Capable Lightning Hope to Survive Early Tests

 

By Mark Pukalo

     It’s been a while since the Tampa Bay Lightning have faced this many challenges going into a new season.

      The last few campaigns, in particular, the Bolts cruised into the season with loads of talent just hoping six months would go by without any major injuries. It was just a matter of getting to the playoffs and finding the magic again.

      When they open against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, Tampa Bay will encounter several more obstacles it must hurdle, and a much-improved division to battle for playoff position.

     *The Lightning will be without their best checking center and top penalty killer Anthony Cirelli until December as he recovers from injury.

     *They also had to let free agent left wing Ondrej Palat (New Jersey) go and trade dependable top-four defenseman Ryan McDonagh (Nashville) for salary cap reasons after the season.

     *They have to deal with the fatigue of three straight long postseasons.

     *Seven of nine games in October are on the road and November's schedule is no cakewalk either.

     *The bottom of the Atlantic Division - Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo and Montreal - is much better. The Senators and Red Wings, in my opinion, could fight for a playoff spot in April. 

     *They must deal with the major distraction - at the very least - caused by the suspension of veteran third-pair defenseman Ian Cole on Sunday due to sexual abuse accusations.

      The goal for the Lightning will be to find a way to be in the top four mix in the Atlantic Division around Christmas and have the ability to move forward from there. Coach Jon Cooper and staff will be tested.

      It will not be easy. They will need their stars to carry them at times. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy. No one has a better top five than that, but can they continue to get contributions from the supporting players to win consistently? We will see.

      Vladislav Namestnikov’s return as a free agent should help the top nine forwards after his strong preseason. Vladdy has always produced when playing with top players, but waned when running his own line. If he plays with Stamkos and/or Kucherov will he play the same as he does centering Cole Koepke and Ross Colton? The Bolts may need him to.

      One of the big keys to the first few months of the season is special teams. 

     The power play has to be productive. The Bolts need to be in the top five or six in the league with the talent they have with the extra man, but they tend to go through slumps. Overpassing is one of the things that causes that, but with Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Point and either Alex Killorn or Corey Perry on the top unit they should punish teams. 

     Tampa Bay’s penalty killing must also deal with the absence of Cirelli, but Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Killorn, Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul are capable. Koepke and Namestnikov may also get some shifts on the kill. Of course, they have the best penalty killer in the league in Vasilevskiy as well.

     It appears Koepke has won the 12th forward spot while Gabriel Fortier is No. 13 for now. Getting Alex Barre-Boulet through waivers also buys them time to bring him up and down if they want a little more offense.

      As great as he is, I don’t expect another 100-point season from Stamkos, but the Lightning hope to get full and healthy campaigns from Kucherov and Point. Paul and Hagel can also contribute more while Colton showed in 2021-22 he can score 20-plus goals.

      The offense should be there.

      The defense has plenty of question marks. Hedman, Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev give the Bolts a strong base and Cal Foote continues to improve. Veteran Zach Bogosian might be healthy in November, but the veteran is injury plagued.

     Phillipe Myers has looked very good in camp and the hope is that he can reach his potential and, along with Foote, make it difficult for Bogosian to be more than a No. 7 D man.

     But the situation with Cole on the left side of the third pair is to be determined. My prediction after sleeping on the issue is that he never plays a regular season game for the Bolts.

     An anonymous young woman posted on twitter Sunday about Cole’s actions when she was an underage high school girl several years ago, pressuring her into sexual relations among other horrid accusations. There have been other things that have come out about Cole recently, including an affair with an engaged woman in Carolina - apparently the team’s TV sideline reporter.

      I can’t imagine that the Lightning just looked past the dirt on Cole to sign him for one year and $3 million. It likely wasn’t there without an incredibly deep and thorough investigation that teams just don’t do to sign a veteran for one season. Teams would not go back and interview people at Notre Dame, all his teammates in St. Louis and Pittsburgh. It just doesn’t happen. He had been in the league for a dozen years.

     The Bolts released a statement late Sunday: “The Tampa Bay Lightning is aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and are cooperating fully with the NHL on an investigation. Our organization takes these allegations very seriously. While we continue to gather more details, we have decided to suspend Ian Cole pending the results of an investigation. No members of the organization, including players, will comment further at this time.”

