Down the Stretch - Doo, Doo, Doo ... Doo-da-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo

That is me humming the tune to "Another one bites the dust" as in that is what happen to the Chicago Wolves today at Bradley Center. Special thanks to Bradley Center Boys for putting that team to sleep. It was a foregone conclusion when the Atlanta Thrashers recalled Ondrej Pavelec and sent Dan Turple down ... Turple only played five minutes and Brent Krahn took the loss.

Now it's down to the Rockford IceHogs, Aeros and Quad City Flames for the last two spots in the West. QC has to win out, and the Aeros and Pigs are in with a single win in their last three games.

Isn't it amazing how well the Aeros are with "in-game" adversity, but how lousy they are when they have other kinds of adversity like long road trips, playing on days in which they sat on an airplane or playing a lot of games in a lot of days. Look back to the last time they were stinky. End of 2008 and right on through the first of January.

I think I have a pretty good idea of why that is, but I am not sure whose fault that is. It's just a reality of the team and everyone knows it from the team doctor to the head coach. Someone once said this team is too dumb to give up because they don't know how bad they are. That is kind of true if you look at the team's goals for, goals against numbers. I know the goaltending situation is a mess, but look at the team's offense during this recent downturn. It's not exactly helping either.

Either way, here is the updated down-the-stretch chart ... the Aeros could be in the playoffs as early as Wednesday when Rockford meets QC.

Go IceFlames!