If only I'd'a.....

done a series preview - which is just not my thing anymore, sorry, but probably should've been in this instance since the only other team I really love and follow is the B's (sorry Buffaloes, you fell off the radar) - I would've told you exactly who will be trouble for us: Kess, Savvy, Krejci, Lucic, and Ryder. I did not see that Valabik/Chara fight coming, and that was pretty cool, that Valabik got to fight a famed countryman. When I say "got to fight" I hope you know that's a euphemism for "praying to god Chara didn't pound his nose down his throat." But he held his own, and he didn't kiss the ice, which is always a good way to end a fight. As for the rest of the game, there were moments of goodness. One or two of greatness (Oyster, I'm looking at you). But there were also moments when I thought, if there is any hope in hell of this team winning a game again any time soon, Kari needs to come back ASAP. Despite whatever flaws the public at large may perceive with him, he is used to playing for this team. Ondrej does not know yet how to fend for himself, and Moose is clearly easily rattled these days. First shot on him after the crowd started singing to him, and he let the goal in. Nice. But c'mon. Let's be honest here. They played the Bruins. They're #1 in the East. I believe the Thrashers are #30 in the NHL. This was not the weekend for that blind squirrel to find his nut.



And you know, while possibly not yet ready to be hung out to dry and having to work his ass off for 60:00 straight, I'm hoping to hear Kari's in Chicago by Wednesday. And I hope to see the slow train into town from Chicago, which seems to be dropping off a kid a day. I like how this is happening. Are players going missing? Mysteriously landing on IR? Being shipped out on the midnight bus to Flagstaff or Crooked Stick? Wherever man. Keep bringing the kids. Whatever is going on, the team is starting to get its collective shit together.

On that note and tying in with an earlier parenthetical comment, well played, Oyster. You got moves, kid. And I'd like to congratulate the team on going down 3-0, and not collapsing. That's progress guys. Baby steps, okay?

And to finish on a more personal note - can ANYONE tell me why I can't just buy the chex cereal with the chex mix spices on it? I don't LIKE the bagel chips and the pretzels and the.... beady cracker looking things. I buy a 15 oz bag of Chex Mix and wind up with like a cup of just the chex cereal thingies and that is just BULLSHIT.

Oh, almost finished. I'm starting a pool for when Kari'll start playing again. As mentioned earlier, I'll make the first pick of "Wednesday, Chicago." You give me the +/- and the location. The winner gets THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING OUR FRANCHISE GOALIE IS COMING BACK TO US HALLELUJAH AND PRAISE THE LORD, CAN I GET AN AMEN?!

Ooh, look! "A Christmas Story" is on!