for many years. They suffered together. They learned together through the pain. Oh, how they learned. 

Now, they can celebrate together.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the Stanley Cup champions. We could have said that in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. They came up short, sometimes in the most gut-wrenching ways. But somehow in this year of gloom, doom and anger, it seemed right that the Bolts would give the bay area something to feel good about.

It is amazing how perfectly the obstacles were laid out in front of them this summer after more than four months away from the ice due to the coronavirus pandemic. This special group used all the lessons it endured through the failures and found a way to break down the wall.

The 2018-19 Lightning tied the NHL record for wins in a regular season (62) before being swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets and John Tortorella - the coach that brought Tampa Bay its other Cup in 2004. It seemed fitting that the Bolts would face the Jackets and Torts in the first round this time around and push them aside in five games.

If Tampa Bay was going to win a Cup, you knew it was going to have to go through the Boston Bruins at some point. The Bolts did that - just like in 2018 - after losing the first game of the series.

Next up was the New York Islanders, a scrappy defensive team with enough offensive talent to drive you nuts, but this was a coaches’ challenge. Barry Trotz bested Lightning coach Jon Cooper and led the Washington Capitals to the Cup in 2018, and he stood at the door of the finals again. This time, Cooper’s team pushed through the small crack Trotz left.

Of course, the final hurdle would be Dallas. Rick Bowness was Cooper’s associate coach during much of this team’s run from 2013-18 and was let go by then-GM Steve Yzerman when the Jedi felt the defense the veteran ran was just not good enough. Just over two years later, the Bolts blanked Bowness’ team 2-0 to finish their journey to the championship.

There were so many highlights along the way. Brayden Point’s winning goal in the first game of the playoffs during the fifth overtime and Hall of Fame broadcaster Rick Peckham’s last call being Point’s series clincher in the extra session. Victor Hedman’s series against the Bruins when he had four goals, two assists, a plus-7 and ended it all with a double-overtime winner. Nikita Kucherov’s winning goal in the final seconds of Game 2 in the Eastern finals off a heat-seeking pass by Ryan McDonagh that induced the king of all fist pumps from Cooper on the bench. Anthony Cirelli’s delayed reaction to the series clincher against the Islanders. Injured captain Steven Stamkos scoring a signature goal in his only 2:47 of the playoffs in Game 3 of the finals. Andrei Vasilevskiy making an amazing kick save on his back in Game 6 of the finals after the whistle, even though it would not have counted. Nothing was getting by him this night. Mikhail Sergachev’s celebrations. The series of blocks made in the final seconds of the Cup-clinching game, players sprawling all over the ice to get Vasy the shutout.

And don’t give me the crap that winning this title was easier. In my opinion, it was harder. There were no home games, they were away from family for months, they played back-to-back days several times. This was a grind.

“I am in awe of what our guys accomplished,” Bolts GM Julien Brisebois told reporters. “I am in awe of how deep they had to dig, physically and mentally, to bring the Cup back to Tampa.”

There were so many more great moments. Every player did their part. They all had a role and did their jobs well.

Hedman - The Conn Smythe winner was a beast throughout the playoffs, scoring 10 goals to put his name with Hall of Famers Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey in the record books among scoring defensemen.

Stamkos - The injury did not stop him from being a leader throughout and scoring an inspiring goal.

Kucherov - Led the way in the playoffs with 34 points, but most of all showed the discipline and toughness needed of a star in the biggest games.

Point - Led the playoffs in goals with 14 and three of them were game winners. No team could contain him. What a third-round pick.

Ondrej Palat - Was a perfect compliment to Kucherov and Point on the top line, scoring 11 goals and playing his Selke-worthy defense.

Cirelli - Got off to a slow start in the playoffs, but was better and better as the road got tougher.

Alex Killorn - Was a monster on the wall at times and his penalty killing with Cirelli, primarily, was elite.

Tyler Johnson - Perhaps the weak link through the playoffs with just two goals after the preliminary games, but to his credit he was probably at his best in the finals.

Barclay Goodrow - Blood and guts through the whole postseason, winning faceoffs, killing penalties, winning board battles, making big hits and annoying opponents.

Blake Coleman - Zero goals in his first 16 games with the club, but five in the last 18 and some fantastic minutes on both sides of the ice.

Yanni Gourde - Followed a so-so regular season with a standout 22 playoff games, scoring seven goals with seven assists and a plus-12 at center. Some of his shifts were epic.

Pat Maroon - The big rig is “back-to-back.” Made some key plays along the road and his experience was very valuable.

Cedric Paquette - Avoided bad penalties for the most part, hit everything that moved and basically did his job. His setup of Coleman’s insurance goal in Game 6 of the finals was brilliant.