     That all being said, unless there are lots of reasons to seriously doubt a woman’s allegations like there were in spades with Tara Reade and President Biden, I tend to believe someone would not go to this length to lie about a hockey player. I’m betting there is some truth to the allegations. Let’s hope the NHL finds the players Cole allegedly bragged to about having sex with the underage woman and the other player she talked to. 

     Like many have said on twitter, I don’t really want this guy on my team now. But, to be honest, I continued rooting for the Buccaneers after they signed Antonio Brown. So let’s see what happens.

     The one thing I’m not worried about is losing Cole. Haydn Fleury can get the job done for now and Sean Day has also played well enough in Syracuse to get a look on the left side. The cap space I assume the Bolts would get back for terminating Cole’s contract would also give them the ability to shop. One question is, do Myers, Bogosian or Nick Perbix have the experience to play on the left side as right shots?

      The Lightning most certainly did the right thing by suspending Cole. They need to concentrate on the season at hand. But it’s a headache they did not anticipate with a very difficult early schedule and a huge challenge this fall.

      It sure is nice to have two Stanley Cups and three straight trips to the finals in the rearview mirror. That, along with five healthy superstars on the roster, should help Bolts fans ease into this season.

     The best thing about it all? We get to watch a lot of good hockey in the next six-plus months.

     Drop the puck!

    2022-2023 Picks

    EAST

    Atlantic - 1. Florida; 2. Tampa Bay; 3. Toronto; 4. Ottawa; 5. Boston; 6. Detroit; 7. Montreal; 8. Buffalo

    Central - 1. NY Rangers; 2. Carolina; 3. Pittsburgh; 4. Columbus; 5. Washington; 6. New Jersey; 7. Philadelphia; 8. NY Islanders

     WEST

     Midwest - 1. Colorado; 2. Nashville; 3. St. Louis; 4. Minnesota; 5. Dallas; 6. Winnipeg; 7. Chicago; 8. Arizona

     Pacific - 1. Calgary; 2. Edmonton; 3. Los Angeles; 4. Seattle; 5. Vancouver; 6. Vegas; 7. Anaheim; 8. San Jose

      So, Boston and Dallas out while Columbus and Seattle make it in

      Playoffs - Florida over Wash; TB over Toronto; NY Rangers over CLB; Pittsburgh over Carolina

                       Fla/TB and NYR-Pitt

                       Cal over Minn; Edm over LA; Colo over Sea; STL over Nash

                       Cal-Edm and Col-STL

    

A New Journey Begins for the Lightning

 

By Mark Pukalo

       How about three Cups in four years?

       That quest began Thursday as the Tampa Bay Lightning opened training camp with a few more questions to answer than the previous few seasons.

       The Bolts fell two wins short of a third straight Stanley Cup last summer as the Colorado Avalanche finally reached their potential and turned aside a game, but injury-depleted team. Some of those injuries will linger into the 2022-23 campaign and make the early season more difficult and important.

       Here are the things to look for during training camp before Tampa Bay meets the New York Rangers in the first game that counts on Oct. 11.

       Center Anthony Cirelli and defenseman Zach Bogosian will start the season on the injured list, creating a pair of holes to fill and Lightning stalwart left wing Ondrej Palat has moved on to the New Jersey Devils as a free agent. Ultra-dependable veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh was also traded to Nashville for salary cap reasons and serviceable rearguard - and often-Victor Hedman partner - Jan Rutta is now in Pittsburgh.

       If coach Jon Cooper keeps Corey Perry, Pierre-Eduard Bellemare and Pat Maroon together on the fourth line, that leaves eight proven forwards in the top nine. With no other signings aside from old friend Vladislav Namestnikov and no PTOs in camp, there will be a battle for the final one or likely two spots up front. 

       Skillful Alex Barre-Boulet should have the inside track, not only because he would have to get through waivers, but he won’t be given the position. Gabriel Fortier did not embarrass himself in his short stint in Tampa Bay last season and Cole Koepke is coming off a very good season on both sides of the ice in the minors. Veteran Gemel Smith is also still around and 25-year-old Swede Simon Ryfors started to come on at the end of last season. Free agent-signee Felix Robert may get a look, too.

