Game Day - Aeros begin three in three weekend against the Texas Stars

Over the next week, including twice the weekend, the Aeros and Texas Stars are going to see a lot of each other. While there is still a lot of season left, don't underestimate the importance of these games ... especially for the Aeros, who later this month will start a stretch where they will play 18 of 23 games on the road. (If I could figure out how to make that last part blink, I would ... )

For you that means get to the Toyota Center while you can. Your only option for a good stretch of the season will be trying to watch AHL Live, arguably THE biggest #failure in all of sports technology.

The Aeros are 4-1-0-0 against Texas

For the Aeros, that means they better stock up on points while they can. Since that hot start on the road, the Aeros have lost five straight road games (outscored 17-8) and have just one regulation road win since Nov. 13.

To be fair, they have been really good at home since then, so they have been able to keep pace with the league. But if they don't turn things around before the end of the month, they are going to need all of those home games at the end just to make the playoffs.

Back to the Stars ...

They match up well with the Aeros, even though Houston has won four of the five games this seasons (two in OT). In the series, Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker lead all players with seven points each (both have three goals and four assists). Cody Eakin has been good against the Aeros this season and has three goals and an assist in the series.

The Stars are slightly better defensively, allowing just 86 goals to the Aeros 91. But the Aeros have scored 18 more goals than their intrastate rivals, and since Texas has the worst PK in the AHL (78.8 percent), the Aeros should be able to get goals if and when they can get to the power play. (Note - the Aeros have the fifth best PP in the league at 20.6 percent, but those numbers are much better on the road).

The Stars' Cody Eakin is ... good. 

The Aeros have points in four straight since losing badly at Lake Erie before Christmas. Texas, conversely, has struggled recently, going just 1-4-1-0 in their last six, including an 0-for-3 mark against OKC during that stretch. As good as Houston has been against the OKC Oilers, the Stars have struggled against them.

The goaltending favors Texas, as Nilstorp is 12-10 with a 2.24 GAA and a .913 saves percentage. Hackett has more wins, but his numbers look a lot more like half the people you'll see at LA Fitness this month. His saves percentage is OK at .905, but his GAA is 2.60 ... He and the defense need to clamp down and just play better early and with the lead.

I think many people, including myself at times, are just too hard on Hackett. This is not the same team that was here two years ago, folks ... not even close. The 2011 playoff team was LOADED with AHL ringers. This is a very young team with a lot of injuries, and Hackett, despite a pedestrian GAA, has the team in position for home-ice advantage in the first round.

Hackett is doing just fine. The biggest concern the Aeros have to have right now is the atrocious penalty kill numbers. They are just four spots from the AHL's bottom at 79.3 percent ... That has to get better, especially when you consider how many one-goal games this team plays.

The key to a successful weekend for the Aeros is tonight's game against Texas. And to get the win, the Aeros have to play a good first period and put the Stars down early. Texas is 13-3-2-2 when tied or ahead after the first period, and the Aeros are just 7-6-0-2 when down after one. Conversely, when leading after 20 minutes, the Aeros are 7-0-1-0; the Stars are 3-8-1-0 when they are on the other side.

In closing, I think Zucker and Granlund can dominate this season as they have done so far. MiG is heating up too. Remember when I sort of accused him of coasting last week? Well, he's only put up six points in his last four games and he's making good things happen for the Aeros.

My money is on the lockout ending by the middle of this month, and the Aeros better get the most out of Granlund while they can.

Also, here is a link to the Texas perspective from Hundred Degree Hockey...

Game Day - Aeros at OKC Barons

Tonight, the Aeros will get their first look at the Oklahoma City Barons. Not quite David vs. Goliath as the Aeros are very, very talented, too, but really, on paper the Barons are ridiculous. They have Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they have Justin Schutlz, and they have ... who cares who else they have, as in most of the studs they had last year ...

They are loaded, and tonight the Aeros will get their first of many cracks at this AHL star-studded lineup. I am not for certain just how many of these guys will end up in Edmonton when the lockout is over, but the Aeros will play them a lot early in the season.

Call it dumb luck, but as an AHL fan, I am glad we'll get a chance to see what the Aeros can do against these guys. I just wish more of these games were at Toyota Center. Three of the Barons' next four home games are against the Aeros, and they won't make their first visit to Houston until late November.

