Tonight we'll get our first look at Tuomo Ruutu in Carolina red. I'm at a point where I don't know what else to say on the game day previews anymore. Do you want optimism or honesty? Honesty? How about this for honesty (from AP):
Less than three weeks ago, the Carolina Hurricanes and Atlanta Thrashers were tied atop the Southeast Division. When they meet Wednesday at Philips Arena, they'll be separated by two other teams and eight points.
The surging Hurricanes look to extend their division lead, while the fourth-place Thrashers hope to avoid an eighth straight loss as the clubs meet for the sixth time this season.
On Feb. 15, Atlanta won its third in a row to pull even with Carolina at 29-27-4. The Thrashers (29-31-7) haven't won since, going 0-4-3 in their last seven, with all of the non-regulation losses coming in the last three games.
Carolina, meanwhile, has seized a three-point lead over second-place Washington by going 5-2-1 since Feb. 15 and 7-2-1 in its last 10. The Hurricanes (34-29-5) have won four of their last five.
I can sum that up in two words: We're screwed!
I have a big long post half written comparing stats by player etc, it was hella impressive and pretty with colours and charts, but then I went to the doctor and forgot what the damned point I meant to make was.
At this point, we're probably gonna lose tonight. But hey, stranger things have happened. To that end...
Go Captain Pommerdoodle!
And your random hockey quote of the day (which I should actually remember to post here instead of emailing to people):
Tampa Bay's leading scorer, Vincent Lecavalier, swept in on [Marc-Andre] Fleury on a breakaway.
I have no idea what to say about tonight's game, which the puck just dropped on, except that I have a feeling that this game will pave the way for the duration of our season.
If the Stanley Cup Final is hockey's New Year's Eve, today was Christmas.
I spent most of the day with a line into Rawhide, and Wazzy from the Faceoff Hockey Show, thanks to both of them for putting up with me FREAKING THE HELL OUT about the Kari-going-with-Hossa rumours. Once I heard for sure Hoss went to Pitt, I stopped stressing, because if there's any position the Pens are totally covered on, it's in net. DW thank you, thank you, thank you for not trading Kari. I don't think it's possible for me to have been any more freaked out than I most of the day today.
I am completely and utterly baffled by what we did get though. Don't get me wrong, I love Colby Armstrong. He's one of my favourite players to watch, a great personality, and if you want to learn more about him, go to YouTube and watch Chasing the Dream. You haven't lived until you've seen this guy in a cheerleader's uniform. He'll bring a lot of levity to the locker room, as well as toughness to the ice.
Erik Christensen, I really don't know much about. He's another blue collar player along the lines of Perrin, who you know I love, and White, and I'm sure both'll be happy to be reunited with Thorburn and Recchi, their former teammates (what, are we PensSouth now?). Esposito is a fantastic player - at the junior level. I've seen, as I'm sure we all have, way too many players who were the top of the top not make the transition to the pros, so I will reserve any and all judgment on how he might help us in the long run.
Motzko... I got nothin. You'd think I'd have more, living in DC, but I don't. I saw him score his first NHL goal, and it didn't leave any soft of impression. I want to say he's yet another blue collar, gritty player.
Now here's what has left me going WTF. WHERE ARE THE DEFENCEMEN WE SO DESPERATELY NEEDED? Where?! I do not see them anywhere! And I still see the non-defence playing defencemen we had this morning! Someone explain this conundrum to me!
The Caps made all the right moves, although I am totally vexed as to how they intend to carry 3 goalies on their roster, which leads me to believe yet another trade is being finalized. Although, I reckon that since the Caps are playing, uh, now, that it's not bloody likely. But I'm digressing, GMGM did everything right for the Caps, brought them what they needed, and unless the Thrash put up a hell of a fight, the Caps will win the division, and undoubtedly go deep in the playoffs. Frankly, I have little doubt they'll go deep without capturing the division.
So what do we do? Can we win the division? Yes, absolutely. We have the ability. But ability does not always translate to getting it done, and not only does our defence need to step their game up by about 1000%, but Kari's going to need to hunker down, and carry the team on his back. Which means no more crappy goals. No more slow reflexes. No more off-timing. No more bad turnovers. Now is the time for greatness. And greatness does not begin with leaving your five-hole gaping because you're out of position after a flurry.
I think right now is the appropriate time for my favourite redneck expression: If you can't run with the big dogs, then stay on the porch.
Get it done, boys.
But on the other hand, at least we're not the Sabres and didn't get totally fucked by Darcy Reiger....
