STARRING ROLE

Reading outside reviews is all well and good.
Seeing the teasers, the trailers, can provide an abbreviated glimpse of the show. But only that. Nothing more.
For the full-on experience, you need an open-ended ticket into the theatre, to watch repeated viewings in IMAX and Dolby Stereo Sound.
Noah Hanifin certainly qualifies, having had a front-row seat for over 230 screenings.
"I really got an idea of just what Lindy's capable of a couple years ago at the World Championships,'' the 21-year-old D-man is reminiscing. "Playing for Sweden, with two high-end offensive guys, he was just ripping it up.
"I mean, he bossed it.
"You could certainly see the potential to score points during our years together in Carolina, too. That's kind of a hidden side of his game. Great shot. Great hands. Elite hockey sense.
"So he gets here, then you put him with two elite guys like Johnny and Mony …"

Elias Lindholm is trending right at the moment.
A two-goal, three-point performance during Saturday's morale-boosting 7-4 comeback over the Vancouver Canucks, in his Scotiabank Saddledome debut no less, ensured as much.
As the Flames hustled Thanksgiving morning post-skate to pack up and reach a charter flight bound for Music City, USA, and Tuesday's date with the Nashville Predators (6 p.m. TV: Sportsnet Flames; Radio: Sportsnet 960 THE FAN), Lindholm proved an immensely popular fellow.
Holiday Monday. Scrappy, snowy morning. Just another practice among countless between now and April.
Yet to his surprise, a semicircle of the media greeted his arrival.
"This is a little different than Carolina,'' muses Lindholm, settling in front of the painted backdrop interview area.
Putting on a show, like he did Saturday, makes one a popular guy.
"I don't think anything's surprised me,'' replies Monahan of his linemate. "He's strong in the face-off circle, he thinks the game well.
"That makes things easier for me and Johnny, obviously.
"It's been a lot of fun playing with him."
And vice-versa.
"Obviously,'' concedes Lindholm, "it's been going pretty smooth.
"I wish we had two wins instead of one but last game was a step in the right direction. Keep building and get ready for the Nashville game.
"We all contribute in different ways. We're all smart but Mony scores a lot and Johnny's a smart playmaker. I just try to bring what I can.
"I just try to do my job and work hard out there and try to get open."
Modesty becomes the man. Being the third tenor beside Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo is far more difficult than it might seem. You are, after all, being entrusted with not only maintaining the harmony, but improving on it.
"We've seen it so often over the years: It isn't always a simple thing, playing with two guys who fit together as well as Mony and Johnny do,'' points out assistant coach Martin Gelinas. "People assume: 'Oh, they're so good. Should be easy.'
"It's not.
"But Lindy sees the game so well. He thinks the game so well. He can keep up with Johnny and Mony in those areas. And he's so aware defensively, he can cover up when he has to.
"He's a strong guy, too. Not overly big but sturdy. He can protect the puck, hold onto it that extra second or two to make the right play. And as we saw (Saturday), he can finish when given a chance."

The game-winner against the Canucks was a thing of beauty, something Flames' partisans will hope to see a lot more of this season.
Gaudreau, with those Avatar eyes, spotting Lindholm sneaking in on the far side, hitting the tape and the puck off the Swede's stick in the bat of an eyelash, leaving goaltender Jacob Markstrom no chance.
"For me, it hasn't been that hard,'' a smiling Lindholm protests good-naturedly. "Obviously we want to score a lot of goals. Sometimes we got stuck in the D-zone last game. That's something we've gotta work on.
"You don't want to waste all your energy in the D-zone.
"In Carolina we didn't win so many games, didn't score so many goals. So to play here … it's a great opportunity for me. Hopefully I'll take the next step."
Over his four-year stay in Raleigh, Lindholm's numbers were commendable, if hardly eye-popping - 188 points in 373 GP.
In retrospect, his trademark dependability - that attention to detail on the blue-collar side of the puck - in all likelihood compromised those offensive totals.
"It's all about role,'' points out Hanifin. "In Carolina, he was so good in the face-off circle, so responsible defensively, that that's where we needed him to be.
"Here his role will expand.
"He's a really smart player. Really smart. When you put a smart guy who knows how to be in the right spot, into almost any situation, they're able to adapt to any situation.
"Put a guy like that with Johnny and Sean and you've got the makings of quite a line.
"They already seem to have good chemistry and it can only build the more they play together.
"I think Lindy's going to be an unbelievable player here for a long time."
So take it from someone accustomed to a front-row seat: Settle back.
The show's only just getting started.