Carter Verhaeghe - Had some good shifts and did not look out of place when he was in there.

Mitchell Stephens - Gave the Lightning what they needed when he played. Had six shots in the five-overtime game.

Alexander Volkov - A calm, solid, mistake-free 9:34 in the Cup-clinching game.

Mathieu Joseph - Did not play, but it was good for him to be there and take in the experience. The hair was awesome, too. 

McDonagh - Not many points, but he was a force all over the ice and made very few mistakes while playing big minutes against the most talented forwards.

Sergachev - Sometimes he makes you pull your hair out, but man does he make a lot of great plays. 

Kevin Shattenkirk - His experience and calm was very important on the back end while his production (three goals, 13 points, plus-8) was outstanding. Class guy off the ice, too.

Eric Cernak - Was minus-4 the first seven games of the playoffs and plus-6 the last 15 - plus-4 in the final three. Did his job.

Zach Bogosian - Proved to be a great acquisition, playing some solid minutes throughout - including Game 6 of the finals.

Jan Rutta - Surprise insertion into the lineup during the finals and he played well the first two of four games - both wins.

Luke Schenn - Made his presence felt on defense in 11 playoff games and finished with a plus-3 overall.

Braydon Coburn - When he was called upon, the veteran played three very good games.

Vasilevskiy - Gave up two or fewer goals in 16 of 25 games in the bubble and more than three only three times with a 1.90 goals-against average overall. He was 7-0 after a loss.

Curtis McElhinney - Did not play, but helped the Lightning get there.

Then, there is Cooper. I have been critical of him over the last 6-7 years for many of the moves he has made, not made and how he seemed to play favorites. He gets full credit this postseason. He had his team ready to play every night and never lost two in a row. Coop pushed all the right buttons. Whether it was him or his assistants, whoever came up with playing Gourde between Coleman and Goodrow might have had the best idea of the postseason. I wondered why he went with Schenn and seven defensemen at one point. Cooper ended up being right. I didn’t agree with Rutta going in. He played fine. When Rutta seemed to be fading, Cooper went back to Bogosian. It was the right move. I did not understand Volkov in the clinching game. The Russian played just fine.

I am so happy I was wrong about Cooper. He can win 16 NHL playoff games in a season. Now we know for sure.

I did not have a problem with Brisebois spending two first-round picks to bring in Coleman and Goodrow. They were perfect players to add, giving the Bolts more grit. The only worry I had was including young forward Nolan Foote in the Coleman deal, which I thought was excessive. But, man, well worth it now. I did not agree with the signing of Bogosian, mainly because he had rarely been healthy. I was wrong. Bogo was an important piece. JB did a wonderful job.

Hey, I’m not always wrong. But I sure love being wrong when it means we can celebrate a Stanley Cup.

I came to live in Tampa in November of 2008. Stamkos was just getting his feet wet in the NHL. While I was driving through South Carolina with a full car, I heard Barry Melrose was fired. 

Thankfully, I was brought into the Lightning family as a writer for the website and the team welcomed the top three picks of the 2009 draft to meet the media. John Tavares was a very serious, driven mature guy for sure. Hedman just seemed at home with everything that was going on, the type of personality you’d want to build around - calm and likable. Duchene had some personality, but seemed less mature and driven as the other two. I remember being thrilled that Hedman was the pick at No. 2 for the Bolts.

Stamkos and Hedman. Two big cornerstones added in two years. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing with injuries and some tough years, but the character of these two men shined through for the last decade. It was fitting and wonderful to see Stamkos hand the Cup to Hedman on a magical September 28 night. Two good people, two of my favorites in 35 years as a sportswriter, are now two Stanley Cup champions. 

The stars were stars in this Cup run. That was needed. But the team as a whole stood tall.

As Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero said and many in the Lightning organization repeated in 2004: “Win today and we walk together forever.” 

This team endured a lot over the last six years, but yes, now this special group can walk together forever.

What’s Next

The job was made a little easier when you win a Cup, but Brisebois has a lot of work to do this month to get the Lightning under the salary cap whenever the 2021 season begins.

With Sergachev, Cirelli and Cernak due new contracts and big raises, some difficult decisions and conversations are on the horizon. 

If the top three get what is expected, the Lightning will need to shave somewhere between $6-10 million off the cap. Joseph, Verhaeghe, Volkov and Stephens are also restricted free agents. Shattenkirk, Bogosian, Rutta, Schenn and Maroon are all unrestricted FAs.

