Rapid Review: All-Star Edition

It's that time of the year again where teams across the NHL go on their bye week, and the NHL announces its All-Star rosters. The game will once again be played in a 3-on-3 tournament to decide who wins the $1 million prize. As usual, every team must be represented by one player so there were definitely some snubs.

Here are the players selected for the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

1.) BUFFALO SABRES- JACK EICHEL

Jack Eichel being the lone All-Star representative for the Sabres was the easy and right choice. He will be on the Atlantic Division All-Star Squad. This is Eichel's first All-Star selection of his young career. He leads the Sabres with 17 goals, 22 assists and 39 points. The selection of Eichel was an easy one especially since the Sabres have been struggling and are one of the worst teams in the NHL.

2.) DALLAS STARS- JOHN KLINGBERG & TYLER SEGUIN

The Dallas Stars will have two representatives in Tampa Bay for the All-Star Game. This will be John Klingberg's first time at the All-Star game while Tyler Seguin gets the nod for the fifth time in his career. Klingberg leads all NHL defensemen with 39 points and is first on the Stars with 33 assists. Seguin leads the Stars in goals with 21 and points with 40. He is having another good year and is on pace for just under 80 points. Since being traded to Dallas, he has been nothing but consistent and has developed a nice chemistry with Jamie Benn.

3.) NASHVILLE PREDATORS- PETER LAVIOLETTE, PK SUBBAN & PEKKA RINNE

The Preds will be represented by two players and their coach. Peter Laviolette will coach the Central Division All-Stars, while PK Subban was the fan elected captain. Pekka Rinne has had an outstanding season for the Predators and will be an All-Star for the second time in his career. Subban is second on the Preds with 32 points while leading the team in assists with 23. Subban is ranked fourth among all NHL defenseman with 32 points and third in goals with nine. Rinne ranked eighth in save percentage, sixth in wins (21) and 10th in goals against average in the NHL.

4.) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS- CLAUDE GIROUX

The lone Flyers representative is their captain, Claude Giroux. The center moved to the left wing to start the season and it has paid off. He is 5th in the NHL in scoring with 52 points. Giroux leads the Flyers in points with 52 and is second on the team in assists (38) and goals (14). The forward is taking part in his fifth All-Star Game in his career. He should have been joined by, at least, one other teammate as Jake Voracek has 51 points, Sean Couturier is having a break out season and Shayne Gostisbehere has bounced back with 32 points, which is fifth among NHL defensemen.

5.) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING- JON COOPER, VICTOR HEDMAN, NIKITA KUCHEROV, STEVEN STAMKOS & ANDREI VASILEVSKIY

The Lightning have four players and one coach going to the All-Star game so the hometown fans will have plenty to cheer about. The Bolts are the best team in hockey so it makes sense that they are sending four players. Hedman has been outstanding on the defensive side of the puck and is a +24 while putting up some points (33). Kucherov leads the NHL in points (60) and goals (27). Stamkos has managed to stay healthy so far this year, and is a big part of the success of the Lightning. Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in wins (27), is second in save percentage (.933), and second in goals against average (2.10).

6.) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS- AUSTON MATTHEWS

The lone player going for the Leafs is Auston Matthews. This is his second selection and he will be playing with the Atlantic Division All-Stars. Matthews hasn't had to be the man in Toronto this year so his numbers are a bit lower than most, but he has had help with the balanced scoring. He leads the Leafs in goals (19) and points (33).

Lightning Strikes: 2017-18 Season Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to get back to the postseason after missing out last year by one point.

In the offseason, they made some upgrades with the signings of Dan Girardi and Chris Kunitz. The Bolts also managed to re-sign its own restricted free agents to contacts. Tampa Bay made a splash when they traded forward Jonathan Drouin to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev was given every opportunity to make the team in the preseason, and that is exactly what he did.

The key to the Bolts rebounding this season is the goaltending. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the undisputed number one goaltender for the team this year. The biggest question is going to be will he be able to handle the pressure that is going to be on him to help lead this team back to the postseason. Vasilevskiy is going to need to be good this season because the defense will give up its chances against. The goalie will need to make the easy save and he has shown the ability to make the spectacular save. Peter Budaj will be in the back up role and he will need to be ready when he gets the call off the bench or to give Vasilevskiy a game off.