      Cooper must decide what to do with the top three lines as well. Brayden Point will likely slide into one of the center spots, but Steven Stamkos, Nick Paul, Ross Colton and Namestnikov can also play in the pivot. Stamkos seemed to prosper when he was put back in the middle last season, so you wonder if he stays there to start. Perhaps we may look at Paul-Point-Nikita Kucherov, followed by Alex-Killorn-Stamkos-Namestnikov and Brandon Hagel-Colton-Barre-Boulet/Koepke. There are so many ways Cooper and his staff can go.

        We won’t get a true picture on Mikhail Sergachev moving up a spot with McDonagh gone on the left side of the defense until midway through the season, but the young Russian won’t be playing a much different role. He’s already used to playing a lot of minutes. The question is always with him, can he limit mistakes? Veteran Ian Cole was signed for a year to take the stay-at-home defense role on the left side and former first round pick Haydn Fleury will likely be the seventh defenseman, being able to play both sides. Fleury is intriguing and signed for two years at a very low rate.

       The right side presents the most question marks. Who plays with Hedman? The answer, probably, is everyone, but all of the three top candidates will probably get a look in preseason. Erik Cernak, McDonagh’s long-time partner, could be the boring choice. But Cernak seems like he would be a perfect compliment to Sergachev instead. Cal Foote, who has also played with Sergachev a lot, could get the first look with the big Swede. Foote was very good in the first 13 contests of the postseason, but once the Bolts fell behind 2-0 against the Rangers in the third round Cooper decided to shuffle things while turning to veterans Bogosian and Rutta. Both raised their level of play considerably as Tampa Bay won the next four games.

       Then there is probably the most interesting player to watch in preseason - righty defenseman Philippe Myers. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound, 25-year-old had a really good season with Philadelphia in 2019-20 (16 points, plus-17 in 50 regular-season games, three goals in 16 playoff tilts), but injuries and inconsistent performances since have slowed his progress. The Lightning believe his upside is so high they extended his contract through 2023-24 after he came over in the McDonagh deal. We will see.

       Righty Darren Raddysh and lefty Sean Day are also capable, but another thing to watch in preseason is how Nick Perbix and 20-year-old Jack Thompson perform on the right side. Lefty Declan Carlile might also earn a look on defense.

     It will be quite interesting how it all shakes out. With four of the first five games on the road, no Cirelli and Bogosian, and a Western trip also slated for October, the Bolts will have to be ready fast. But, they have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net. Does that not make you feel better?

Drop the puck!

       

Top Album Closers of All Time

 

Mark Pukalo

The latest project was a difficult one. So many worthy songs and not enough spots in the top 20.  Here's the best that I could do, taking into consideration both how good the song is and how it works as the final song on an album.

Top Album Closers of All Time

1. Jungleland - Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen: Easy choice here as Clarence Clemons' amazing saxophone solo highlights the brilliant piece of music.

2. Wake Up Time - Wildflowers - Tom Petty: Just watched the documentary on the "Wildflowers" album and this song just fits like a glove at the end of it.

3. Working Man - Rush - Rush: The Canadian trio's first album ends with this classic, which debuted on Cleveland radio in the states.

4. A Day in the Life - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band - The Beatles: I had it at No. 21 in the Fab Four's best songs of all time, but it is the best as an album closer.

5. You Can't Always Get What You Want - Let it Bleed - The Rolling Stones: Works perfect at the beginning of "The Big Chill" and at the end of this album.

6. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin: Not a huge Zep fan, but this song just takes you on a rock journey.

7. The Last Resort - Hotel California - The Eagles: Don Henley said, "The gist of the song was that when we find something good, we destroy it by our presence - by the very fact that man is the only animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment."

8. Redemption Song - Uprising - Bob Marley: Bob wrote this masterpiece after he was diagnosed with cancer, which eventually took his life.

9. Child of Vision - Breakfast in America - Supertramp: The seven-plus minute song, with great instrumentation, ends the 1980 No. 1 album that spawned several hits beautifully.

10. Moving in Stereo/All Mixed Up - The Cars - The Cars: These two songs belonged together because one just organically leads into the other in the super group's debut album, although Phoebe Cates only moves in stereo.

