Ducks again
I usually dread these 9:30 pm games, but I am looking forward to tonight's game against the Mighty Ducks. Considering the last one and the implications of the game, especially for the Ducks, it should be a good one.
On the question of Sergei Zubov playing, I would have no problem if he sat out tonight. I thought he looked OK walking around yesterday. Who knows how he'll be doing when he gets up this morning.
Here's my thinking on this. The Stars are in the playoffs. The Stars are going to win the division. It would take a total collapse for those not to become reality. The Stars still have an outside chance of catching Detroit for first overall in the West, but I don't think you go overboard trying to do it. In order for home ice against Detroit to become an issue you have to take care of business in the first two rounds and so do they. It's a non-factor right now.
Let's be realistic. They are not going to drop any lower than the No. 2 seed in the West.
The most important thing is to get the team prepared for the playoffs. That means getting everybody prepared.
Giving a guy like Zubov, who might need an extra day to rest his leg, a day off and putting in Janne Niinimaa is not a bad move. It gets Niinimaa, who has been sitting around for a while, some game action and keeps him from getting too rusty.
Just my two cents on that one.
Interesting conversation the other night between Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell of The Ticket on the lack of interest in the Stars among what you might call casual sports fans in the area. You can listen to the conversation here (mp3).
Another big loss for the Kings last night. They got drilled 4-0 by the Oilers. The Kings are five points out of eighth place with eight games to go.
The Sharks didn't help their cause with a 5-2 loss in Phoenix. That is two straight where they have gone into the third period tied and then got outscored 3-0. Columbus did it to them the other day. San Jose now has to win both its games in hand on Vancouver and Edmonton to pull even in the standings.
Great game tonight will be Colorado at Calgary. First place in the Northwest, for now, goes to the winner.
31 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Regular season vs. Playoffs
Good win for the Stars last night. It was another game with playoff intensity. Lots of physical play and a little bit of nastiness. This is probably going to be the norm down the stretch since a lot of the Stars opponents are still battling for playoff positioning and could be first round opponents.
I continue to be impressed with the Mighty Ducks. They are going to be a tough team in the playoffs if they get there. They play a very good team game, are getting goaltending and just seem to playing well right now.
It should be another intense game on Friday night.
USA Today's Kevin Allen breaks down some of the teams competing for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. He says just about each of those teams except the Kings should hope to avoid the Stars in the first round. This is based on each team's regular season record against the Stars so far.
I am not sure I agree with that with that formula. For one thing, the playoffs are different. There are a lot of factors that can influence a regular season game, many of them having to do with scheduling. In the playoffs that all evens out. It's a blank slate. Every team starts 0-0.
Second, I think regular season records against individual teams can be misleading.
I think right now, based on their play the last few weeks, the Ducks match up pretty well with anyone. They've played the Stars very well in the last two games.
The Sharks record against the Stars is not great but, outside of the night of the Joe Thornton trade where players got pulled off the ice right before the game, San Jose has played the Stars well.
Three of the Stars four games against the Oilers came between the beginning of the season and November 7. I don't read too much into what happened way back then.
The Canucks? Who knows. They get hot on a run heading into the playoffs and they could be dangerous.
One team Allen thinks shouldn't be worried about the Stars is Los Angeles because they have beaten the Stars five times. Well, the Kings are another big question mark. If they do make the playoffs they'll have to be on some kind of run and if they are relatively healthy they could be a problem as well.
30 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
If the season ended today, based on points, the Stars' first round opponent would be the Vancouver Canucks. If you go on winning percentage it would be the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks lost last night. So did the Mighty Ducks, who came up short against the Avalanche in Denver. Colorado now has sole possession of first in the Northwest Division.
The battle for that division title is going to be quite a scrap. Edmonton could have stayed within two points of the Avs and tied Calgary with a win last night, but the Oilers lost to Minnesota last night.
The Eastern Conference is nowhere near as interesting. Atlanta is still trying to catch Montreal, New Jersey and Tampa Bay. I guess Toronto and Florida still have remote chances. The only other interesting element is the battle for the Atlantic Division title between the Flyers and Rangers.
My reaction to the contract extensions to Dave Tippett and his staff was kind of ho-hum. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. What it does is sends a message to that they are doing a good job and that Doug Armstrong likes the way things are going. He should. This team looks very, very good right now and they seem to be getting a lot of elements in order as the playoffs approach.
