Thursday, October 23, 2008
That was awfully nice...
Well, when i rolled up to the bar I had an o.k. feeling about the game. I figured we were coming off a good win in Vancouver and scored some gritty goals so we should keep up that intensity. We did.
First off, another incredible game from Brian Campbell. He's playing like a man possessed and I think that his confidence and patient work with the puck is invaluable to a team that was having trouble entering the offensive zone the first three games of the year. He is the most positionally sound player on this team and is ALWAYS where he needs to be. You wanna talk about overpaying? I will take anyone on that thinks we are paying Brian Campbell a cent more than what he is worth to this team. Sure, he sounds like the dumbest man on earth when he talks, but really, who cares. He can shoot.
We played like the Oil were sleeping with our girlfriends. Marty fuckin' Havlat got his helmet taken off in a scrum after facewashing a dude. Not only that, but he drew an extra penalty. Things seem to be clickin' right along.
I was reeling from the win.
Simply amazing.
Only thing that woulda made it better was some hockey talk with Ricky Berger.
I guess Sethie talked to him during the game for a bit and I was jealous for the rest of the third period. Hockey season always seems a little weird without Rick and I hope he's having fun in NY watching a fantastic Rangers team.
three stars would have looked like this for me:
1. Nik
2. The chick that shot the puck during the 2nd period
3. Brian Campbell
I know I'm pretty much fellating Campbell at this point, but i don't believe how much of a cornerstone he has become already on this team.
I was certainly expecting to see baby Huet in goal, but Q started Nik. This is likely the reason I do not coach an NHL team (yet). It was absolutely the right decision as Khabby was LIGHTS OUT, and rather than a bunch of flashy saves, Nik just played smart and got the puck covered up or out of the crease responsibly. After the game Q talked of how this is the best problem a team could have (having two hot goalies) but i feel there's a bit of bullshit in his stew. As great as this situation seems, it's not really all that good. Goalies, more than anyone in hockey, i feel, are streaky. Nik is proof positive of that. Juggling the goaltenders then seems kinda like a game of Russian roulette. Who starts against Detroit? Nik because he's coming off a shutout, or Huet who played a great win in Vancouver and should be the next in a rotation. I believe that Q is going to go with Huet. Eventually, this scenario is going to weigh a little too heavily on the coaching staff and of course Nik and Cris. We'll see.
Saturday brings a real test as Detroilet is a strong team and maybe even stronger than last year. I really don't think they're ready for the speed of the Hawks. Last year, we won the season series because of our speed and our ability to move the puck through the archaic defensive strategy of Babycock. Detroit has been playing a lot stronger at the blue line this year and I'm hoping Q has some entry drills practiced for what is sure to be one of the most important games of this early season.
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