11. Train in Vain - London Calling - The Clash

12. Goodnight California - Asking for Flowers - Kathleen Edwards

13. Stay - Running on Empty - Jackson Browne

14. You See Me Crying - Toys in the Attic - Aerosmith

15. Purple Rain - Purple Rain - Prince

16. Better Be Home Soon - Temple of Low Men - Crowded House

17. My City of Ruins - The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

18. Won't Get Fooled Again - Who's Next - The Who

19. All You Need is Love - Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles

20. Watching the Detectives - My Aim is True - Elvis Costello

Others Considered

Champagne Supernova - (What's the Story) Morning Glory - Oasis

Gold Dust Woman - Rumours - Fleetwood Mac

I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will be Forever) - Talking Book - Stevie Wonder

(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding - Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Carole King - Tapestry

Miami 2017 - Turnstiles - Billy Joel

It's Not Safe - I'm With Stupid - Aimee Mann

Riders on the Storm - LA Woman - The Doors

I Am a River - Sonic Highways - Foo Fighters

Under Pressure - Hot Space - Queen with David Bowie

The Show Must Go On - Innuendo - Queen

Heartbeat City - Heartbeat City - The Cars

Caroline No - Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

All I Want is You - Rattle and Hum - U2

Fight the Power - Fear of the Black Planet - Public Enemy

All Apologies - In Utero - Nirvana

Easy - Juvenalia - Liz Phair

Eclipse - Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

Find a River - Automatic for the People - REM

For Everyman - For Everyman - Jackson Browne

The Best of My Love - On the Border - The Eagles

Kyle from Connecticut - Way to Normal - Ben Folds

Forgive Me - On a Clear Night - Missy Higgins

Red Flag Diver - Charmer - Aimee Mann

Friends, Lovers and Nothing - Battle Studies - John Mayer

Lightning Come Up Two Wins Short of History

By Mark Pukalo

     

       You wanted it to last forever, but the Tampa Bay Lightning’s magical ride had to end at some point.

       The Bolts looked like they had faced the ultimate stop sign a few times in the first three rounds of the 2021-22 playoffs, but they blew right through them all. A rare third straight championship run seemed almost destined at times.

       Finally, Tampa Bay met a team that might have been a smidgen better, luckier, faster and seemingly much healthier in the Stanley Cup finals. It was the Colorado Avalanche’s time and they took advantage of the opportunity.

     If someone had told Lightning fans they would allow two goals in the first 60 minutes of three home games in the finals and battle the Avs to two one-goal games in Denver, there would be no hesitation. They’d take that. But the Bolts could not steal Game 1 and failed to manage three goals in Game 4 or 6 at Amalie Arena. That just wasn’t good enough.

      Oh, there were some bad calls and Brayden Point was not available while many other Tampa Bay players were banged up pretty bad. But no excuses. Colorado deserved most of its breaks. The Avs also won the special teams battle decisively, which was a major factor.

  

       That doesn’t take anything away from the efforts of the Lightning, from the owner, to the GM, the coaches, the trainers and the warriors in uniform. They were just a few plays from making history with a third straight Cup - a feat that has not been accomplished since the mid 1980s. They faced four teams that won at least 52 games in the regular season and beat three. They did not have home-ice advantage in any series. But they kept moving forward.

       It was often the Tampa Bay Find-A-Ways in the regular season as they battled through injuries and eager opponents to accumulate another 100-point campaign.

       Three times they followed a loss with a win to dispatch the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round after a brilliant effort defensively in Game 7. 

      Ross Colton drilled home a nifty pass from Nikita Kucherov in the final seconds to win Game 2 at Florida and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 49 shots to finish the sweep of the hated Panthers two contests later in the second round.

       The Lightning looked dead and beaten after two rough performances at Madison Square Garden, but roared back to win the next four over the upstart New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals.

        The Bolts just kept giving this season. Thrills after thrills. But they were not playing Dallas or Montreal in the finals this season. Their bag of tricks did not have enough left to stop Colorado’s stunning 16-4 postseason run this time.

       But, man, what a season of highs for Tampa Bay.

       **Captain Steven Stamkos put up a career-high 106 points.

       **Defenseman Victor Hedman reached 20 goals for the first time in his career and was top three in the Norris Trophy voting for the sixth straight season.

        **Kucherov had 69 points in 47 games.

        **Alex Killorn had a career-high 59 points, but ran out of gas in the playoffs going without a goal.

        **Ondrej Palat scored his most goals since 2013-14 in the regular season (18) and a team-high tying 11 more in the postseason, including seven in third periods and three gamewinners.

        **Ageless Corey Perry signed for $1 million and scored 19 goals (six more in the playoffs), tying his most since 2015-16.