So off the bat, we've got more wins. And let's not kid ourselves, the Leafs are the worst team in the league right now. Bad enough that the biggest rumour surrounding them is that their longtime captain is going to be dealt by the deadline. That's pretty rough. But the thing is, if the Thrash don't respect an opponent, they play like shit against them. See: New York Islanders. Regardless of the Leafs suckitude at this point, the boys have to go into the ACC respecting and fearing this team, as the Leafs have nothing to lose, which leads to some pretty crazy hockey at times. Desperate times call for desperate measures, on everyone's part.
There are 20 games remaining in the season. Being 5 points behind division leading Carolina, if the boys lose to a team like the Leafs, what hope in hell do they have of making the post season? Slim to none, and slim just left town. I think tonight's game will be very telling. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Lehtonen telling the press that the first period of the last game was a joke, and his clear ire at their lack of effort. At this point, I would not be the least bit surprised were I to learn Kari is hoping to get traded off this team, and onto one that takes the game seriously.
I have no hope for this game. I want to believe, but they've made it very difficult. I believe in Lehtonen, but judging by his last game, even he is starting to lose faith in himself, and the team in front of him.
I have no prediction for this game, because at this point, you may as well flip a coin to guess a winner. But here's to hoping.
Why we can win: - The Canes lost their last game to the B's in the shootout, after mounting an incredible last-minute comeback. - We have beaten them 4 out of the last 5 visits to RBC. - Half their team is sick with the deathflu going around. - When our team actually shows up to play, we're pretty damned good. - 4 days off to rest and reflect - Brind'amour is gone for the season, most likely.
Why we might lose: - The Canes mounted an incredible last minute comeback against the B's in their last game, overcoming a 2 goal deficit in :36. - That awesome 39 shot discrepancy. - 10 SOG in 1 game. - 4 days off to rest and reflect. - Will-he-or-won't-he distraction of Hossa.
Why we'll probably win: - Kari Lehtonen
I've said it for a while, and now other media is saying the same thing. If this team makes the post season, it will be on the back and the strength of the beloved Finn netminder. He's stepped his game up. Maybe the team will consider stepping theirs up for him.
During the 4 day break (TOO LONG!!), Carolina, Washington and Florida all hooked us up by losing every game they played. Granted, Carolina and Washington both lost once in OT, giving them a precious point and locking in non-shared standings. Let's hope Kari has put the fear of God (or MadKari) into the team, and they bring their A game. 2 points would be so nice, especially in the proverbial 4 point game.
Well I for one am super 'cited for tonight's matchup! Mostly cause I will actually be able to SEE the game - providing we get power back after last night's ice storm knocked it out. I digress.
At this point, anything can really happen in this game. We can analyze stats, numbers, W/L records, SOGs, saves, historical results between the two teams, but really at this point what I think it is going to come down to is; how good is Kari going to be? How good are our snipers going to be? If Kari can keep Alex & Co. out of the net, and our boys do their thing (Kovy, Hoss, I'm looking at you, but Tobi, Rex, Todd, Perrsy, don't think I'm not glancing your way as well!), we can easily beat this team. When you get down to it, they have three, maybe 5 great players, and a bunch of mediocre players - the 2 Sashas, Mike Green, Olie, and Gordon. However, an unknown is getting tossed into the mix. Finn Sami Lepisto has been called into action for tonight's game. Surprisingly, I know nothing about this guy. We have some mutual friends, but I can't speak much of his hockey - I just know he's a defenceman. Maybe I'll spend some time looking up his stats.
Anyway, point of the matter is, we're in a dire need of the 2 points from the proverbial 4 point game. If the Caps win, they're 3 points ahead of us, and able to start building a buffer. Can Not Happen. Welcome to the stretch drive, dear readers, where every game is a seeming must-win.
Based on the team's play of late, as well as Kari's oft-recounted spectacular numbers since the all-star game (I won't rehash them here, I'm sure you find them, uh, everywhere?), if the boys bring their A game, there ain't a single reason in the world we can't repeat the game on the 2nd. Thrash by 1.
I could only hate the Canucks more if they changed to red and white and called themselves the Red Wings. The only thing I come close to liking about that team is Taylor Pyatt, but not even that is salvation enough.
We can analyze stats all we want, but the fact of the matter is, the boys hardly ever play the Nucks. And the Nucks are on a streak where they are tanking, in a big way. Like, 3 losses in a row, 2 of them to the Kittens and the Bolts. Srsly. That's comedy gold right there.