I can only guess at the goaltending matchup based on trends. Olivier Roy looks to get the call for the Barons, as coach Todd Nelson has rotated he and Yann Danis. It's Roy's turn tonight. And the Aeros will probably counter with Matt Hackett. But, with two games this weekend, both goalies should play. Darcy Kuemper won his only start on the road at Texas last week, so maybe Torchetti alternates the two again that way.

We'll know for sure later tonight.

Here are some notes from the Aeros Press Office:

• The first three meetings of the season series are at the Cox Convention Center in downtown OKC. 
• Friday’s game marks the first meeting since April 24, when the Barons finished off a first-round playoff series win over the Aeros. 
• Oklahoma City is coming off a 4-3 win at home over Lake Erie on Wednesday night.
• Aeros Center Mikael Granlund leads Houston in scoring with seven points through the first five games of the season.
• Granlund is in the top 20 of the AHL for points and top five for assists. 
• Defenseman Marco Scandella leads all Aeros with six assists, tying him for second in the league.
• Right wing Jason Zucker is third on the team in scoring with two goals and three assists for five points in four games.
• Defenseman Brian Connelly sits fourth on the Aeros roster with four points off a goal and three assists. 
• Right wing Nick Palmieri leads the team with three goals in five games. 
• The Barons rank 15th in the AHL on the power play converting five out of 24 chances (20.8%). 
• As far the penalty kill goes, Oklahoma City sits 23 out of 30 teams, stopping 19 of 26 attempts. 
• The Barons rank 26th out of 30 teams in penalty minutes, averaging just 13 minutes a game. 
• Oklahoma City is averaging 3.20 goals per game, while allowing 2.80 goals per game.

Aeros sweep Texas, host Milwaukee tonight

The Aeros erased their 0-2 start with two fairly dominating wins over the Texas Stars. The power play was pretty good, rebounding nicely from the opening weekend. Coyle was the hero Friday, and Palmieri and Granlund lit the lamp twice each in Saturday's road game.

The Aeros celebrate one of their early goals against Texas Saturday night

Both goalies each got a win, and the struggling Milwaukee Admirals will come to Toyota Center today. The Aeros win, and they'll sweep a three in three for the first time in a long time. Lose, and it's back to being the same old Milwaukee Admirals slump-busters. Last year, the Aeros were probably the better team, but every time the slumping Milwaukee Admirals played the Aeros, the slumping team got a win. 

Last year is last year, but my point this time is to call attention to one thing the squad from a year ago lacked. The killer instinct. Yeah, it's cliche, but when a team can get a third and fourth goal after taking a 2-1 lead, that can go a long way down the stretch (Hey another cliche!)

So far the Aeros have had a very nice weekend, so win or lose things are going in the right direction after just not being able to score very much opening weekend. The 5-3 scores are more of what I think you can expect from this team for the most part. Good offensive numbers, young defense and goalies who will give you a chance to win every night.

In closing, here are a few lines about today's opponent, the Milwaukee Admirals.

They are 1-2 on the year, losing two straight this weekend after winning their season opener. Last night they were blanked in San Antonio, 1-0. Jeremy Smith has played every game so far, so I'd have to think their backup will get the call today. Another great thing about the Admirals, is they have three players with the last names "Bang" and "Moore" and "Valentine."... You gotta think some radio guys will have some fun with that. (Not to mention some sophomoric bloggers)

Game Day; Aeros vs. Texas - 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center

Tonight the Aeros play Game No. 3 in their 19th campaign, 12th since joining the American Hockey League back in 2001.

The Aeros have had a full week's practice since dropping their first two games of the season, and they'll get their first crack at Texas since losing to that squad back in the preseason. For starters, the Aeros will employ their "A" team against the Stars this time.

Click here for a take on the game from our friends at Hundred Degree Hockey.

I am not sure at which point Torchetti is going to give Darcy Kuemper a start, but my guess is that he goes with Hackett tonight. Just a guess, but I would think Hackett tonight and then again tomorrow if he has a good performance.

We'll see when we get to the rink tonight.