A couple more playoff meltdowns and early exits and someone higher up the food chain may have different ideas.
Saw this question in Mike Heika's weekly Dallas Stars newsletter:
Janne Niinimaa’s mistake the other night was the result of another missed call. If the stick cannot be used to get an advantage over a player, why was the Mighty Ducks’ player not called for hooking? It was clear he pitch-forked Niinimaa off the puck; he did not use his body to check him off the puck. It was just another example of the new NHL looking like the old. And as for the playoffs, get ready for the hook-and-hold type of play. You can already see the refs calling it that way.
Gee, I hope this is not the standard for those missed calls everyone gripes about. That wasn't even close to being a penalty. It was simply Samuel Pahlsson bumping Niinimaa off the puck, stealing it and scoring.
If you haven't been following things down on the farm, forward Loui Eriksson has been tearing it up in Iowa lately. He had three assists last night and he now has 16 points (six goals, ten assists) and a plus-14 rating in 13 games during March. He's climbed to 13th in AHL rookie scoring.
29 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Flames game
After what I considered a first three ho-hum games on the homestand, I think the Stars were excellent Sunday against the Flames. Maybe the level of the competition got them going. I just thought the energy level was way up. I thought it was a superb effort across the board against a very good Calgary team.
The penalty kill was great and you can rattle off the names of a bunch of guys who were superb. A lot of the usual suspects. Some new suspects are Niko Kapanen and Niklas Hagman, who have become a superb penalty killing duo. I think they have really picked it up since the Olympics. I think it is that confidence thing. At even strength, with Antti Miettinen, that continues to be a good line.
As exciting as the Chicago win was Friday, I didn't think the Stars played all that well. Sometimes those shootout wins gloss over what happened in the actual hockey game.
I am not going to gripe about the officiating in Sunday's game. I'll say what I usually say. If you lose position on a player and put your stick where it is not supposed to be, you are inviting a raised arm from the referee. Put yourself in a position to get penalized and you increase your risk of taking a trip to the penalty box. What you appear to have done can play a big role in what happens. What a replay may show you did or didn't do is irrelevant.
Whether this guy or that guy didn't got caught earlier is irrelevant as well. It's like getting caught for speeding. Yeah, some guy just blew by you going 85 MPH three minutes ago, but he didn't get caught. You did. That's life, which isn't always fair. Hockey is no different. We may want it to be, but it isn't.
To be honest, I've started to tune out Razor's constant criticism of the officiating because, to me, it has become tiresome.
Stars coach Dave Tippett is right. You have to adapt instead of whine about it. Of course that is easier said than done. Breaking life-long habits is never easy.
And regardless of what the calls are in any given game, the team that executes better under the circumstances is going to have a better chance of winning the game. That's why special teams are so important. That's why the Stars won Sunday. Their special teams executed better than Calgary's.
Well, another night of games and the playoff picture in the West is as murky as ever. The Sharks, who beat Chicago in a shootout, moved into the No. 8 spot. Colorado, which lost to Edmonton in a shootout, pulled even with Calgary for first in the Northwest. And the Oilers are now two points out of first in the Northwest.
It's going to be a fun stretch run.
27 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Site stuff
Somebody asked a couple of weeks ago if the trade deadline earlier this month was the busiest day traffic-wise in Andrew's history. He felt the message board seemed to be the busiest ever.
Well, I went back and looked at previous site stats and the answer is no. But it ranks second based on the stuff I have kept.
A lot of that has to do with the fact that web site traffic has continued to increase over the years. Here are some key moments since we have been online and what the traffic was at those times. These are for a single day and are rounded off.
Anything prior to 2000 was the pre-message board era.
April 1997: Stars lose to Oilers in first round. Page views: 450 (I was pretty excited over this)
July 1998: Stars sign Brett Hull. Page views: 1,300
June 1999: Stars win Stanley Cup. Page views: 4,500
June 2000: Stars lose in SCF to New Jersey. Page views: 20,000 (Message board era underway)
July 2002: Stars sign Bill Guerin. Page views: 22,000
March 2004: Trade deadline. Page views: 33,000
August 2005: Mike Modano contract situation. Page views: 100,000+ for a few days straight.
March 2006: Trade deadline: 60,000
Right now we average about 500,000 page views per month. This month we'll top 600,000.