Can you trade or buy out Johnson? Do you deal glue-guy Killorn, whose no-trade is now modified? Is there a chance you move Cirelli (not that you want to at all) and bring back a huge package? Paquette could also be dealt and it will be hard to bring back Maroon and Shattenkirk.

The Lightning have some kids knocking on the door like Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, Ross Colton and Alex Barre Boulet. Verhaeghe, Stephens, Volkov and Joseph can also contribute more.

It will be interesting to see what happens. But whether it was Yzerman or now Brisebois, the Lightning always get it done in the GM office. Director of Scouting Al Murray, who deserves a ton of credit for his work over the years in the draft including Kucherov (second round), Cirelli and Point (third), Palat (seventh), will keep adding character and talent to the organization. That's a given.

 Two in a row. Why not?

One More Mountain to Climb for the Lightning

 

By Mark Pukalo

After three grueling series that included six overtime games, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Four more wins and the Bolts can celebrate a second Stanley Cup title in their history, but they face another difficult obstacle in a Dallas Stars team that is finally realizing its potential.

The Lightning has reached this point by scoring clutch goals, limiting turnovers, playing solid defense at key times, getting big performances from their three healthy superstar skaters and fantastic goaltending to beat the Blue Jackets, Bruins and Islanders.

They will require more of the same to finish the job and may need another superstar to make an appearance and give a boost to their inconsistent power play.

Perhaps the most important issue for Tampa Bay as they embark on the journey in the finals Saturday is health. Brayden Point is playing at less than 100 percent, Nikita Kucherov is banged up and captain Steven Stamkos has yet to play in the postseason, but he has been skating. Heck, probably everyone in the lineup is playing hurt.

The Bolts have to fight through it as they did in the first three rounds and make plays, keep their structure defensively and allow Andrei Vasilevskiy to work his magic between the pipes.

Dallas, like the Lightning, loves to get their defensemen involved in the offense and that will be a key. In my opinion, Tampa Bay’s defenseman Victor Hedman is the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy with nine goals and a league-best plus-19, but if the Stars win you could make a case for 21-year-old D man Miro Heiskanen (22 points, 21 games) to take the trophy. One of the keys to the series will be how each defense deals with the aggressive rearguards.

Dallas, coached by former Tampa Bay assistant Rick Bowness, will need No. 2 goaltender Anton Khudobin (.920 save percentage playoffs) to continue his standout postseason. Vasilevskiy (.930 SP postseason) knocked out one fellow Russian netminder in Semyon Varlamov last series against the Islanders and now faces another countryman on a roll. If the Lightning get to Khudobin, will former Bolt Ben Bishop be healthy enough to spell him?

The Stars have plenty dangerous offensive performers in captain Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov and playoff ace Joe Pavelski. Once again, it is important the Lightning get some secondary offense from guys like Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli. 

The games between these two teams the last few years have been offensive shows, but that will likely change in the heat of the Stanley Cup finals. It will come down to limiting quality chances and that again falls on the Lightning defense corps.

The Bolts held the Islanders to two or fewer goals in five of six games, along with the final three contests against the offensively-gifted Bruins. Hedman and Ryan McDonagh can’t do it all. The other four or five defensemen must continue to step up.

Eric Cernak had his best series against the Islanders. Zach Bogosian has made very few mistakes. Kevin Shattenkirk whiffed on that shot in overtime versus the Isles to lose Game 5, but has been very good overall. Mikhail Sergachev drives you nuts at times, but he also makes plays. Luke Schenn has been surprisingly solid as No. 7, except for his struggles in Game 3 versus the Islanders.

The question that may have to be answered is what happens if Stamkos is ready to play? Go back to 12/6, sit Tyler Johnson, or something else? Jon Cooper has pressed the right buttons most of the playoffs so far. But his toughest job may be over the next week with the injuries he has in the locker room. Can he finally shut his critics up?

The Cup is now sitting right in front of the Lightning. It is time to reach out and grab it and wash away all the pain of the previous five years.

Four more solid efforts in their defensive zone, intelligent play in the neutral zone, and some timely goals can bring the Cup back to the beach before the end of the month.

Lightning Defense Must Shine Again

 

      By Mark Pukalo

      Eight tough wins down, eight more to go.

      The Tampa Bay Lightning have navigated two major hurdles, sending pesky Columbus home in the first round and winning four in a row to eject the big bad Boston Bruins from the Toronto bubble.

      Still, the road to the promised land is far from paved for the Bolts. Two years ago in this position they seemed like they were ready to add a second Stanley Cup and lost their momentum after beating the Bruins - getting outplayed throughout by Washington to end their dream.