The x-factor to the Bolts season is going to be the health of Steven Stamkos. Yes, the Lightning are deep enough that they could battle and make the playoffs if Stamkos should get hurt, but there is no Drouin to help Kucherov pick up the slack this year. Stamkos has been hurt the past few seasons, and just needs to get through this one as healthy as he can. The center is an integral part of the offense especially the power play since he has a great shot that can beat any goalie.

The surprise player is going to be defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev made the team out of camp and preseason, and I think he is going to stick around for the entire season. He can move the puck and skate, which is something that the defense could use in the lineup. Sergachev is slated to be in the top four to start the season so Jon Cooper is giving him every chance to succeed, and he even is giving him power play time. I wouldn't be surprised if he is playing in all situations by the end of the season since he is a solid all around defenseman, who has a good hockey IQ.

Tyler Johnson needs a bounce back season after last season where he struggled to produce. He should bounce back since he is playing with Alex Killorn on a line. Johnson will also spend some time on the second power play unit. Yanni Gourde should have a break out season this year for the Bolts. He had six goals in the 20 games that he played with Tampa Bay last season. If he can play a full season on the third line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat plus get some time on the power play then there is a good chance that he scores at least 15 goals, maybe more. Jon Cooper is under pressure to lead this team back to the playoffs and go deep into the postseason.

The offense is a balanced one and has guys that can produce on every line. They have the talent and the ability to put the puck in the back of the net. Some of the kids may be a little on the younger side, but they have game experience from last year. Vladislav Namestnikov-Steven Stamkos- Nikita Kucherov could be a very dangerous top line since every one has the ability to score and dish the puck to his line mates. If the lines aren't producing then Cooper has the luxury of being able to switch some guys up since they have all played throughout the lineup.

The defense is loaded with veterans and guys that have been around the block. I'm not so sure about the idea of putting Dan Girardi on the top pairing, but that could be because Jake Dotchin sat out most of the preseason for violating a team rule. Victor Hedman is going to have another great season because he can move the puck, quarterback the power play and get the puck through to the front of the net for some deflection chances. The Bolts are going to have its struggles on defense this season, but hopefully the goalies can bail them out when that happens.

The Lightning will get back to the playoffs this year even having to contend with an Eastern Conference. The veteran team knows how to win and will find a way to get back to the postseason, and possibly have a deep run.

3 Things: Panthers vs. Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning will open its season at home against the Florida Panthers tonight at 7:30 p.m. 

Here are three things to watch for in tonight's game: 

1.) Make Bottom Six Beat You- Bolts

The Lightning are going to need to keep the top six forwards of the Panthers off the board. If they can manage to keep them off the board or at least in check then they will have a chance at winning the game, and stealing two important divisional points. The Panthers don't seem to have a lot in the bottom six that would really scare you offensively so the Bolts need to get favorable matchups out tonight especially with last change. If Tampa Bay can keep Jonathan Huberdeau, Sasha Barkov and Vincent Trocheck off the board then they should be in good shape tonight.

2.) Attack the Lightning Defense- Panthers

The Panthers need to get in on the forecheck and pressure the Lightning's defense every time they have the puck. Dan Girardi is being used with Victor Hedman on the top pair for the opening game, and he will turn the puck over if pressured. Mikhail Sergachev is a rookie playing in only his fifth NHL game, so Florida should see if they can rattle him, and hit him at every opportunity they  have. The Lightning defense will turn the puck over, but they can also move the puck well so the Panthers are going to need to get in on the forecheck quick tonight.

3.) Get the First Goal- Bolts & Panthers

Tampa Bay will have the home crowd behind them tonight especially since it is the home opener. The Bolts will need to get the first goal to keep the crowd into the game, and then keep building on the lead. The Panthers need to get the first goal to get the crowd out of the game, and make the Bolts chase the lead. If Florida can manage to get the first goal then they need to build on the lead.