This is the first of 12 games against the Stars, a team that missed the playoffs a year ago and fired its coach after one season. The "experts" don't think Texas will be very good this year, but they've won every competitive game they've played so far, and it looks like they A) have great goaltending and can B) score.

Here are some more notes from the Aeros Press Office:

• The Stars and Aeros have played each other 36 times (12 per year)
• Houston took the 2011-12 season series by going 7-2-2-1 (taking points in ten of 12 meetings)
• The Aeros are 20-12-3-1 all-time against the Stars
• Texas took the season series in 2009-10 by going 8-3-0-1, but the team is 8-11-2-1 over the last two years
• The Aeros' PP is 15th in the AHL, converting two out of 15 chances (13.3%)
• Houston's PK sits 27th out of 30 teams, stopping four of six attempts
• The Aeros rank 29th out of 30 teams in penalty minutes, averaging just ten minutes a game
• Houston is averaging 1.50 goals per game, while allowing 3.00 goals per game
• The team is 26th offensively and 19th defensively

And some more information about tonight's opponent:

Texas returns 18 players from a team that posted a 31-40-3-2 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Stars made some changes over the summer, replacing the coaching staff of Jeff Pyle and Jeff Truitt, in exchange for Willie Desjardins and Doug Lidster. The Stars roster currently carries seven rookies, including a group of five that were able to turn pro and play the final ten games of the 2010-11 season.  In all, there are six stars heading into their fourth season with the team. Forwards Colton Sceviour, Travis Morin, Francis Wathier, Luke Gazdic and Mathieu Tousignant, as well as defenseman Maxime Fortunus, are all back to play the Aeros for the fourth straight year. Fortunus is a former member of the Houston Aeros (2003-05).

There are numerous other skaters returning to play the Stars this season. Defenseman Brenden Dillon and forward Mat Fraser return for their second season with the club. Dillon enjoyed a solid first season pro, setting up 23 goals and totaling 29 points in 76 games played. Fraser finished second in the AHL in goals scored, leading Texas with a team-record 37 goals in 73 games played. Left wing Mike Hedden is back for his second full AHL season after scoring 19 goals in 2011-12.

Dallas has assigned numerous high-end prospects to Texas including Reilly Smith, Jamie Oleksiak, Alex Chiasson, Austin Smith, Jack Campbell and Patrick Nemeth. Smith played the final three games in Dallas last year after playing three years at Miami (OH) University. Olekiak was Dallas’ first pick (#14th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. At 6-foot-7 and 250-pounds, Oleksiak is the biggest player on the Texas roster. Jack Campbell is another Dallas first-round pick (#11 overall in 2010), who will split time in net with Cristopher Nilstorp. Chiasson and Austin Smith turned pro after completing college seasons last March. Patrick Nemeth comes to North America after playing in Sweden last season. The 20-year old defenseman was drafted by Dallas in the second round (#41 overall) in 2010.

Game Day, Aeros vs. Texas; It's time to step up

Normally I don't get a chance to go to Toyota Center for the morning skate, but something made me detour on the way to work. I watched the skate and then talked to Torch after the 60-minute workout. A few things stick out in advance of tonight's game against the Texas Stars.

First, we addressed last weekend, when the Aeros were bombed 10-2 by OKC and San Antonio. The scores weren't as bad as the games, but in the first game, a bad first goal led to another and before you knew it ... boom.

"We were fine in OKC, came out shooting, up 8-2 in shots; we were detailed, and then we don’t stay on the point with our execution on a forecheck," said Torchetti. "Boom, they get a goal on wrist shot from just inside the blueline, and then they score on the power play. Whatever they are shooting is going in right now, and whatever we’re doing is just letting it in. That is tough."

As for San Antonio?

"I think we played well enough to win in San Antonio, but again," said Torch. "We had three bad breakdowns."

And they aaaallllll ended up in the net.

"What do you mean Matt can't hack it? He is the (f**king)
bomb up in this place ... He will score three goals tonight."

We also talked about Hackett's numbers and his recent propensity for allowing at least one bad goal every game since, well, since he was sent back down from Minnesota. Torchetti defended his sophomore goalie, and said the wins will come again.