      The challenge now is to stay focused and ramp up their level of play to take on a team that has probably performed better than anyone else in the postseason. The New York Islanders were outstanding in the Toronto bubble and will travel to Edmonton to meet the Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals. Standing at the door again is future Hall of Fame coach Barry Trotz, whose Capitals shut out Tampa Bay for almost the final eight periods of the series two years ago.

      Bolts coach Jon Cooper washed away the stench of last year’s first-round loss against John Tortorella and Columbus in the opening round, beat the Bruins for the second time in three seasons and now he’ll try to continue to silence his critics. It’s Cooper vs. Trotz II.

     Listen, the players ultimately decide the game. How they execute is the difference 90 percent of the time or more. But Cooper has another big chance to get the Bolts over the top. Is it his time? Or will Trotz have more answers like he seemed to have in 2018.

     Cooper has pushed the right buttons so far. He won't have injured captain Steven Stamkos again, but the Lightning are still talented enough to get the job done like they did against the Bruins.

      The Islanders can clog up the ice with their system defensively much like Columbus, but they are more mobile and have a few more dangerous offensive players than the Blue Jackets. New York’s top line of Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and the irrepressible Mathew Barzal will pose just as much of a challenge as the Bruins’ top unit. Cooper must decide whether to use Anthony Cirelli’s line or Yanni Gourde’s threesome against them. Both must play well and Tampa Bay will need better from Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn with Cirelli.

     Each team has received secondary scoring and that may be key to the series. Brayden Point and a healthy Nikita Kucherov have led the way for the Bolts, but everyone has to contribute without Stamkos available. 

      I think Tampa Bay can get at New York’s defense and goaltending just like it did against Boston, when the Lightning generated 169 shots in five games. The Bolts should have an advantage in goal, even though Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss have stood up so far. The key will be how well the Lightning defense continues to play. Victor Hedman has been a monster and Tampa Bay's best player while fellow defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian have stepped up big time. That group of six or seven rearguards cannot let down. They must disrupt the Islanders, not allowing Barzal and others to cruise around the zone looking to create openings. 

     The Bolts were outstanding defensively against Boston two years ago, then let the Capitals dominate the puck and wear them down before winning Game 7 at Amalie Arena. 

      To me, that’s the key to this series. Florida, Washington and Philadelphia could not handle the Islanders offense in the long run. The Lightning must limit the bad turnovers leading to transition and get the puck out of their zone cleanly. Simple as that.

      Yes, Andrei Vasilevskiy could win the series by himself. But the Bolts must give him a chance to shine.

      Tampa Bay needed to do several things to beat Boston and the Lightning checked off all the boxes. Here’s a look at what we talked about before that series.

     * Keep the Bruins power play off the ice as much as possible, but the Lightning must be very good on the penalty kill when needed. Mostly check. Boston had five power-play goals and the Bolts generated four. That’s pretty good. The Bruins did have 17 opportunities in five contests, which was a bit too much.

     * Limit blind passes, hope passes, drop passes moving forward with the puck. Mostly check. There probably was a bit too much of this during certain stretches, but they recovered well and Vasilevskiy was outstanding.

     * Keep the Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak line contained. Check. The perfection line had its points, but they did not dominate and the Bolts top line was just as productive.

     * Get goals from secondary offensive threats. Check. Palat scored five times, Blake Coleman made big plays and Cirelli was better as the series went on.

     * Pat Maroon, Cedric Paquette and the feisty third line of Coleman-Gourde-Barclay Goodrow must get under the skin of the Bruins without taking extra penalties, and keep their over-rated defense working hard to get the puck out. Check. They did annoy the heck out of the Boston defense, giving the Bolts extra time with the frozen biscuit.

     * Vasilevskiy must shut the door on the Bruins at key times and show once again he is the best goalie on the planet. The Bolts should have an advantage in net against Jaroslav Halak and it must be noticed. Major check. The Big Cat dominated, stopping 147 of 157, and many of the 10 he gave up were unstoppable.

     * Improved power play. Check. Getting three in Game 3 was a dagger after Kucherov moved to the left circle. Great adjustment there by the coaching staff. They also had more pressure with the man advantage as the series went on.

     * The Lightning just can’t give the Bruins goals. Nothing can come easy. They must earn them. Mostly check. Those lazy plays by Tyler Johnson and Mikhail Sergachev could have cost them games, but for the most part the Bolts avoided the huge mistake - especially in the two overtime wins.

Lightning Needs Their Best to Move On

By Mark Pukalo

Two things became clear after the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of this unique postseason.

The Lightning may just be a team that is built for and better prepared for playoff hockey than the group that produced a historic regular season in 2018-19.

Secondly, the Bolts will have to play much better than they did against Columbus if they want to make it to the third round.