        **Colton followed up his surprising rookie season with 22 goals in 2021-22.

        **Pat Maroon scored 11 goals - his most since logging 14 with Edmonton in 2017-18.

        **Jan Rutta was a career-best +25.

        **Nick Paul quickly became a fan favorite after being acquired from Ottawa for Mathieu Joseph, sealing that with two goals in Game 7 against Toronto.

        **Fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was a career-best +24 and tied his best with nine goals.

        **Vasilevskiy reached at least 30 wins for the fifth straight season (39) and had a .922 save percentage in the playoffs despite giving up seven in Game 2 of the finals.

        **Backup goalie Brian Elliott was 11-4-3 and had his best save percentage (.912) since 2015-16 with St. Louis.

        In some ways, it was a more remarkable season than the two Cup runs, and there’s no reason they are done creating great memories.

      

Julien Brisebois, up for GM of the year, has given the Lightning a chance to be a contender for years with smart moves. He has given up a lot of high picks in the draft to get that done, but Scouting Director Al Murray and his staff are so good at picking in the middle and late rounds some of the overpays are excusable. 

        We will see what happens this offseason.

       

The Bolts should probably let Rutta go, even though he played above expectations a lot, with a viable and cheaper top six option in Cal Foote ready to take his place. Foote made strides this season, but coach Jon Cooper went with the veterans midstream and Rutta, along with Zach Bogosian, raised their games in the Eastern finals.

        The rest of the defense may stay the same unless JB decides to see what some teams in the Western Conference may offer for Mikhail Sergachev. The young defenseman played much better later in the playoffs, but drives you crazy at times. You wonder at the end of his current contract after next season if he is worth a long-term deal at $6-7 million. He certainly has the ability. It shines through at times. But it’s not a crime to see what Los Angeles, Anaheim, Dallas and others in the West might offer - a first, a second and one or two prospects that are ready in a bigger deal? 

     

       It would be interesting what the brass thinks of Sergy’s play overall. The inconsistency has to worry them. But, then again, his ceiling is very very high as well.

       Nick Perbix, who began is pro career in Syracuse late last season, is a right-handed offensive defenseman who could help soon. That may factor in as well.

       Up front, everything will hinge on Palat. Someone will probably offer him approximately five years at about $6 million - perhaps even more. Not sure the Lightning can offer more than 4-4.5 for three years. Does he want the big money or Tampa?

       Paul helped in the process by signing for seven years at a reasonable $3.15 million cap hit Friday and it has been rumored that the Bolts have talked to veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh about waiving his no trade clause to free up another $6,75 mil in cap space. That deal would make Sergachev a definite keeper as a second pair lefty d man. Perhaps someone would take Killorn for the final year of his deal to create even more room with Point's cap hit going up $2.75 mil. 

       JB said Tuesday he has already spoken to Palat and Rutta's agents. The quicker decisions can be made, the better.

      The draft is next week and the Bolts have a late first-round pick. Most likely, the best player available is gonna be the selection. But a lefty defenseman and a scoring winger seem to be needs going forward. Looking forward to seeing defenseman Jack Thompson and center Jack Finley at Syracuse next season.

       It’s only been a few days, but I already miss hockey. Three in a row did not work for the Bolts. But three of four would be pretty darn good, too.

       Never count them out. The Lightning are here to stay. As the captain said, “Who says we’re done?”

       No one.

Defense the Key to Unlocking a Three-Peat

 

By Mark Pukalo

The Tampa Bay Lightning have the formula. It's proven.

The question that they must answer in the next two weeks is if that magical recipe can work against another speedy, talented, prolific offensive team.

It took the Bolts a little time to slow down the second-highest scoring team in the league and the NHL's top power play during the first round - giving up one goal over nearly the final 100 minutes of the series to dispatch Toronto.

Tampa Bay then allowed three goals combined in a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers, the Presidents' Trophy winners and the top scoring team during the regular season (4.11).

The Lightning lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals before limiting the New York Rangers to one even-strength goal in the final four to become the first team since the mid 1980s to reach three straight Stanley Cup finals.

Three very good offensive teams down. One to go. While winning the first title in the Bubble was very difficult and winning two in a row was a quite a feat, this road will be the most impressive if they can complete the journey.

The Colorado Avalanche had failed as the Western Conference favorite the previous two years, but they have finally reached the final and they are deeper and more experienced. 