Page views are basically individual content pages.
On a monthly basis we have about a total of 12,500 to 13,000 individual visitors. Relax. A vast majority are not subscribers. This includes people who are brought here by search engines, referrer links on other message boards or sites.
About 65 percent of the traffic goes to the main site and 35 percent goes to the message board. The message board, however, uses about 70 percent of the 20 GB of bandwidth the site eats up on a monthly basis.
Despite the lockout and a good portion of the site becoming subscription based, traffic is up close to 70 percent from 2003-04. I didn't think that would happen. My thought is it would drop, especially with the subscription move. I am still not sure why it is up.
24 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
I'd say last night's game was low on entertainment value, but a win is a win. I like the fact that the Stars are able to come from behind, but it still bothers me that they are behind so often.
That was vintage Jussi Jokinen last night. Right place, right time and making big plays. If it weren't for Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, he'd be getting a lot more Calder talk. I am not sure he would win it.
Take out Ovechkin and Crosby, I might have to go with Henrik Lundqvist or Dion Phaneuf, but Jokinen would have a good shot at being a finalist if Ovechkin and Crosby were not in the mix.
I see now why the Stars were pushing so hard on the ticket specials for last night's game. The attendance was 17,609. The Stars average attendance for the season is now 17,746. They are 13th in average attendance and 14th in capacity (95.8).
If they sell out the rest of the regular season, I figure they will end up at 17,869 for the season. That may be tough with another game against Minnesota and a game against Columbus on the schedule. I don't know about tomorrow against Chicago. They are an Original 6 team, but even I am having a hard time getting up for this one because Chicago is so dismal.
The Mighty Ducks won again last night, rallying to beat Colorado 5-4 in overtime. Jonathan Hedstrom gets the game-winner on a penalty shot. The Ducks play the Predators, who are also red hot, Friday. The Stars have a home-and-home series with the Ducks next week.
Tonight it is San Jose at Detroit. That's one I'll be watching that one. It ought to be a good one.
23 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
The Sharks won again last night, pulling them to within one point of the final playoff spot based on points. But if you go on winning percentage, the Sharks are now in seventh place. The Ducks, based on on winning percentage, are in fifth place.
Based on winning percentage the playoff matchups in the West look like this after last night's games.
(1) Detroit vs. (8) Edmonton
(2) Dallas vs. (7) San Jose
(3) Calgary vs. (6) Colorado
(4) Nashville vs. (5) Anaheim
Big game tonight in Anaheim as the Ducks host the Avalanche.
A good game in the East tonight as Carolina and Buffalo play.
Los Angeles fired Andy Murray yesterday and replaced him with John Torchetti, a former assistant in Tampa Bay and Florida. Torchetti, who will be the interim coach, held the same position for Florida late in 2003-04.
Am I surprised Murray got fired? No. There's been talk his days were numbered. Am I surprised at the timing? A little. The Kings have only 12 games left. I thought he might get canned after the season. I guess it's a sign of how desperate the Kings are right now.
Murray's done a good job in L.A. at times. I guess the knock on him is he doesn't know when to let up on his team. He pushes and pushes and that takes a toll. The Kings lost their last 11 games in 2003-04 and missed the playoffs. This season they are on the verge of another collapse.
Apparently Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has been getting inundated with a lot of emails about Janne Niinimaa. You can read his response here. He makes some good points.
22 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Ducks game
That had to be one of the most boring hockey games I've seen in a while. Not because of the result. It was just a sloppy game due in part to the ice conditions. I was impressed with the Ducks. They had some zip to their game and they moved up to sixth place in the conference with the win.
They have lost just 21 regulation games this season. Among teams in the West only Detroit (15), Calgary (19), Nashville (19) and the Stars (20) have fewer.
I'm not going to read too much into the Stars' performance. It is one game.
As for Janne Niinimaa, he just can't seem to get on track. He's been up and down since joining Dallas and last night was another down one with the costly turnover. The unfortunate thing for Niinimaa last night was the error ended up costing the Dallas the game. Therefore it gets magnified.
As Dave Tippett said last night, the important thing is how he bounces back from it.
Of course, Niinimaa wasn't the only guy coughing up the puck last night. Plenty of guys were doing it. Marty Turco's turnover ten seconds into the game sort of set the tone for the night. The Stars just weren't clicking.