I haven't seen anything official but 99% chance Moose gets the net against his former team, so it doesn't matter what Kari's done against them. Moose's stats, surprisingly not so hot now that I look at them - 9GA in 41 shots and 2 games for a .780/4.51.... You know, maybe they should start Kari instead..... Just a thought.
F*&k the Nucks. Nuxors suxors! Thrash by 2.
1756ETA: Kari's getting the start. Let's go Thrashers!
Also, Rawhide informed me today that, I guess you need a Google/Blogger account to comment here. Which could explain my lack of comments? Anyway, that's disabled now. Everyone may comment! It is commentpalloza! Free for all commenting insanity! Commentblog! Which also leaves me entitled to delete your comment if you're being a tool. So don't be a tool. Thx.
The Flyers will be looking for their eighth straight victory over the Thrashers when the teams meet on Tuesday night.
Philadelphia (29-17-5) has not lost to Atlanta since a 6-5 overtime loss at home on Nov. 18, 2005. The Flyers have not lost in regulation to theThrashers since a 4-1 defeat in Atlanta on Dec. 21, 2003, going 11-0-1 since then.
Since the Thrashers (26-25-4) entered the league in 1999, the Flyers are 23-3-1 with three ties against them, including a 12-2-1 mark at Philips Arena. Philadelphia has won the first two meetings this season by a combined score of 8-1.
..... OK. So... wow. That's painful. 23-3-1 huh... 11-0-1 since 2003. I see. Well. I don't want to be overly optimistic, but uh, I can see us winning tonight. I just have one of those feelings. KL's got the hot hand, the boys are stepping it up without Kovy, and the d-men (excepting Klee and Tobi, who've always been on it) are playing D. Sort of. OK mostly it's Kari in a shooting gallery, who'm I kidding. If Lehts is still hot, look for the W. I'll need to see a couple of his saves to determine if he's still on his game though. What the hell, Thrash by 1.
EDIT, from Ben:
Kari Lehtonen is indeed starting tonight and will go toe-to-toe with Antero Nittymaki. Kari didn't know he was facing him until Craig Custance asked him about it in the locker room. Kari's eyes lit up when he heard the news.
"He's playing tonight?" Kari asked with a grin from ear to ear. Kari normally doesn't talk much on game days but he was happy to talk about Nitty (as they call him in Philly). The two are friends and rivals, but so far Nittymaki has won every game in North America (both in the NHL and the AHL where the two faced off for the Wolves and Phantoms). Kari has beaten him though. It was in Finland in the Junior A finals in 2000 when Nittymaki was recalled from the senior team. Kari was 15 at the time, so it's been a while.
Dear JL, I love you baby! Don't hate me! I calls it like I sees it!
Before I get into the game day, I have to point something absurd out. This is a humiliating stat for our game:
New York — Ratings for the NHL All-Star game increased from last year.
Sunday's game which was played in Atlanta's Philips Arena and aired on Versus drew a .8 rating, up 14 percent from the .7 last season.
The game drew 796,717 viewers.
The Ice Bowl put up a 2.6 rating, with a 5 share, meaning 5% of the people watching TV at that time were watching the game. Five percent. That's enormous. They don't even list the share for the All-Star game. It's starting to look like not even NHL fans care about the ASG anymore. Moving on.
In the magical world I live in, where the sky is pink, and we eat ice cream cones with kitties and puppies while riding unicorns over rainbows, the Thrash haven't had a game since 15th January, when they completely dominated the best team in the NHL. Since that game, they've been out played, embarrassed, and schooled. They've left Kari out to dry and gotten him benched, "just in case they don't show up again." To add insult to injury, Kovy didn't do much of anything in the All-Star game, except get stoned spectacularly by Nabby. Hoss quietly put up a goal few people have talked about in the shadow of Savvy's GWG.
Despite Bing being out with a high ankle sprain, the Pens have held on and gone 2-1-1 since he added the prestigious "IR" after his name. They've also put up 14 goals in that span, after only putting up 13 in the previous 4 with Bing playing.
Soooo... basically we're fucked. Unless, you know, the Thrashers decide they actually want to play hockey, which hasn't really seemed to be high on their list of priorities in the past 5 games. I'll be honest, I'm not holding my breath. But I'd love to be proven wrong. Who knows, maybe Lehts did punch all his teammates in the balls and get his point across. One can hope.