"At the beginning of the year, Hack pretty much won us a bunch of games," said Torch. "And I don’t even think he even got No. 1 player for our team. Everyone just said, 'Oh, it’s just Hack, he doesn’t deserve a helmet (the prize the Aeros give to their player of the game) for just being himself.'

"But then, when we’re not winning, it’s, 'Oh, Hack let in a soft one.' It’s a two-way street. We have to button down, too, for him."

Torch, as he does so often, then went on a bit of a tangent ... He went from talking about Hackett being able to win games for the team to challenging the veterans on the team to step up and score a big (and timely) power play goal tonight.

And that set up the next topic rather nicely. Jeff Taffe.

In 14 games since New Year's, he has not scored a goal and he's minus-11. He's down to minus-17 (17!) and if my notes are right, there are only two guys in the entire league worse off. Taffe is not minus-17 player. But it will only get worse if some shots don't start going in for him, and if he continues to let up (defensively) during critical times of the game.

Taffe, who hits more posts than anyone since Steve Kelly, needs to shoot the puck more. And that is exactly what Torchetti said.

"It’s a situation for him that, one, you want to get out of the scoring slump," said Torchetti. "To do that, you have to put the puck on the net more, which we’ve talked about.

"He is a big part of our success, and I am putting some pressure on him; I have to. I know he can do it, though. He will come through. It just seems that everyone is slumping at the same time."

Re-read that last line. Not only is everyone slumping at the same time, there is almost no-one left in the lineup. The depth is gone, and team confidence is at all all-time low ... for this season.

Make no mistake, tonight is a huge game. The Aeros desperately need a win, and they need to do it at home. They've just one win at Toyota Center since Dec. 16. They've won just three of their last 14 games at home (even though they do have points in seven of their 11 losses).

My gut says no tonight and yes to Saturday and Sunday. I just have a feeling the weekend could go really well, but it's nothing more than a hunch.

Hopefully my prediction for tonight will smack off the post and land in the corner for what fans really want - a Houston Aeros victory.

Game Day Preview - Aeros vs. Rockford

Tonight is the first of six four games against Rockford this season. On paper, the Aeros have the upper hand; Rockford is the league's worst team in terms of points, penalty kill and goaltending. What they do have, though, is a decent power play, and if there is one area in that the Aeros are weak, it's special teams.

Miss these great photos from Mr. Fred? Yeah, me too. 

The IceHogs have just three wins (two in regulation) since Thanksgiving, and they have allowed at least three goals a whopping 10 times during that span. That. Is. Crazy. Their leading scorer is Brandon Pirri; he has 32 points this season (14 goals, 18 assists), and he just keeps getting better. Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes are both on recall to NHL Chicago, and I don't think will be send down for the game tonight. Another dent? Two of the IceHogs top five scorers (Brett MacLean and Brandon Segal) are both minus-11.

As I mentioned before, the IceHogs' penalty kill is dead last in the NHL at 75.7 percent, and they have allowed at least 35 goals in every regulation period. By contrast, the Aeros have allowed more than 35 goals in just one period (36 in the second).

But ... they don't play games on paper, do they? The IceHogs start a nice long road trip tonight; they'll be in Texas Saturday and Sunday and looking to get things off on the right foot tonight. They have lost five straight overall, and are due for some points. They are 2-3 in shootouts compared to the Aeros AHL-worst mark of 0-7.

Good news for Aeros fans? The Aeros have had four-plus days to think about that embarrassing performance from last Sunday. And they've got five points in the three games following their last three shutouts again. Rockford does seem to give the Aeros their share of problems, as they are just 13-11-2-2 all time against them.

The Aeros are fourth in the AHL in attendance at 6,689 per game, so off-the-ice, the Aeros have done really well at home.

In closing, it's worth noting that the Aeros got Kassian and Prosser back from Minnesota. But three key players still remain on recall in the NHL. Warren Peters, Jarod Pamer and Casey Wellman are up, and don't expect them back any time soon. Palmer will likely get re-assigned when he is healthy, but it will take some time to work back into game shape after than upper-body injury.

My useless prediction says 4-2 Aeros tonight with an empty-netter late. The Aeros have to rebound from last Sunday. They've done it three times before now, and I think they get it done again before hitting the road to San Antonio Sunday.