Yes, Tampa Bay disposed of John Tortorella’s pesky Jackets in five games but all four of the wins were knee-knocking one-goal triumphs - two in overtime. The positive from that is how sharp the Lightning were when they needed it the most. 

They were focused and steady with their structure in the marathon Game 1 before breaking through. The Bolts were awful after taking a 2-0 lead in Game 5 and lucky to tie it at the end of regulation, but they dominated from the start in overtime and seized the win.

Tampa Bay will have to be sharper for longer periods as they prepare to face the Big Bad Boston Bruins for the first game of a best-of-seven series. There can be few mental breakdowns. One thing that the much-hated Bears have always done best is capitalize on mistakes and get the most out of their opportunities.

The Bolts will need more secondary production as they move on and injured captain Steven Stamkos does not seem ready to go, so the power play must start to produce without a key weapon. The irrepressible Brayden Point has 10 points in bubble and Nikita Kucherov nine, but the next highest scorers have just four in eight games. 

It’s as simple as this, the Lightning must execute much of the game plan they used against Boston in the second round of the 2017-18 playoffs. They dominated 5-on-5, limited mistakes, received solid goaltending and made key plays at key times. I’ve never seen a Tampa Bay team play better in its own zone in the final four games of that series. Ryan McDonagh has never been better in a Bolts sweater.

Here’s what needs to happen - outside of referee Eric Furlatt not being assigned to the series - to beat the Bears.

* Keep the Bruins power play off the ice as much as possible, but the Lightning must be very good on the penalty kill when needed.

* Limit blind passes, hope passes, drop passes moving forward with the puck. When Boston turns you over in the middle of the ice it often ends up with an old-man rush and a goal. I can’t remember Brad Marchand not scoring on a breakaway or 2-on-1 chance. Can you?

* Keep the Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak line contained. Easier said than done, but Tampa Bay has had plenty of success against the Bruins the past few years (11 wins last 13 meetings overall).

* Get goals from secondary offensive threats. Anthony Cirelli was not very good against Columbus and, although he played well all over the ice, Ondrej Palat is without a goal in eight games. Tampa Bay can get more from Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson as well.

* Pat Maroon, Cedric Paquette and the feisty third line of Blake Coleman-Yanni Gourde-Barclay Goodrow must get under the skin of the Bruins without taking extra penalties, and keep their over-rated defense working hard to get the puck out.

* Andrei Vasilevskiy must shut the door on the Bruins at key times and show once again he is the best goalie on the planet. The Bolts should have an advantage in net against Jaroslav Halak and it must be noticed.

* Improved power play. The Lightning might not get many, but it would help if they rebounded from a sluggish 0-for-10 performance with the extra man against Columbus.

It’s not brain surgery. The Lightning just can’t give the Bruins goals. Nothing can come easy. They must earn them. You can be dominating the Bears with a 1-0 or 2-1 lead and a few unforced errors later you are trailing by a pair of goals.

Honestly, even with Stamkos out, if you take the top line of each team away I think the Lightning has a better roster. But that doesn’t really matter. You always have to outplay the Bruins to send them home.

This might end up being the toughest test for Tampa Bay on the way to a potential Stanley Cup. The Bolts must play like it, coach like it and do all the little things to get the job done.

Lightning Look to Turn the Tables

By Mark Pukalo

Here we go, again.

The Tampa Bay Lightning probably would not have faced Columbus in the playoffs if this was a normal year. But 2020 has been one strange trip. Midway through August, the Bolts will get a chance to erase some of the pain from a four-game embarrassment at the hands of the Blue Jackets last spring.

The word “sweep” won’t be mentioned again as the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs begin in an empty Scotiabank Arena Tuesday afternoon. Because these are different teams that will face off on the ice in Toronto. 

Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene all signed big-money contracts to leave Columbus and were forced to exit the bubble before last weekend. The Lightning have added some depth up front that makes them more formidable physically and a pair of veteran right-hand shot defensemen who will be very important this week.

That being said, the teams both have the same strengths. The Blue Jackets play stifling defense and frustrate teams while Tampa Bay owns one of the most lethal offenses in the league. But it will not likely be as simple as that. Who dictates the play is only one small piece. This series will be won between the margins. Who wins the battles, who remains composed, who fights through the adversity much quicker will be critical.

We can’t forget about health. It was hard to make the excuse for the Lightning last year, but they were missing two of their top three defensemen to injury and another key veteran was playing at far less than 100 percent. Now, the injury status of Tampa Bay superstars Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman is in doubt.

The Bolts can win without them, though. But they must play a smart, physical and focused brand of hockey that we have seen out of them for several years. This group must perform like it did against Boston in the second round of the 2018 playoffs - structured, unwavering and with killer instinct. No temper tantrums, no defeatist looks on the bench and only confidence.