Center Nathan MacKinnon is one of the league's best players and young Cale Makar is right on the heels of the Bolts' Victor Hedman among the NHL's best defensemen. Forwards Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog put up big numbers offensively every year and center Nazem Kadri is having a great season, but his status is up in the air due to an upper-body injury.

The Bolts must do the same thing they did once control of the last three series was seized. They limited the bad turnovers which fed the high-octane offenses, they kept the puck to the outside as much as possible and won board battles to make the opposing top players play defense.

Let the world's best goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy win you another championship without making 40 saves each contest. That's the ticket. The Avalanche are averaging 40.7 shots per game in the playoffs and a league-best 4.64 goals. Colorado's power play was seventh in the regular season at 24 percent. 

But the Lightning can score with them, especially because the advantage in goal is the biggest in the series. Darcy Kuemper is a solid netminder and Pavel Francouz did just fine when he was hurt against Edmonton in the Western final. They still can't rival the Big Cat.

The Avs challenge will be even tougher if Brayden Point can return from a lower-body injury, which kept him out of the last two series. Tampa Bay will score goals. But they must have the puck more, as they did against the Rangers once they took over. That will be the key. It can't be an up and down game with odd-man rushes.

Coach Jon Cooper was asked all year about the loss of the Bolts' pesky third line - Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman. He may have found one in the last series as Anthony Cirelli, flanked by Brandon Hagel and Alex Killorn, were fantastic defensively. Honestly, their best defense was their forecheck. They kept the puck away from New York's best players. Can they do it again against MacKinnon?

Everyone has stepped up for the Lightning. Captain Steven Stamkos has nine goals, Nikita Kucherov leads the team in points, Ondrej Palat has done a little of everything, Nick Paul has had some monster shifts and others have done their thing up front. Victor Hedman did not play well against Florida, but was big in the other two series, Eric Cernak might have been the best defenseman in the first three rounds, Ryan McDonagh keeps doing Ryan McDonagh things and Mikhail Sergachev saved his best two contests for last two.

There's no reason it can't continue. It may just come down to whether this is Colorado's time. The top players may just cancel each other out. It might be decided by production from the supporting players. If Point is re-introduced to the lineup, you wonder whether he goes back with Kucherov and Palat or joins Paul and Colton while Corey Perry returns to the fourth unit.

Cooper has had the right answers for three seasons. Does he have a few more for Colorado?

My thought is this. If the Lightning can get one of the first two games in Denver, the Findaways will get it done somehow, some way. I don't think they can dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole again. But you can doubt this group of players at your peril. Whatever happens, they are a special group.

The first three rounds were nerve-wracking for me, even after winning two Cups. Did not want the run to end against any of those teams. I think I can sit and enjoy this series. Two fantastic teams, incredible skill and history on the line.

Enjoy, hockey world. This might be the most entertaining series in a long time.

Same Gameplan for Bolts in Sunshine State Showdown

 

By Mark Pukalo

Different team, same major key to victory.

Listen, it might seem simple to say "limit the turnovers" and you have a chance to move into the Eastern Conference finals, but it really is that easy to analyze for the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The Florida Panthers are a lot like the Toronto Maple Leafs, with a lethal offense that is unrelenting and speedy on the counter. The Cats will create plenty of chances, but if you feed them more with sloppy play in the neutral zone and over commit in the offensive end, you will go hungry on the way to the golf course.

When you are playing Columbus, the New York Islanders and last year's version of Montreal, turnovers are not quite as deadly. Toronto, Florida and perhaps Colorado along with the others in the West, are different animals. 

The Lightning can get at the Florida defense when the second-round series begins Tuesday night. They just have to be patient and avoid the East-West play that creeps into their game at times. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy cannot save them all the time. But if you give him a chance to win the series like the Bolts did in Game 6 and 7 against Toronto, he will.

My key players in the series? Mikhail Sergachev (yes, again) and Anthony Cirelli. 

Special teams will be important, Clean exits from the zone are essential and the Lightning need Brayden Point (lower body) to heal fast. I would start the series with seven defensemen in Game 1. Riley Nash adds nothing. If the Syracuse Crunch loses Tuesday, they can have Alex Barre-Boulet, Gemel Smith, Remi Elie or others to plug in for Point.

Tampa Bay has two games in Sunrise to try and get the home ice advantage on its side. Let's hope they have recovered from a long, tough series. I'm not sure I have, yet. But, I have the Bolts in 6 and a date with New York Rangers in the conference finals. Colorado and Edmonton are my picks in the West.

