Bourque, Bourque, Bourque

So we're all anxiously awaiting the season opener on Saturday at home vs the Canucks...

What? Oh, the season opener was last night? Well, that was pretty forgettable.

Were there any bright points? I guess if you're Robyn Regehr's agent, last night's game where he didn't appear was awesome, if only because it highlighted what a key component of the team he is, despite all the season previews which blithely stated that Iginla, Phaneuf and Kiprusoff were the core of the team.

Pardy (who skated in Regehr's place) in due time will probably develop into a Regehr-like defenseman, but it'll take time. As it was, I cringed a little at how well the Canucks were able to take advantage of the gaps in our D.

The point at which we lost the game was probably during a 5 on 3 in the first period. Had we capitalized on that chance, I'd be writing a very different post right now, but we fanned on the shot, and...yeah.

I like that we have more than one strategy on the powerplay besides "Get the puck to the point, and let Phaneuf shoot it," but besides positioning guys at the net correctly (yes, I'm looking at you, Rene Bourque), we have to make contact with the puck.

Goaltending? I ain't touching that one with a 10 ft cattle prod. There were games Kipper has stolen for us in the past...this wasn't one of them.

And the best news of all?

It can hardly get wosre.

That's one to be purged from my memories

Nicely done, Leanne. Your prediction was almost spot on, but you were off-by-one^H^H^H^HSegmentation fault (core dumped).

(I make no apologies for this post, this team deserves it tonight).

Oops

Sorry about that. My bad.

Sooooo...who wants in on some lottery ticket action? :)

I'm going to just go over a few positives I saw in the game. I'm sure the negatives will be more than adequately covered later on.

David Moss! My, how I missed him. I thought he put a bit of extra jump into the Boyd/Lombardi combo which Keenan seems dead set on. Not that they were flawless tonight by any stretch... but nobody was, really, tonight.

Aucoin This means no Rhett Warrener for now. Do I need to explain this? No? Didn't think so. Moving right along...

McElhinney This is one of the few times this year I've been able to watch McElhinney objectively (the Columbus game where he sat two rows ahead of me doesn't count - he could have brought his PSP and a six of beer for all it mattered to the game), and I have to say I'm encouraged. He's really damn fast, and also kind of catlike, which is strongly reminiscent of Kipper's first days in Calgary. That said, he's a bit too eager to play the puck, has occasionally awkward positioning and is really small for a goalie at this level. Like, Theo Fleury small. But he's young and will fill out... if he can improve his puck handling and positioning, maybe this time next year we won't have to dial-a-Turek.

Tomorrow's another game day...Minnesota this time. Good god, the thought of Gaborik and Demitra unleashed on our ever-potent D does not a comfortable night's sleep make.

More goals for the playoffs

So. I had some time to think about more things I wanted to do during the playoffs.

1. Grin madly when I hear the broadcast tandem use the title of our blog in the course of normal conversation
2. Take deep breaths
3. Listen to Peter Maher more when we get Don Wittman and Drew. Screw this whole TV thing with the moving pictures.
4. Not watch games when the guys don't actually bother flying out to the other city to play
5. Realize that with the TV off, you can't see what sort of fashion atrocity Playfair is committing
6. Remember ulcers aren't worth it.
7. Remind myself that yes, other rinks are allowed to play Ring of Fire, it doesn't necessarily imply a cut direct when the other guys play it. My. Ass.
8. Keep on reminding all our readers there that just because it's NHL playoff time, doesn't mean they're allowed to ignore that other team in Calgary...you know...the ones with the fantabulous playoff run to date? What are they doing with the lowest attendance all season? Fuck that.
9. Spend more quality time on the phone with the parents so you can say insightful things, such as "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
10. Remember my expectations were much much lower not more than oh, three years ago
11. Work really hard on trying not to cry

Game? What game? Oh, right. That. Read what HG has to say. She said it all.

Really Overdue (Tampa Post-Game)

(Apologies for the latency of this post, I spent today driving across southern Ontario to visit sick relatives)

That sucked.

I'm getting pretty dismayed with this team. Mediocre just isn't going to cut it. It looks like we are aiming for an 8th seed to take on a 1st seed Nashville and, well, if that's the case we may as well just pack our things and go home now.

Nashville Post-Game

An accurate description of how I feel right now.

Coach Dave has some tips for the Flames:

• Don't give the top team in the NHL two 5 on 3s.
• Discover the phrase "defensive-zone coverage."
• Play hard all game, don't take a shift off.
• Somebody get Hamrlik a copy of the NHL Rulebook, that man is one confused player

The simple truth is we're not going to win anything in the post-season until we can beat top teams on the road. And we can't do it. Shape up or ship out, boys, we're getting close to the real thing.

I would post some more information specifically regarding the game, but there's really not much point. The first period we played 19 minutes, then we took a night off. I think Iginla and Friesen are the only guys who showed up tonight.

Agggggghhh!!

Unclean

Geez, and just when you thought things were looking up. And for a while they were. Iggy/Conroy/Tanguay were clicking amazingly well, and it looked as if Lombardi was taking himself out of that rut he's been in from the last couple of weeks.

Truly an impressive implosion - I have to admit I was on the phone and not really following the game while it happened.

And the thing that makes it worse?

One of my fantasy teams bagged a hattrick tonight, thanks to Hedjuk.

I don't know whether to gloat or cry...

No comment

You know how the Flames have the real team, which stays in the Saddledome, and their evil twins that played the road games for them? Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we have had our first look at the evil twins' bastard red-headed stepchildren.

There's nothing else to say.