In my infinite wisdom, I put down 5 million on this game. Against my better judgment. If the Thrash lose, that's all my betting money down the toilet. Which, of course, no one but me cares about. But that should say something. I believe in this team enough to put everything I've got on the line in their favour. Do they believe in themselves as much as I do? Has the whole "Believe in Blueland" hype become rote to them? Become the picture in the frame they no longer see? Become that word that, said over and over again, has become meaningless?
The four guys on this team that I have absolute faith in, as of this moment in time, are Kari, Moose, Perrsy and Tobi. The rest? I have faith, but it's not blind faith. I know, without question, that those 4 guys will show up every single night, and do their best, and work their asses off for this team. Sometimes Kari and Moose will get dejected and lose focus, but mostly, they're on point.
There needs to be some accountability on this team, and there hasn't been.
(OK, PAUSE! I ned to be a 12 year old for a second. I was on nhl.com to check standings and stuff, and this headline just LEAPT off the page at me: Wang gets joy from giving Did I mention I'm mentally 12? MOVING ON)
Are you kidding me? Seriously, are you effin' kidding me? The Panthers - THE PANTHERS, PEOPLE - are one point behind us with a game in hand. We need to win this game tonight, period. No ifs, no ands, no buts. We need to vault back into 2nd, pray we can shoot for and hold onto first to win the division, and never discuss how close the Panthers came to surpassing us again. We won't hit .500 by the break, but 1 below is close enough.
Get it done, boys. Get back your dignity and pride, stand up and be accountable, and be the damned team we all know you're capable of. Believe in yourselves. If you don't, why should we? FWH's favourite defenceman-who's-been-shafted, Steve Eminger, is one game shy of the big 200 mark. Congrats, Emmy... we hope you won't have to wait too long for it.
This is another one of those ones that'll be interesting for me. I loved the Oil with an undying passion for a very long time. My sweetie (Tater) was drafted by them and plays in their system. However, when they traded away first Ryan Smyth, then Jason Smith (arguably my current favourite NHL player), my faith in the organisation shattered, my love for them crumbled, and if it weren't for the Tater Tot, I wouldn't give 2 shits less about the Oilers anymore. Mostly I don't anyway, only for his sake. I told him this should be interesting for all the shit talking this game will bring about. So let it commence!
The Oilers activated Matt Greene off IR the other day, but whether he'll be in the lineup, I've no idea (ETA: Tater says Greene's been assigned to reconditioning, so he will not be playing in Blueland tonight). Um. Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff are both going to the All-Star game (Horc? Really? Is he the new Rory Fitzpatrick or is he doing that well?). And the best punchline of all, the Oil lost to the Caps in a demoralizing 12 round shootout the other night. Think Rolly the Goalie will get the start? Or will it be Garon?
Given the state of the last game in Buffalo (and that'll be the last time I think I ever refer to that clusterfuck on ice), I think in all this game'll be tough, it'll be chippy, there's gonna be a lot of hitting, it'll move fast, and either there's gonna be a crapload of penalties by both teams, or hardly any at all. I'm hoping for the latter. I hope Waddell starts Lehtonen today. That Detroit game proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how great this kid is, despite what happened in Buffalo. Yes I'm saying I told you so. You got a problem with that? Goooood. Thought not.
When I asked the tater for his opinion on the game, this was his press-ready reply (god I love when he thinks I'm actually a member of the press):
"Should be an exciting game. If the Oilers can slow down Kovalchuk's speed, and take away his options they will have a better chance of winning."
I'll say, Thrash in OT/shootout. Tater says 3-2 Oil. Let the games begin!
Small note: dishNetwork is not listing the game as being broadcast on their guide, although the main Centre Ice channel is listing it as being shown. In approximately 6 minutes, there will either be a WHOLE lot of cussing coming from my general part of the world, or, well, I will be sending dish a strongly worded letter on how to program their damned guides better. That is all.
Adjourd'hui, nous jousons a les habitants. I mean, we play the Habs. Hm. What to say, what to say. Carey Price was waived down to the Bulldogs, which leaves... um... Do they still have Yann Danis? I have no idea who's on the Habs except my darling Sergei. So um. Yeah I should go research this, huh?
Oh, while I do that - I won 6.86 million facebook dollahs on that Detroit game, 6.86 odds, ahahahahahahaha! Take THAT Detroit!
Ahaha, I love this, from the NHL.com preview: A season that had the potential to be over very quickly for the Atlanta Thrashers now holds the possibility of a second straight division title. I know tha's right! Represent! Heh. Moving on.