Enjoy. Would not be surprised if we get three or four more seven-game series.

Recap of first round keys

1. Give up the same amount or fewer quality chances as the Leafs surrender. If you do that, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will outplay Jack Campbell and win the series. If the Bolts get sloppy in their own end and give up too many prime chances, the Leafs will make them pay-  no matter who is in net.

PARTIAL PASS - It was close enough in Game 7, although they gave up too many quality chances overall.

2. Win the special teams battle. Both squads have tremendous talent on the power play. The Bolts need to be able to kill off the key chances and capitalize when they get opportunities - especially early and late in the game.

PASS. Lightning were 7 for 33 with the extra man despite that nightmare in Game 1, and the Leafs were just 4 for 28. The penalty killing was great. I guess they did not need Mathieu Joseph afterall.

3. Mikhail Sergachev must be at his best in this series. The talented Russian can be a major factor at both ends of the ice, but he has to make smart plays in all three zones. 

FAIL. Sergachev was just -2 in the series, but he was a turnover machine. Give Sergy credit, though. Game 7 was by far his best effort.

4. Know where Matthews is at all times. Make Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting beat you if they can.

PASS IN WINS. Matthews had nine points and 29 shots. But, #34 had 15 shots in the three Leaf wins and 14 in the four Lightning victories. Sometimes math tells a story.

5. It would be great if Brayden Point becomes a thorn in Toronto's side, especially if Steven Stamkos remains between Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts can't just depend on Stammer, Kooch and Victor Hedman, Everyone must contribute and a pesky, healthy Pointer can get things done with anyone/

PASS. Point was one of the Bolts' best forwards in the series before his injury, despite a -6 rating. He had two goals, including the Game 6 OT winner, and two assists.

6. Start games fast. 

MOSTLY PASS. Except for Game 1, they did pretty good with this. They did not sustain most games, though. They need a nice clean, solid start in games versus the Panthers.

It's Simple for the Bolts: Let Vasilevskiy Win you the Series

 

By Mark Pukalo

Did not have time to put together a long blog on the start of another playoff run for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but decided to throw a few thoughts out there that won't fit in one tweet.

The first series against the Toronto Maple Leafs could go many ways. 

*The Lightning may revert to playoff form of the past two seasons while frustrating and shutting down the dangerous Leaves' offense. 

*It also may be Toronto's time to scare away all the ghosts of the past with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly showing their best side. 

*The Bolts could fall victim to the weight and mental fatigue of a lot of hockey over the past 2 1/2 years. They will need to match the hunger of their opponent.

*Toronto could wilt under the pressure of their fan base if they lose the first and/or second game of the series.

The keys to a move to the second round?

**Give up the same amount or fewer quality chances as the Leafs surrender. If you do that, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will outplay Jack Campbell and win the series. If the Bolts get sloppy in their own end and give up too many prime chances, the Leafs will make them pay no matter who is in net.

**Win the special teams battle. Both squads have tremendous talent on the power play. The Bolts need to be able to kill off the key chances and capitalize when they get opportunities - especially early and late in the game.

**Mikhail Sergachev must be at his best in this series. The talented Russian can be a major factor at both ends of the ice, but he has to make smart plays in all three zones. 

**Know where Matthews is at all times. Make Marner and Bunting beat you if they can.

**It would be great if Brayden Point becomes a thorn in Toronto's side, especially if Steven Stamkos remains between Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts can't just depend on Stammer, Kooch and Victor Hedman, Everyone must contribute and a pesky, healthy Pointer can get things done with anyone/

**Start games fast. While Toronto is not a shut down team with a lead, you really don't want to be chasing them because the tendency is to open up too much. They will love that. Sure, the Lightning can score with them, but chances back and forth is not a good recipe for success.

Simple, maybe. But I expect the Lightning to get the job done as long as they limit the bad turnovers.

East

Bruins over Canes

Rangers over Pens

Bolts over Leaves

Caps over Panthers

I will take a Rangers-Lightning conference final. But anything can happen

West

Avs over Preds

Wild over Blues

Flames over Stars

Oilers over Kings

I will take the Avs over the Oilers in the conference final. I dunno, one of these years Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are going to take Edmonton somewhere. Why not in 2022?

Enjoy playoff hockey!!