Lightning Strikes Anew

The preview for the 2010-2011 NHL season is almost at an end.  Just four more teams to go, and almost two weeks to go before the season begins.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING


2009-2010 record: 34-36-12 (80 points)
Did not qualify for the playoffs
Captain: Vincent Lecavalier
Alternate captains: Mattias Ohlund, Martin St. Louis

3 players to watch:  The present of the Lightning is Martin St. Louis.  He doesn't get the headlines that Vincent Lecavalier does, but he is one of the most productive players on the team.  His mentorship to Steven Stamkos ensures that the team will be well off in the future.  Speaking of the future, Stamkos is the representation of all that the Lightning can become.  A 50 goal season in his sophmore year is just the beginning of what could be a bright future.  Anything approaching 40 this year would be ideal for Stamkos.  Goal is the team's biggest question mark, and the team hopes it can answer it with Dan Ellis.  Having lost his job in Nashville to Pekka Rinne, he will be motivated to prove his worth.

Things to look for: Offesnively, the team looks good on paper.  Of course, any team that has Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, and Simon Gagne should be able to at least, coax 30 goals a piece from the foursome.  Depth at the forward spot is thin, but if the four produce as they should, then that could cover up this issue to a degree.  The blue line is better than it was two seasons ago, but the Lightning is still a ways off from contending.  Continued development from Victor Hedman and a return of sorts from Mattias Ohlund would help out here.  Ellis and Mike Smith are contending for the starting spot in goal, and both have a lot to prove.  Smith struggled last year, and on occasion, was spelled by Antero Niitymaaki, who is now in San Jose.  Ellis was knocked out of the starting spot in Nashville and seeks to prove that he can still be a starter in the league.  If nothing else, the Lightning should be more stable from top to bottom, as office issues clouded the team's performance the last few years.

Prediction: 5th in the East

Song: Widow-An American Werewolf in Raleigh

Yes, I am aware of the fact that the Lightning play in Florida, but that isn't going to stop me from putting this song up for the team.  One front office change later, the Lightning is a new team, much in the same way that someone is a new creature after a transformation into a werewolf.

Heavy Metal Night

I know this is a little late, as it happened Friday night, but nonetheless, here is a recap of Friday night's festivites, hereby dubbed Heavy Metal Night.  Most of this piece will be related to the show, so if you want to ask me what happened outside of the show, sorry about your damn luck.  You should have been there.

The show itself happened at the Riot Room, which is a small venue in Kansas City that holds about 250 people.  Of the bands that were listed on the flyer, only three showed up: Seventh Calling, Widow, and Ravisher.  The attendance was rather sparse, which if you've followed the metal scene in Kansas City for a while, isn't much to write home about, as it seems to be a regular occurrence.  For those that were at the show, it was less of an actual show and more of a backyard party where everyone knows one another.  Before the show, the Widow band members decided to get something to eat along with a few other people, including me.  At one point, there were ten people, but once the table was decided upon, two got squeezed out and a short time later, two more people exited, leaving three of the Widow members, me, and a couple of the locals.

As for the show itself, the opening act Ravisher from Topeka put on a fairly decent set, but could use some stage presence.  That will sort itself out, as it appears that the band is relatively inexperienced when it comes to live shows.  Widow was next, and those who were there were treated to a great show.  Playing songs from all three of their albums, as well as a song from the forthcoming album, the band also had a little fun with the audience.  Seventh Calling ended the evening with their brand of power metal.  Like Widow, Seventh Calling is no stranger to Kansas City, and their music went over well with the people that were there.

Note: if you're looking for some videos of the event, look in the youtube channel pucksandrocks.