Can You Spell U-P-S-E-T?

The Aeros struggled over the last month of the season. They've had injuries. Call-ups to the Wild. They seemed to forget how to score while they also seemed to forget how to play defense. That the Aeros are even a number three seed is a bit of a surprise considering that they backed into the playoffs by losing in overtime.

But...

I don't think Andrew, Fred, or Heather would classify me as a member of the Aeros Sunshine Club. I don't like that the Aeros are going into Peoria tonight without, it appears, both Nolan Schaefer and Barry Brust. I like Anton Khudobin, but I think that he's looked overwhelmed at times on the ice this past week, which probably hasn't been helped by his having to come into the middle of games because of injuries and not getting the practice time. And as Brandon Rogers admitted, he definitely hasn't gotten any help from his defense.

Peoria meanwhile has Manny Legace, the former NHL all-star trying to play his way back up to The Big Show. And when they played Peoria last month, the guys talked in awe of Legace. That said, it should be noted that the team came within a 13-round shootout of winning two of the four Peoria games that Legace was around for, and that Jason Ryznar, not the most noted of goal scorers, was able to get a goal off of Legace.

That's all a lead up to my prediction. I think the Aeros are going to win this thing. The games will be close. And it will take six games. But the Aeros will win. And they will win because they have Krys Kolanos. Kolanos, remember, was only around for 45 of the team's 80 games. And in those 45 games, Kolanos netted 31 goals to go along with 20 assists. The team itself was 24-13-2-6 when Kolanos was with the team.

File photo of Krys Kolanos by Fred Trask.

The Aeros are a different team when Kolanos is around. They're a team that can score on anybody, at anytime. Most importantly, with Kolanos around, Khudobin doesn't have to be perfect. And if he doesn't have to be perfect, he can relax a bit and not press. And the offense flows better, opening up the ice more for Jesse Schultz and Corey Locke. And I don't know what it is, but Benoit Pouliot seems to play better hockey when he's out on the ice with Kolanos.

There's something else, which is just a feeling maybe. But I was watching Kolanos this weekend. He just seemed to have this extra something. That he was going to score no matter what. No one would stop him. He reminded me a bit of Jeff Bagwell in 1994 when he put the Astros on his shoulders and carried them through the season. Or Randy Johnson coming to the Astros in 1998 and just wiping out anybody that was in his path. Kolanos is a free agent after the season. And he's playing for that next contract, and he wants another chance at the NHL, and what better way to do it than pulling a team through the playoffs -- I'm sure he knows as well as anyone that Kevin Constantine might well end up in the NHL next season, and what better way to get that contract than to impress the coach?

Like I said above, I don't have the stats to back up my prediction. This is all just a feeling that I have. But there it is. That's my prediction. The Aeros win in six games.