View from the Press Box - Aeros dominate Stars at Toyota Center

Another long break, another big win for the Aeros. They just keep rolling along at Toyota Center and improved to 5-0 against the Stars in this building.

They are 11-2-0-1 since Dec. 30 and remain in a four-way tie (points-wise) for first place in the toughest division in pro hockey. They took it to the short-handed Stars from the get-go, Friday. With a little more luck, they would have had a 3-0 lead after the first period.

Brent Krahn, playing his first game since November, was shaky early, but the Aeros didn't have enough luck to get the puck across the goal line.

The O'Sullivan/DiSalvatore combo, again, was deadly and the difference in the game. Anton Khudobin was focused from the get-go tonight, and that started with a good game of bouncing-the-tennis-ball-off-the-wall well before the game started.

I called a shutout before the game, but that ended the second Ortmeyer went to the box in the third period. The Aeros are going to give up a power play goal a game, it seems, so that was the only really disappointing thing to me.

Not a whole lot I can say now. With the long break, it took both teams awhile to get things going in terms of team crispness. And when the Stars turned things into a bit of a track meet in the second period, Anton kept the Stars out of the net.

The Aeros won't play at Toyota Center again until Feb. 17. Their next four are on the road, although one of them is in Texas (Tuesday) and another one is a "home" game against Peoria next weekend. I'd like to see them split these four games and come back with at least four points.

The West is just sick, sick good this year and there is a possibility that a team with 90-plus points will miss the playoffs.

Hopefully John will have more later. We had a great post-game with Mike Yeo and Patrick O'Sullivan tonight.