One of the major problems against Columbus last year was puck possession. After the first period of Game 1, the Bolts were loose with the frozen disk and let the Blue Jackets control the neutral zone. Tampa Bay has to be on top of it for 60 minutes.

The Lightning’s top line of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat will see an awful off of defense pair of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones while center Boone Jenner will probably be asked by coach John Tortorella what brand of chewing gum the Bolts’ top trio use. Kucherov and Point each need to have a productive series to allow the other three lines to do their work and chip in. 

If Stamkos is able to play, you would think he would slide in with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn - a line that was very good for a stretch in mid season. You could move Tyler Johnson to the third line and push Barclay Goodrow or Yanni Gourde to the fourth. The Goodrow-Gourde-Blake Coleman line has been good, though, and TJ may have to settle for a fourth line/power play role. However, it would be nice if Coleman could find the net. He is scoreless in 12 games with the team.

While the offense has to be there, it all comes down to how the Bolts defend. Andrei Vasilevskiy was not the reason Tampa Bay lost to Columbus last season, but he was outplayed and must be way better this time around. If Hedman can’t go, they will need big and solid minutes from Ryan McDonough, Eric Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev. But two righties that were not around last April - Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian - would be the keys to how well they can hide an absence by No. 77. Veteran Braydon Coburn should be ready to replace Hedman if needed.

The Blue Jackets thrive on causing turnovers and punishing you. It’s always important to limit miscues and keep the puck away in the postseason. But for the Lightning, it’s absolutely crucial this time around. Columbus won’t stop coming. There can be few lapses. The Blue Jackets don’t normally score a ton of goals. But they collected 19 in four games in the first round last year as the Bolts turned the puck over constantly.

Tampa Bay must also put unrelenting pressure on first-year playoff goalie Joonas Korpisalo and see if he cracks.The Fin played well against Toronto. Make him prove he can do it again.

Tortorella is at the top of his game, just getting this Columbus team to this spot after an inordinate amount of injuries during the regular season. He made all the right moves to lead Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004 and did the same last April to beat his old team.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper can go a long way to quieting his critics if he can navigate a talented team through this round - especially if Hedman and Stamkos can’t go. Cooper has won a lot of games with this core group. The moves he makes and the tone he takes could be critical in a long series. This is his chance to shine.

Whoever suits up Tuesday, the Lightning have the tools to win the series. There’s no doubt in my mind. But a healthy and battle-tested Columbus squad will force them to keep pushing. Tampa Bay must confidently dig in and move them out of the bubble.

Get ready for a war.

 

The Very Best of Curb Your Enthusiasm

By Mark Pukalo

Trouble doesn't find Larry David. He seems to seek it out, and that has led to 10 fun-filled seasons on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

David created the greatest conventional sitcom in history with "Seinfeld," and he has gone farther with Curb. There are wacky situations, odd characters and cringe-worthy hilarious scenes while Larry is not afraid to tackle issues such as divorce, racial relations, sex, religion and politics in a comedic way.

It is basically Seinfeld without any rules on what can be said. It may not be for everyone, but it should be. You know why? We need to be able to laugh at ourselves, at the extremes of important issues and at things that annoy us. The heck with the language. Deal with it. I know I have always hated people that can't park their cars between the lines. Now, after watching Curb, I can call them Pig Parkers and chuckle over it.

Plus, you get great advice from Larry's free-loading house guest Leon, who often brings the ruckus: "You can't pause toast, Larry. It loses it's Essence."

The pandemic gave me a chance to watch all 100 episodes in the series so far and put together a rating of the top 20, plus honorable mentions. It's not easy to place them, especially after the top few, because they are all "Prett-Ay, Prett-Ay, Prett-Ay Good."


Top 20

1. Season 8, Episode 9: Mister Softee - The music of the Softie truck brings back bad memories for Larry and causes a brutal error to end a softball game, while Bill Buckner saves the day.

2. Season 8, Episode 3: Palestinian Chicken - Larry is torn between some really good chicken, a beautiful new Palestinian girlfriend and his Jewish Heritage.

3. Season 1, Episode 3: Porno Gil - Bob Odenkirk plays Gil, a former porn star who invites Larry and Cheryl to their off-the-beaten-track house for a party that turns into a disaster.

4. Season 2, Episode 9: The Baptism - Larry loses plane tickets to Monterrey, which sends him and Cheryl on a roundabout route to an adult baptism. Larry, of course, causes problems upon arrival.