Bill Guerin gets his eye re-evaluated tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up going on injured reserve. He seemed iffy today on setting a timetable for a return to the lineup.
Tjarnqvist is getting called up. I'm glad to see him back. If you ask me, he ranks 12th among the Stars forwards, ahead of Jaroslav Svoboda, Jeremy Stevenson and Nathan Perrott.
21 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Ducks in town
The Mighty Ducks roll into town tonight in eighth place in the West thanks to their win over Columbus yesterday and Vancouver losing to Detroit 7-3. Anaheim is playing well. I'm looking forward to seeing them.
I still have a hard time keeping track of their roster due to all the changes. How confused am I by their roster. In the initial injury report on the Ducks for the game preview I included Sergei Fedorov. That's how confused I am.
Vancouver is now in ninth and if you go on winning percentage, the Canucks are tenth behind ninth place San Jose. I watched the Canucks play Detroit last night and they looked horrible. They deserved the loud round of booing they received at the end of the game from the home town fans.
I thought the Stars-Sharks game was pretty entertaining. I even found the shootout interesting for once. When the Stars are involved, it's usually the same storyline. But after both Sergei Zubov and Jussi Jokinen missed on their attempts Saturday it became intriguing. Really intriguing when Milan Michalek scored. I was like, "Holy ----, they could lose this thing." Mike Modano, Antti Miettinen and Marty Turco pulled them through.
Nothing really changed my mind that if the Sharks make the playoffs they could be a difficult first round foe. They can look very, very good at times. By the way, great game between the Sharks and Avalanche last night. San Jose won 6-5 after blowing 4-1 and 5-3 leads.
Gerry Fraley has an article in today's Dallas Morning News about the Stars trying to catch the Red Wings. Many people, including Fraley, say the Red Wings have had it easy because of their Central Division schedule. Fraley writes:
When the league returned to an unbalanced schedule this season, it gave Detroit a ridiculously easy path. It is difficult to judge how good the Red Wings are, because they have had a season full of cupcakes.
Of the five raggedy teams with fewer than 60 points, three are in the Central with Detroit: Chicago, Columbus and St. Louis. The Red Wings are 16-1-0 against those teams and will play seven of their final 16 games against them.
In interconference play, the Red Wings beat the two dregs of the East: Pittsburgh and Washington. Entering the Vancouver game, Detroit had 36 of a possible 38 points against the five worst teams in the league in terms of points and 61 of a possible 94 points against all other opponents.
Just for kicks, I put the Stars in the Central Division and moved the Red Wings to the Pacific Division and looked how much things would be different based on how each team has performed against various teams this season.
Based on my quick analysis this morning the Stars would not be six points behind the Red Wings right now but, instead, they would be two or three points behind. The Stars would gain three of four points.
Does it any of it really matter? Not in my opinion. That's just the way things are. The Red Wings can't do anything about their schedule. Has the change in the schedule had an impact on the standings? Sure. So have shootouts. That's just the way it is right now. To debate all the what if stuff is fun. I enjoy it as much as the next person.
And just for more kicks, I figured out both the Stars and Red Wings have fared against the top ten teams in the West this season. The Stars have a .692 winning percentage and the Red Wings have a .691 winning percentage.
20 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
Good win last night for the Stars. It was a pretty convincing win against a team that has given the Stars problems this season and is a possible first round opponent. It was a good solid effort. (I will admit that during the breaks I was flipping over to the Texas A&M-Syracuse basketball game but through the wonders of the DVR, I never missed anything).
A lot of elements of the Stars' game are starting to fall into place and all of them at the same time. We haven't seen that very often this season. It's usually been a couple of elements clicking and another struggling. Right now, everything seems to be clicking nicely from the goaltending to the defense to special teams to scoring depth. That's why they have looked so good recently.
I am still interested in seeing tomorrow's game because of how well San Jose has been playing. The Stars have pretty much cleaned up on Vancouver and Los Angeles, both of which are on the decline right now. I think the Sharks are playing pretty well and may be a better test. Plus, they and the Stars have played some pretty close games this season. Plus, it's another possible first round opponent.
I guess just about everybody except Detroit, Nashville and the teams out of the running are potential first round opponents.
By the way, through Thursday's games the Ducks and Sharks are in the 7th and 8th spots based on winning percentage. Vancouver is 9th and the Kings are 10th.