Oh, right. Oo-eh is their goalie. Hm. Well, this'd be our third time in a row beating them and if there's anything this team seems to like it's streaks. Coming off the high of beating the snot out of the Wings in "Hockeytown" I would dare say the Thrash are near-unstoppable right now, especially by the Habs (tebya lyublyu, Serzhya!). However, the Canadiens are ranked 1st in the NHL on the power play, so the team will have to be extra careful to stay out of the box.
Kari's starting. And even with the arsenal of snipers such as David Booth, Greg Campbell and Steve Montador, I'm gonna go ahead and give advantage to the Thrash by 2. In fact, I put 5 million on the Thrash on Facebook. Have faith, dear readers. I rarely steer you wrong. Every great now and again. Usually when I forget to do the preview.
Since I'm half assing it, I leave you with my favourite hockey quote of all time:
"We know that hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death. Life is just a place where we spend time between games." -- Fred Shero
Amen, brother.
Also, I just saw someone came here looking for info on the FBI/Secret Service hockey game. It's from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday at SkateQuest Reston. I don't know for sure, and their website isn't a damned bit of help, but I'm pretty sure admission is free. Kozzie and Mo from the Caps will be there signing autographs as well.
Also, hey remember that rumour from this morning? Yeah, haha, um, whoops? TSN reports:
RDS.ca is reporting that Ovechkin had agreed to a six-year extension worth $54 million, however a source close to the story has stated that nothing is finalized.
The Calder Trophy winner is having another outstanding season for the Capitals, leading the team with 32 goals, 52 points and a +6 rating. He is currently 9th in the NHL in scoing. In 206 career games, the Moscow born sniper has fired home 130 goals and picked up 120 assists.
Ovechkin, who was selected first overall by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, was set to become a restricted free-agent at the end of the season. This season he is earning $3.83 million.
Well all righty then! Go Sasha with your $9mUS a year! But if you don't sign with the Caps, come to Atlanta! Bring Sasha Vanilla and play with Kovy!
Did you see that Pens game last night? No? Go download it immediately from CIF Nation (link on the right). Jarkko Ruutu beat the CRAP out of Darcy Tucker (who can't get behind that, am I right??)...
Bugsy Malone took on Mark "I might be drunk" Bell...
And Evgeni "It's Genya, not Geno, damn it!" Malkin put up his first career hattrick.
Plus, Bob Errey said "pile of crap" on national TV and that's always full of awesome. And, and!!! JFK, Geno and Syks put up 3 goals in :48. That's 48 seconds. Which is like, 1 goal every 16 seconds. Wow go Pens. USA Today may have been right!
God I feel like I was just writing about playing the Candy Canes... oh wait, I was! The 2nd home-and-home series in 4 games. Weird, weird, weird. This doesn't happen often, the back to back home-and-homes, so let's hope some circumstantial juju will help the boys pull a win tonight.
Factors:
Back in Blueland; 7th man advantage.
Thrash won the last one.
In which Kovy had 4 points
Kovy also has 24 points in 33 games v the Canes, his most against any team
Team's never won 3 in a row v the Canes.
They seem to play too passively in the 3rd. This needs to be stepped up to hold onto any leads, and/or (re)gain leads.
Ward and Grahame are both struggling right now.
All-Star weekend is 3 weeks from now - putting Atlanta into the NHL spotlight, at least in theory.
Thrash are 2nd place in the S/E, 3 points behind the Canes.
If the Thrash can win tonight without going into OT and giving the Canes the extra point, they'll be 1 point away from the division lead, with a game in hand. I don't know, can you think of any better motivators to do the damn thing?
Also, cool tip from Ben for tonight's broadcast:
Tonight's game will feature a pretty cool thing on the the TV broadcast. In the second period, the two TV analysts (Darren Eliot for Atlanta and Tripp Tracy for Carolina) will switch booths, and provide some "enemy perspective."
Should make for some good TV...if you can't make it to Philips tonight, be sure to check it out. In Atlanta, the game is on SportSourth.
I still don't know who is in net tonight for the boys in Blue, but I'm assuming Hedberg, since he has the money record against the Canes. Nonetheless, I'll go with Thrash by 1.
Let's play the IF game, hm? IF the Thrash don't take a lot of penalties.... IF they can shut down the Canes until the 2nd, and play hard in the 2nd... IF Johnny Grahame gets the start... IF the boys bring their A game... IF the Wonder Twins aren't paired up together... IF Kari gets the start AND has gotten over his brother going back home to Finland....
Then the Thrash can win.
From the AP: The Hurricanes closed out 2007 with their second straight loss, 4-1 against the New York Islanders on Monday. They gave up all four goals in the second period two days after yielding three goals in the second in a 4-1 loss at Columbus.