5. Season 4, Episode 6: The Car Pool Lane - Larry rents a prostitute so he can use the Car Pool Lane to beat the traffic on the way to the Dodgers game, buys pot and gets Funkhouser arrested.

6. Season 8, Episode 7: The Bi-Sexual - Larry uses performance-enhancing drugs to help win a battle with Rosie O'Donnell over a pretty girl. "Where's my ticket?" Larry says on the steps of the Hall of Fame after the blue pill is revealed. Jane retorts: "You're not getting in."

7. Season 5, Episode 2: The Bowtie - Larry loses the support of the lesbian community and regains it while dealing with his racist dog.

8. Season 5, Episode 10: The End - Kidney transplant complications lead to death for Larry, who has an interesting brief stay in Heaven before being returned to life.

9. Season 6, Episode 7: The Tivo Guy - The Tivo repairman distracts Larry from Cheryl's frantic call on a shaky airplane and leads to a separation.

10. Season 10, Episode 1: Happy New Year - A MAGA hat proves a perfect people repellent for Larry, who is accused of sexual assault for wanting some pigs in a blanket, and Jeff is mistaken for Harvey Weinstein.


11. Season 1, Episode 9: Affirmative Action - An untended bad racial joke causes all kinds of problems for Larry. It's cringey at times, but funny.

12. Season 10, Episode 10: The Spite Store - The finale brings all the stories of the season together as his former secretary finds her memory, spite stores crop up everywhere and Mocha Joe wins.

13. Season 7, Episode 10: Seinfeld - The Seinfeld reunion is finally done and a lack of respect for wood foils Larry's chance to get back with Cheryl.

14. Season 3, Episode 8: Krazee-Eyez Killa - Larry befriends and then betrays Wanda Sykes' cheating rap-music star boyfriend.

15. Season 8, Episode 1: The Divorce - Lawyers and girl scout cookies cause problems for Larry as his divorce to Cheryl goes through and he loses out on Dodgers club tickets.

16. Season 2, Episode 7: The Doll - Larry makes the daughter of a TV executive cry after cutting her doll's hair and a broken bathroom latch causes major issues.

17. Season 5, Episode 8: The Ski Lift - Larry hopes to convince the leader of the kidney consortium to move Richard Lewis up on the list for a new organ, but it ends in disaster.

18. Season 8, Episode 5: Vow of Silence - Larry loses his head over some pig parkers, the "chat & cut" is introduced and Oscar does not get his last meal. R.I.P.

19. Season 2, Episode 3: Trick or Treat - Larry's nasty exchange with two teenagers trick or treating without costumes is the centerpiece.

20. Season 10, Episode 8: Elizabeth, Margaret and Phillip - Jon Hamm is hilarious while he mirrors Larry for a future project ... playing Mr. David.


Honorable Mention: Mary, Joseph and Larry (Larry wrecks Christmas), The Bat Mitzvah (Larry has an itch), Beloved Aunt (A typo ruins an obit written by Larry), The Nanny from Hell (Pound cake saves Susie from Cheri Oteri), The Black Swan (Larry commits murder on the golf course), Vehicular Fellatio (car hijinks), The Seder (Larry gets his newspaper stolen), Denise Handicap (Larry finds some advantages dating the disabled), The Shrimp Incident (Larry gets screwed out of some shrimp), The Bare Midriff (Larry is saved on the roof by flabby skin), Interior Decorator (Larry is tackled by a Decorator), Never Wait for Seconds (Fatwa! Off), Shaq (Larry accidentally trips Mr. O'Neal), Thor (Professional wrestler slashes Larry's tires).

My Favorite TV Shows of All Time

By Mark Pukalo


I'm not quite sure what was actually the first television show I watched multiple times, more than 50 years ago.

The late 1960s brought us Hogan's Heroes, Bewitched, Here's Lucy, Hawaii Five-O, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and many other classics. But I bet my love for the tube started with Marcia, Jan, Greg, Bobby and the others. I can remember that stacked Friday night lineup with the Brady Bunch followed by the Partridge Family, Room 222, The Odd Couple and Love American Style.

I've missed so many great shows over the years. It's impossible to catch them all and some just don't work for me. But here's a list of the all-time favorites that I have enjoyed. The top two may surprise you, but one is so unique, sometimes inappropriate and funny it deserves the top spot while the second is perhaps the best written, unfortunately short-lived, and most compelling in my lifetime.

First, here's some well-liked shows I have not seen much or not at all: The Americans, Boardwalk Empire, The Chappelle Show, Deadwood, Dexter, Empire, Friday Night Lights, House, Killing Eve, Lost, NYPD Blue, Oz, Sex in the City, The Simpsons, South Park, Twin Peaks.