I've already planned out my Saturday. At 3 pm, I will be watching the Stars-Sharks game. Saturday night I will be watching Buffalo at Ottawa. That should be a great game. The Sabres are just one point behind the Sens for the Northeast Division lead. Probably flip and watch a little Calgary-Nashville and then wrap up the evening with the Red Wings at Oilers. I understand it's supposed to be raining around here Saturday, so there won't be much to do anyway. Might as well just stay in and watch hockey all day.
17 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Kings game, Ralph's Olympic problem
It's another game against the Kings. A big game? Yeah, I guess. It would be nice to see the Stars finally solve the Kings. Am I going to worry if they don't? Maybe. Maybe not. It will depend on how the game is played. If the Stars play well, I am not going to fret if they come up short. If the Kings shred them, then I might worry.
I'm just as interested in the game against the Sharks on Saturday because I still see San Jose as a possible first round opponent along with Los Angeles. The Sharks concern me. If I were Detroit and had to play San Jose in the first round, I'd be concerned too.
San Jose has a chance to gain some ground tonight. They play at home against St. Louis. But then again, the Blues have been playing well lately so nothing is a given in that department.
Ralph Strangis has an article over at Dallasstars.com about the Olympics. Ralph writes:
There are those who believe that getting on an airplane, flying half-way around the world, practicing for 2 hours (or less) and then throwing on your country's uniform qualifies as "the highest level of competition possible". Please. And oh by the way -- with the world handing out Olympic gold medals for snow-boarding -- isn't some of the bloom off that rose anyway?
Well, I don't have a problem with the Olympics. I enjoyed it. I found it strange that Ralph could only find interest in it because it was his job.
The level of competition was great. The games were intense.
There were celebrations in both Stockholm and Helsinki to mark the accomplishments of the Swedish and Finnish teams. Somebody obviously cared. Those international tournaments -- Olympics & World Championships -- are meaningful to a lot of hockey countries, especially in Europe.
Does Sweden's gold medal mean less because somebody gets one in snow-boarding these days? Don't think so.
And what is wrong with taking pride in playing for your country and considering it a high level of competition. How many of these guys are going to wear the same NHL uniform throughout their careers? Not many. They'll get traded, waived, bought out or sign with a new team as free agents. It's a business and a job.
But they'll always be American, Canadian, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Czech, Slovak or whatever. If they want to throw on their country's uniform, do it proudly and play for national pride, I say more power to them. There is nothing wrong with that.
Yes, it took away from the NHL season. That is a major problem. It shuts down the season for a couple of weeks and makes a mess of things. But the NHL will shut down for a few days next season and I am sure Ralph will be hyping the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. A meaningless game that is totally devoid of any intensity, defense and physical play. A game that is probably on a par with the NBA All-Star Game and ranks ahead of only the NFL Pro Bowl in worth. But yet we'll hear about how great it is.
Me? I'll be holding out for 2010, Vancouver and the Olympics.
16 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Canucks game
That was an entertaining game last night. Playoff intensity. Some physical nastiness. Trevor Daley getting in a couple of fights. Marty Turco playing with that edge. And another great game from Mike Modano.
Modano has really played well since returning from Italy. Maybe the Olympics fiasco gave him a little extra motivation. Add the emotional lift that Jere Lethinen and Jussi Jokinen got from playing so well in Torino and that trio has really taken off. It's been a dominant line.
The one thing I took out of that game, though, is the Canucks have some problems. They are a one line team and it's not the Naslund-Morrison-Bertuzzi trio. Every time they were on the ice my concern level dropped. When the Sedin twins and Anson Carter were on the ice, my attention level peaked. Those three are playing well.
Anyone catch the OLN having a mic on Stu Barnes? He was joking around with Steve Ott after Otter missed on a breakaway attempt. Something about Ott should elevate the puck instead of shooting it directly into the goalie. There was Brenden Morrow laughing at the comment. Here's my thought. Should Morrow be laughing at anyone missing on breakaways? He's probably missed more than anyone on the team this season.
As much I said earlier this season I was sick of seeing the same teams over and over, I am looking forward to seeing the Stars play the Kings and Sharks later this week. First, because of how the Stars fared the last time they played both of those teams. Second, because both of them are potential first round opponents and now that the deadline has passed everyone's roster is basically set.
14 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
With a little more than a month to go in the regular season, I guess it is time to start watching the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Outside of Detroit and Dallas, which are going to finish first and second, it is going to be a wild finish for spots three through eight.