I just bet a million (facebook) dollars on the Thrashers today, so there you go. There's my game day preview. Boston gunning for it's franchise 18,000th goal or whatever, game's in TDNorth, which frequently sees its fans dressed as seats and the Thrash are on some kind of streak/vendetta/mission. Man, I would totally love to see Tuuka Raask today in net, but I'm pretty sure he got sent to Providence when they brought Auld over from.... wherever he was playing before. I LOVE the battle of the Finnish tendies!
I will say there's an unknown of the B's wanting retribution for getting their asses handed to them Saturday night, and were it any other team, I'd say they fear getting embarrassed in front of their home crowd, but I think their home crowd is less than 5,000 people on any given day so, maybe not so much a factor. Guess we'll see, eh? I'm listening at work. You should join me!
27 December 2007
Craig writes;
Sounds like Kari Lehtonen will get the start again against Florida, although Don said they hadn’t finalized anything. But based on a quick conversation, I sensed he was leaning that way.
Y'all know I love Kari like a fat kid love cake, but honestly I am torn between benching him in favour of Heddy, and letting him play. When a goalie is hot, you've got to let him play. And one crappy game doesn't ruin an entire hot streak. Additionally, you've quite a fragile ego in the net. Do you run the risk of sitting him to teach him a lesson, or do you let him play, knowing that what's going through his own mind is probably worse than any other punishment you can lay on him?
Personally, I say let him play. Of COURSE I say it, this is Kari central. But on top of that, it's the fucking Kittens. The joke of not only the Southeast Division, but really, the entire league. Oh fuck this, I'm just going to dig up an old pregamer, change the stats to reflect appropriately and we'll call it a day.
The Panthers suck. Sorry if you like them, but they're a joke of a team. The only things they've got going for them are Jay Bouwmeester on D, Vokoun in net, and Jokinen up front. (coincidentally, we just went to check something on their site and see that those three are also nominated for the All-Star balloting... coincidence?) Not even the great Roberto Luongo could make this team look good, and Todd Bertuzzi opted to spend most of his season there injured/healing rather than put on that sweater. Vokoun is the only reason they've won any games at all.
From the AP: After coming out flat their last time out, a home matchup against the Kittens might be what the Thrash need to get back on track.
The Thrashers look to win their 12th straight home game over the Panthers on Thursday night at Philips Arena.
Atlanta (18-18-1) lost to Columbus 2-0 on Wednesday, snapping a four-game winning streak. The Thrashers had scored 15 goals during their run, but managed just 21 shots in the loss.
The Thrashers try to bounce back against the Panthers at home, where they haven't lost to them since Oct. 25, 2003. Atlanta has outscored Florida 45-22 over that span. The Thrashers also have won eight of 10 games over the Panthers since the start of last season, including both meetings this season.We're sure some uppity Panthers fan (do the Panthers HAVE fans?) will find this and post some snotty comment, so go ahead. We throw down the gauntlet and welcome it. Prove to us how the Panthers are anything resembling competent without those three guys, and we'll show you a pee-wee team that'll hand them their asses after putting on a clinic.
If the boys bring their A-game, and play like they can, then we'll pick the Thrash by 2.
Basically, the Thrash are going into the... where the hell do the BJs play? United Center? Is that Chicago? Wherever, I don't care enough to look it up. The Thrash are coming in on a 4-0-0 streak with a hot goaltender, and a team playing up to its potential. The BJs are welcoming them with uh... well not a hell of a lot. They have Rick Nash, I hear. Yet, I'm always reminded of what Triz said about him once:
For a pudgy little bastard Rick Nash sure can play some hockey. Maybe it's Tkachuk Syndrome. Who knows? I can't believe this guy is fit enough to walk to his mailbox in the morning without getting winded and passing out let alone play 60 minutes of hockey.
Rick's from the generation of London Knights that are like a year before our time, so we're obligated to talk shit. The 05-07 Knights, you don't play, those our boys (See: Kostitsyn, Sergei).
Anyway, the BJs have a tubby forward, um, some Ricci-ugly dude from Colorado who should've retired like 3 years ago, some old Russian guy who probably should retire before he goes down in flames, and um. Who? Zherdev? And Fredrik "Ain't no fuckin' way that dude is taking Kari's job in Moscow" Norrena. Right. Let's look at the BJs record and play of late. From the AP but slightly edited:
The Blue Jackets have lost four of six in Columbus, including two of three on their current four-game homestand after Sunday's 3-1 loss to Nashville. 05-07 Knight Fritsche (we love him!) scored, but other than that, the team was scoreless in four power-play chances to fall to 5-for-56 in man-advantage opportunities over the last 13 games. Columbus is tied with Phoenix for the third-fewest goals scored in the league with 84. The Blue Jackets have managed four goals in their last four games, winning just once in that stretch.
