Goalies, Horses, Birdies and Guilt

     We have reached the final four in the NHL playoffs and one thing is clear. You better have dependable or hot goaltending to win a cup.

       I’m not breaking any new ground here. You might be able to get away with Antti Niemi if you are playing against a duo of Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher or if your team is much the best. But you better have a guy that is on his game.

      No matter how many goals the Philadelphia Flyers were going to score, Ilya Bryzgalov was not going to get it done for them this time around. It looked as though they were trying to protect him more against the Devils in the second round and lost their flow offensively. So, why did the Flyers trade for Pavel Kubina?

      Jonathan Quick is 9-1 in the playoffs for the Kings. Little did I know that when I watched him play his first high school game for Hamden High in the 2001-02 season he would be playing for a Cup a little over a decade later. He just kept getting better and better at Avon Old Farms and UMass. Quick was the first of three NHL players AOF produced in four years. Nick Bonino of the Ducks and Cam Atkinson of the Jackets are the others.

      King Henrik Lundqvist may be the best goalie on the planet right now and could seal that if he brings the Rangers to the Cup. Marty Brodeur is definitely in the conversation as the best of all time and wants one more for the Devils. That series could be great.

      Then there’s Mike Smith. I remember Jeff Halpern saying, a couple times, in the Lightning locker room that Smith was one of the best in the league. Halpern had seen him come into the NHL in Dallas and witnessed his potential. It is just so difficult to be patient with a goaltender in this league. Sometimes goalies just play to their potential in a different environment, with a different defense in front of them. Perhaps that is partly what has happened with Smitty in Phoenix.

      It would have been a bold move for Lightning GM Steve Yzerman to say goodbye to Dwayne Roloson after he had nearly won a Cup for the Bolts and go with Smith and Garon this season. But Smith had not shown what he did this season on a consistent basis in a Lightning uniform. The Bolts wanted Smith back to play alongside Roloson, but Smith chose the No. 1 job and more money in Phoenix.

     Now, the Lightning is in search of a No. 1 and the next month might provide the answer. Will they go after Kings’ backup Jonathan Bernier or another young goalie? Will they go for a one-season, veteran stopgap to give Dustin Tokarski and Jaroslav Janus another year of development or to allow another goalie of the future to emerge?

     Many have asked me, why don’t the Bolts just give the job to Tokarski?

     Honestly, I’m not against it. I just get the impression the Lightning brass would like to see him get one more year, or a half year, of development. He would not have to go through waivers next season. As I’ve said before, Lightning fans might enjoy having a well-seasoned, young duo of Bernier-Tokarski in 2013-14. They just may have to wait.

     But this is all conjecture at this point. There’s no news leaking out about the Lightning’s plan. Bernier and others may not even be on the market. This will be an interesting two months on and off the ice.

     I’ll have more on the draft later in the week.

      Derby review: You can look at my picks for the Kentucky Derby two ways. After trimming the field from 20 to six, four of those six made the top five. Or, you can say I picked  I’ll Have Another fifth or sixth.

       But I would not change anything. More times than not, a first-time Derby jockey will not get the kind of trip Mario Gutierrez did. He had very little traffic trouble, but give the horse credit. The son of Flower Alley seems to have the ability to use his speed in the middle of the race to get to a position and then relax. If he can win the Preakness, who knows? Union Rags and Dullahan will be waiting, most likely, in the Belmont though.

     My pick Creative Cause had no excuses, although he was pinched unnecessarily early and had to go a little too wide from the middle of the backstretch on. But CC was a half length behind I’ll Have Another in the middle of the stretch. If he was good enough, he would have bulled his way past him.

     Preakness picks later in the week.

    

      TPC: Koooooooch!!

      Ok, sorry, just had to say it. Hopefully, with Rickie Fowler’s win the week before at the Wells Fargo and Kuchar’s popular victory at the Players Championship, the PGA Tour is starting to build a group of future stars with personality.