I figure things will be changing almost on nightly basis. Ducks are now in 8th place and are in 7th place based on winning percentage. The Oilers have fallen to ninth place. The Sharks, who are in 10th, have a lot of games in hand on teams except Anaheim. They only have one game in hand on the Ducks and trail them by five points. Edmonton has dropped to ninth in the standings and Vancouver is eighth based on winning percentage.
And then there is Colorado, who is now in first in the Northwest and the third seed but Calgary still has the advantage based on winning percentage.
It is going to be a fun month. We probably won't know who the Stars will get in the first round until perhaps the final day, which is kind of par for the course anyway. I just figure whoever they play it will be a tough opponent capable of winning the series. The playoffs are going to be great this year. I think the Stars and Detroit are a little above the rest of the West, but not that much.
Out East, who knows. I have to admit I am a little enamored with Buffalo.
Mike Modano was the featured interview on CBC the other night. It was some pretty good stuff. You can watch the interview here.
13 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Willie Mitchell
Well, my gut reaction is I like the the Willie Mitchell trade. I've always liked him as a player. He's a tough, physical and reliable defensive defenseman. That's not a bad thing come playoff time. He can kill penalties. I think it gives the Stars a little bit more balance on defense than they had before the trade.
There were times I thought the Stars third set of defensemen were prone to getting skated over by opposition forwards with good size. I think Mitchell can change that so that the Stars are stronger in that regard across all three pairings.
It will be interesting to see how the pairings shake out, but perhaps it will be beneficial for Janne Niinimaa to play with someone like Mitchell or Jon Klemm. I think Niinimaa had a couple of his better defensive outings when he played with Klemm.
Martin Skoula just never lived up to expectations. He was OK. But I am not sure OK is OK for $1.575 million. The move does free up some space for next season.
As for Shawn Belle, I think he is a good prospect. He got off to a slow start in Iowa and was hampered by some injuries, but the last few times I have watched Iowa games I thought he was coming on strong and looking a lot more comfortable at the pro level. But the Stars have some good defensive prospects in the system so parting with Belle doesn't really bother me.
I think Mitchell will probably end up being a rental player. He'll be unrestricted at the end of the season and he is apparently seeking somewhere in the $3 million range. He won't get that in Dallas.
I sure it wasn't the splashy move some people were looking for, but I think the Stars made their defense a little better. Probably gave a little boost to their penalty kill as well.
09 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Deadline looms
It's the day before the trade deadline and it's been pretty boring on that front. Even the rumor mills are kind of bland. To be honest, I don't have any idea what is going to happen.
Moving the trade deadline to 40 days before the end of the season has had an impact. A lot of teams are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and may not be willing to dump players right now. The salary cap is the other factor. A lot of the old big spenders who might make big splashes at the deadline are hamstringed by the cap. This season the team to call is the Oilers. They have the space and the assets to make a deal. And they did, acquiring Dwayne Roloson from the Wild for a first round pick and a conditional draft pick.
Looking at the Stars, they have some cap space. I think they need another defenseman if the price is right. That's not a knock on the current seven, but all the Stars have is the current seven. A couple of injuries and all of sudden things get dicey. Patrick Traverse, who has NHL experience, is out. Next up is Dan Jancevski, who has one NHL game under his belt. Depth on the blue line never hurts. It doesn't have to be a splashy, big name guy. Just a good, reliable veteran on the blue line would suffice here.
Maybe up front, it's a gritty guy to put on the left side with Steve Ott and Stu Barnes. I think Jeremy Stevenson is OK, but there could be a character guy out there with some leadership, playoff experience and a little bit of scoring punch.
I think the Stars are in a position where all they really need to to is tweak. They don't need to make a big splash. If they don't do anything, that would be alright. I don't think this team has a hole big enough that someone will drive a truck through it during the playoffs. Not something that I see right now.
08 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Still day-to-day
I am still day-to-day with this flu thing. Today is day seven, so hopefully I am getting close to the end of road.
06 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
Day-to-day
I am day-to-day with flu-like symptoms. I have the flu. Outside of a trip to the doctor yesterday morning, most of my time since Tuesday afternoon has been spent in bed. I hope I can rest up enough to take in tonight's game against the Coyotes.
02 March '06 - - default| - § ¶