This team started hot and ... that was about all they had. Do you know what the Vegas lines are for this thing?! COLUMBUS u5½-1355½ point underdogs, and you'd have to lay $135 down to win $100 on them. Ridiculous. Only the Isles have equally shitty lines today.
For the record, I dropped 500k on the Thrash again.
So... I'm thinking.... I'm thinking.... Thrashers by 3.
Ah yes, les Habitants. One of the most storied franchises in the NHL. Have you heard that old joke?
Q: What's the difference between the Leafs and the Habs? A: The Habs have a color photo of their last Cup win.
This one is hard to predict. The Habs have Cristobal "Ooh-eh" Huet back in net after missing 7 games with a groin pull, and have rookie tender Carey "It's Carey, not Kari" Price ready to take the ice should Huet tire. Thursday night Huet made his return and helped the Habs put up a 5-2 win against the Caps, turning away 35 shots without fatiguing. Additionally, Huet is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA lifetime against the Thrash.
However, the Thrash are hot. Kari is hot - 4-2-0 with 2.87 GAA since his return, and .913% in the last five. Kovy, Rex, Hoss, and Perrin are all hot, with 6 points in 5 games, 5 in 5, 5 in 4, and 4 in 4, respectively. Additionally, the team met, and possibly broke, the franchise record of SOG in the game v Ottawa, with 45. Hellooooo shooting gallery! The team as a whole is hot. So let's look at some stats real quick (like we haven't been thus far?):
Career v. Montreal
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
GTG
SOG
SH %
Hossa
39
6
18
24
-2
16
0
0
2
0
136
4.4
Kovalchuk
21
6
10
16
-1
14
3
0
0
1
81
7.4
Kozlov
30
14
11
25
14
14
3
0
2
0
98
14.3
Recchi
45
8
26
34
2
2
3
0
2
0
112
7.1
And of course, Kari's stats:
GP
MIN
W
L
T
OT
GA
SA
SO
GAA
SV %
Career vs. MTL
4
243
2
2
0
0
11
129
0
2.72
.915
The W/L columns don't speak fantastically of his record, however looking at the GAA and especially the SV%, it bodes well.
In the end, we can analyze stats and watch tape and read tea leaves and hypothesize until the cows come home, but ultimately it all comes down to what is basically chaos theory. It's wholly unpredictable in scientific terms, which is why there are so many upsets in sports. But given the state of Blueland right now, given the Habs are coming into Blueland, given this is the last game in Blueland before (North American) Christmas, I'll go ahead and say Thrash by 2 (I laid down a half-mill this morning on the game). This team is hot and there's absolutely no reason for them to not come away with 2 points.
And I am loving these two quotes:
"This was the game [v. Ott] that I needed to come up big at the end when the game was on the line. That helps me," Lehtonen said.
"That's two games in a row that he's risen to the challenge," coach Don Waddell said. "Certainly, those two games he's played extremely well, and we won both games."
Thanks for pointing that out, Coach. You can expect your Captain Obvious cape under the tree Tuesday morning. OK, OK, one more Habs joke:
One cold winter day a couple of kids were playing hockey on Rideau Canal and a vicious dog ran up and started biting one of the kids' legs. Thinking fast the other kids took his hockey stick and started beating the dog until it was dead.
A news reporter for the Ottawa Sun was walking by and saw the entire incident and came runny up to the kids. He pulled out his memo book and starts writing: "Little Sens fan saves boy from vicious dog." The boy said, "I'm not a Sens fan."
The reporter said, "Oh since you lived in Kanata I just figured you were," and crosses out what he had written and started to write again: "Little Renegades fan saves boy from vicious dog." And again the boy said, "I'm not a Gades fan."
The reporter thinks for a minute and said, "Oh since you live in Kanata I figured you were either a Gades fan or a Sens fan, who do you cheer for?" The boy replied, "I'm a Habs fan." So the reporter flipped to a different page and started to write: "Little French bastard kills beloved family pet."
Yes, I'm well aware I'm going to hell if the Habs should win.