      Add those two to Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy – 1-2-3 in the Fed-Ex standings – and there is a solid group of young players making an impact who are fun to watch. You can throw Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson into that mix as well. Hopefully, that will draw people to the course and to the TV screen to watch even if Tiger Woods or Phil Mikkelson is not in the hunt.

      I’ve never really understood that though. It really shouldn’t matter who is in it if you like watching a big tournament.

      You wonder if Woods will ever win a major again. It is amazing. Johnny Miller, love him or hate him, said something interesting about Tiger this weekend. He said he’d like to see him having more fun out there. Tiger has always been a serious, focused player on the course. But, as many have said this year, he seems joyless. Someday, he will stop making changes in his swing, too. Maybe that’s when he will turn things around.

      Movies, movies, movies: The next list that I have put together is the films that I am somewhat embarrassed to say I liked a lot. Whether they were predictable, had an unrealistic plot, could be considered a dreaded “chick flick,” or got bad reviews, it didn’t stop me from making them “Guilty Pleasures.”

      Armageddon – Yeah, ok, you really can’t land a ship on an asteroid, or do a lot of things the crew did. But, who cares, it was fun and “Hey, Harry, You Da Man.”

      Bend it Like Beckham – Some of the dialogue and acting is a little lacking, but it is a nice little story. Keira Knightley plays some pretty good soccer and her mom is hilarious.

      Bulworth – Maybe this should be more in the under-rated category, but Warren Beatty is great as a senator who has a death wish. His newfound rapping talent and Halle Berry makes him change his mind. The story line about politicians stands up today.

      Definitely, Maybe – Ok, I admit I cried at the end. Ryan Reynolds takes his daughter Abigail Breslin through the story about the three women who he dated before he settled on one to be her mother.

      Dreamer – Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell nurse an injured race horse back to life, with popsicles.

      The Holiday – It is definitely predictable, but an all-star cast including Cameron Diaz, the great Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black makes it work somehow.

      Howard the Duck – Howard rocks and so does Leah Thompson in this extremely quirky flick.

      Independence Day – Randy Quaid, or is that Pete DeBoer, helps bring down the aliens along with Will Smith, Bill Pulliman and Jeff Goldblum.

      Magnolia – Paul Thomas Anderson’s multi-story epic is filled with amazing acting performances, bad language and great Aimee Mann music. “We might be done with the past. But the past is not done with us.” Probably Tom Cruise’s crudest, but best, performance ever.

      Mystery Alaska – Yeah, the NHLPA would let the New York Rangers go play an exhibition game outdoors in Alaska against a club team. LOL. Sure. Doesn't matter. It’s about a small town coming together and Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds are very believable in their roles.

      Notting Hill – American actress Julia Roberts and London bookstore owner Hugh Grant meet by chance and form a complicated relationship.

      The Replacements – The great Keanu Reeves brings a rag-tag group together as the fat-cat NFLers sit out on strike. Gorgeous Brooke Langton and coach Gene Hackman also play big roles.

      Saved!! – A satirical look at how a group of diverse kids deal with their problems at a Christian school. Jena Malone, McCauley Calkin, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker and Patrick Fugit star.

      V for Vendetta – It’s a kind of a weird film, but I enjoyed the intrigue. Many people misinterpreted this film when it came out and said it promoted terrorism. That is so stupid. It’s about Revolution.

      Varsity Blues – Certainly not a great film, but even though it is a little over the top it is a decent look at a small town where high school football is king. Ali Larter’s whipped-cream bikini doesn’t hurt either. Sorry.

      The Wedding Singer – Adam Sandler’s best performance, narrowly beating his turn in Happy Gilmore. Billy Idol has one of the best cameos in a movie ever.

      While you were sleeping – Sandra Bullock saves a man she thinks she loves then falls for his brother. Very predictable, but harmless.

      10 Things I Hate About You – Some great lines from Larry Miller, with solid acting by Julia Stiles, the late Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Love this smart comedy.

-      Mark Pukalo