Well, I'm back from Chicago, and I have a feeling I'll never be allowed to go
on the road again. Sure, the Wolves games I went to on Friday and Sunday weren't
technically road games since the team was playing at home, but I was on the road
the Chicago lost both. that makes me 0-4 at post-season games I've attended
outside of Atlanta this season. Maybe I'll just see if we can send
Jennifer in my place next time.
The Wolves are in an 0-2 hole and they're going to have their work cut out
for them trying to get out of it.
The bright side is that they've bounced back from 0-2 deficits twice in the
past, including in 2000 when they lost the first two games at home and went on
to win four straight, eliminating Houston. They're also the best road team in
the AHL, so they have that going for them. And they've been averaging 4.00 goals
per game in the post-season, so I'd be surprised if Hamilton can limit them to
two goals again like they did yesterday. If the Wolves can get to Carey Price
and score four or five goals like they're used to doing they'll bounce back.
Both Chicago goalies are capable of shutting down Hamilton's offense, and I
don't expect Kyle Chipchura to keep playing at the pace he played on the weekend
when he almost single-handedly beat the Wolves. The ship will get righted and
the Wolves will return to their winning ways. Don't forget to check in on the
Wolves
Playoff Blog as the series continues in Hamilton without me.
Here are Jsaon Krog's thoughts on what the Wolves need to do:
"We need to focus on the little things and stop going for the big play. Do
what got us here. We have the best road record in the league so we just have to
forget about the series record and go to Hamilton with the attitude that we can
win on the road. Just take it one game at a time."
As for my actual trip- it was great to get caught up with all of the young
prospects who should be competing for spots with the Thrashers in the near
future. I'll be writing up the interviews and posting them on the site over the
coming days and weeks as we head towards prospect camp, so keep checking back.
The first one (with Bryan Little) is already up. I talked to a lot of guys,
but I'm most looking forward to writing up the interviews with Boris Valabik
(who is anxious to prove himself this summer after having what he described as
the most disappointing and worst season of his career due to injuries) and
Jordan LaVallee (who is very thoughtful in interviews and who had some
interesting things to say about how playing for Patrick Roy in Quebec City has
given him a leg up on the competition).
LaVallee struck me as the most NHL-ready of the young forwards, and that's
not a knock against Sterling, Little, Stuart or any of the other young
prospects. In the brief time I got to see him play (two games isn't a lot of
time for someone who isn't a trained scout to evaluate a player) he did a great
job both with and without the puck. He won puck battles in the corner at both
ends of the ice and while some players look lost without the puck he doesn't. He
was always going to the net, screening the opposing goalie, or banging along the
boards. the question for LaVallee shouldn't be if he'll make the NHL, but when
he'll make it. He can easily turn into a good utility forward who can play on a
checking line or energy line and jump up to contribute on offense when it's
needed. He's just a smart hockey player (who
knows his way around computer repairs and GPS coding), and a great find as a
fourth-round pick.
That's it for now, but make sure you check out Craig Custance's Monday
Beat Blog entry, as well as his
article on Mark Popovic.