So... if you pray? Now maybe would be the time to start asking your higher power for a little help for the boys in Blueland. That said, I dropped 50k on the Thrash for tonight's game, so clearly I'm either out of my mind, or I just have one of those feelings of mine. Here's how I see this matchup right now.
Kari's in a zone. Everything about his game the other night was near-perfection. All the big players are playing exactly how we expect them to, they're all connecting, the power play isn't looking half bad, and even though we've lost all 3 of the matchups against Ottawa this season, we also haven't played them yet with Rex on the roster. Once again, Rex is a beast against them as an opponent - 59 games, 46 points, 144 shots. And here's the thing. The Sens are down puckblocking machine Anton "I need new nickname" Volchenkov, as well as Mike "I haven't really done much this season" Fisher.
If our defence can keep the shots to a minimum and try and shut down the top line of Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson, and if our top scorers bring their A-game, and if Waddell gives Kari the start (dude, did you SEE Johan last game? You'd be insane not to. Seriously, who lets in 5 on 19?), I honestly believe the boys in blue can walk away with 2 without sacrificing 1. Like I said, I put 50k down.
Thrashers by 1. Now I'm off to check the starting lines and see if Kärppä is indeed our starter.
I'm a posting fool today because I've kind of been neglecting the blog, and you, darling reader. I'm so sorry. Please don't break up with me, and move onto some other pointless blog that talks mostly about Kari. We've been through so much! And man do you look good today. Did you do your hair different or something? Looks great! Keep it up.
I'm digressing.
God, is it gameday already? Where has the time gone? Didn't the boys JUST get their asses handed to them by Ottawa, like, yesterday? No wait, that was Saturday. And probably again tomorrow! But we'll get to that tomorrow.
So tonight the Thrash face the Bolts. This is pretty much a meeting of "teams with no defence." (See: Calgary v Tampa 12/13/07) And much like Calgary in the West, with Phaneuf, we're in possession of the best open-ice hitter in the Eastern Conference (X. Come on, stick with me, here!). The Bolts have... um. Well they've got St Louis, Lecav and Richards sucking up 40% of their salary and putting up 43% of the team's goals. So the key here is obviously going to be shutting them down. And by shutting them down, I don't mean relying on Kari (Heddy?) to stop them. I mean, you know, playing defencively, and not allowing them to get the shots off, or even blocking shots! Novel concept, I know. Here, I'll let Anton "I stop pucks" Volchenkov illustrate:
Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images
See? Yeah, it's painful, but hey! It works! Maybe our boys should give it more of a try? Just sayin'.
Also, we've got the Wrecking Ball in the house now, and career, he has 48 points in 53 games against the Bolts, which ain't bad by a long shot. So really, the objective tonight is to shut down Tampa's top line, let Rex do his thang, minimize the penalties taken, don't make our goaltender the lone defenceman, and we should come out of this with two points.
Prediction: Thrashers by 1.
Small side note: Kari's older brother is in town, (Moikka, Kimmo! Mitä kuuluu? Mieluinen jotta Atlanta!) so should Kari take the start tonight, I'd imagine he'll be playing with quite a bit of pride. Likelihood is for Hedberg to start though, with Lehts taking the ice for tomorrow's game against Ottawa. I should actually check AJC and I'd probably know these things, huh?
Before I go... do you watch football? Did you watch the Browns/Bills game Sunday? Probably not, huh? Well, you missed the greatest field goal in the history of EVAR. Let me set the scene: In Buffalo, snowing like it's the end of the world, 4" already on the field, the wind blowing in off the lake at 40MPH. And Phil Dawson trots out onto the field to do what Phil Dawson does best: Kick the living CRAP out of that ball, 49 yards, kicked AWAY from the uprights, and IN! AND! The ball hit off the support bar of the goal post after going through the uprights. This is a crappy video, but check it out:
And just so you really get the full feel of how much snow there was, here's QB Derek Anderson diving into the snow after the kick (hey, the Browns clinched! You'd be snow-diving too!).
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Just a reminder, this is the same town the Winter Classic will be held in, in exactly 13 days! Bring it!
It's brutal out there - people tryin' to knock you down, shake you up, make you quit. It's called hockey. Sound familiar? It's a lot like life. You want to succeed? You gotta be tough, stand up for yourself. Sometimes you dish it out. Other times? You gotta take it. But you keep. Getting. Up. No matter how much it hurts. Give up? Give in? Wha? Pft, yeah, right. Never! Rough stuff? Hey, you gotta defend yourself and your friends. That's what it's all about. That's. What friends. Do. Yeah it's aggressive, and I like it. Why? Because. I. Get it.
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