Special Award: Saturday Night Live - Depending on the period, it could be top 10 if included.

Underappreciated/Guilty Pleasures: UFO, Moonlighting, Felicity, American Bandstand, Jericho. The Hudson Brothers.

Honorable Mention: All in the Family, Big Little Lies, The Carol Burnett Show, CSI Miami, Family Guy, Family Ties, FBI, Friends, Get Smart, Grey's Anatomy, Happy Days, Hill Street Blues, I Love Lucy, Laugh In, Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Lost in Space, Mad Men, Orange is the New Black, Ozark, Rescue Me, Scrubs, Star Trek, Taxi, Welcome Back, Kotter.

TOP 25 (with favorite character)

26.. Schitt's Creek (Alexis, Annie Murphy); 25. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Ted Baxter, Ted Knight); 24. One Tree Hill (Peyton Sawyer, Hilarie Burton); 23. Criminal Minds (Derek Morgan, Shemar Moore); 22. (The first three seasons of) Arrested Development (Gob Bluth, Will Arnett); 21. MASH (Corporal Klinger, Jamie Farr); 20. ER (Doug Ross, George Clooney); 19. The Bob Newhart Show (Robert Hartley, Bob Newhart); 18. Cheers (Norm, George Wendt).

17. Blue Bloods - This cop show has grown on me over the years and it is a fair depiction of life in the uniform despite the slight right-wing lean. The characters are rich and diverse while the stories have heart. Best Character: Jamie Reagan, Will Estes.

16. The Brady Bunch - It only lasted five seasons, but many of the best moments live on 50 years later. "Sure, Jan." No, it's true. Best Character: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Maureen McCormick.

15. Ted Lasso - 

14. Law & Order Special Victims Unit - Sam Waterson was great in the first Law & Order shows, but the SVU cast and storylines have been stronger. Best Character: Olivia Benson, Mariska Hargitay

13. Madam Secretary - Tea Leoni made this show tick as she grew into a formidable figure and made for a President we could all support - fearless, smart and fair. Best Character: Stevie, Wallis Currie-Wood.

12. Entourage - I recently rewatched all eight seasons and loved every minute. Vince, Johnny Drama, E, Turtle and Ari were fantastic characters and no show in history had more beautiful women. I still love you Sloan! Best Character: Johnny Drama, Kevin Dillon.

11. The Wire - It took me awhile to get around to this inner-city Baltimore police drama and I was blown away by its authenticity. The acting was brilliant through all five seasons. Best Character: Omar Little, Michael K. Williams.

10. The Office - The final two seasons aside, it ranks among the best four comedies of all time in my book. Dwight, Michael and the others were brilliant characters at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pa. Best Character: Jim Halpert, John Krasinski.

9.. Breaking Bad - The AMC classic provides an amazing performance by Bryan Cranston as Walter White, who evolves from a chemistry teacher with cancer to an international drug dealer. The final episode is one of the best in TV history. Best Character: Walter White, Bryan Cranston.

8. Modern Family - A remarkably-written sitcom about a diverse family, which takes many hilarious turns along the way. Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy took his place among the best comedic TV stars with his performance over 11 seasons. Best Character: Cam, Eric Stonestreet.

7. The Sopranos - David Chase makes you understand and even like a unique crime family over six thrill-filled seasons. Tony (the late James Gandolfini) runs the show, but Carmela (Edie Falco) takes no backseat as his wife. Best Character: Silvio Dante, Steven Van Zandt

6. The Pitt - 

5. Game of Thrones - Free HBO on my newest TV plan finally gave me a chance to watch this epic series about kings, queens, dragons and heroes. Never thought I would like it this much, but what an amazing eight years. Best Character: Arya Stark, Maisie Williams.

4. The West Wing - Creator Aaron Sorkin's first of two in the top four (also No. 2) is an incredible journey of seven seasons in the White House with tremendous performances and interesting, topical storylines. Best Character: Josh, Bradley Whitford.

3. Seinfeld - The show "about nothing" lasted nine seasons and rarely had an off half hour. It was one part goofy humor and one part intelligent comedy with Jerry Seinfeld and the cast causing problems wherever they went. Best Character: George Costanza, Jason Alexander.

2. The Newsroom - It only lasted three seasons and 25 episodes, but the cheeky writing and real-life drama make you want to watch shows over and over. The characters are more deep and compelling than in any show in history, in my opinion. Best Character: Will McAvoy, Jeff Daniels.

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm - Trouble does not find Larry David through the first 10 hilarious seasons of Curb, his character finds it in every episode. The show tackles subjects that sometimes make you cringe, but also make you laugh uncontrollably. Best Character: Leon Black, J.B. Smoove.