Hackett carries Aeros to 2-1 win over Texas

A mere 20 seconds into Tuesday's game, the Aeros were forced to come up with plan B. With three top AHL defensemen already on the shelf with injuries, NHL veteran Paul Mara decided to take the law into his own hands.

The law won.

Instead of getting payback for Mike Hedden's cheap shot from an earlier game, Mara earned a seven-minute power play for the Stars right out of the gate. Hedden did not engage, and Mara got 17 minutes worth a penalties and watched the rest of the game from the stands.

Hackett makes the stop - Texas Stars Photo

At that moment, it was the Stars' game to lose, and they peppered Matt Hackett with 37 shots while the Aeros managed no more than five in any single period. In fact, three Stars players - Jordie Benn, Justin Dowling and Matt Fraser - teamed up to out-shoot the Aeros 19-17 on their own.

But the Aeros got the last laugh, winning 2-1 in a shootout and saved Mara from being an absolute selfish goat. The old-school guy in me wants to shame Hedden for backing away for what he surely knew what was coming. But the Stars, already without many of their best players, took the seven-minute power play and dominated the game from there.

There were questions before the game as to where Matt Hackett's head would be after watching Darcy Kuemper get the emergency recall to Vancouver to make his NHL debut against the Canucks. His playing time already dwindling, Hackett sees the writing on the wall - Kuemper has moved ahead of him on the depth chart.

For now, it's Hackett's net, and he is going to have to keep playing like he did Tuesday to get another shot at the NHL, either with the Wild or another NHL organization down the road.

Carson McMillan tied the game in the second period with a short-handed goal, and the Aeros, after surviving OT, scored three times (goals by Phillips, Larsson and Fontaine) in the tie-breaker to take the extra two points. In the first four games of their eight-game road trip, the Aeros are 3-1; they have won seven of their last 10 games after the six-game winless slide.

Now the Aeros will take their game to upstate New York and Canada. First, they'll play the red-hot Rochester Americans, who seem to score about eight goals per game. Then it's off to Hamilton where they'll get their first look at the Bulldogs, who are the worst team in the West this year. Recently, though, they've won three of four and four of seven.

After that, they'll play a matinee in Toronto on President's Day before returning South for a home and home against the OKC Barons.

It's hard to argue that Matt Hackett was the No. 1 star of the game. And while we don't know how long Kuemper will be with the Wild, it's save to say that every game for Hackett this week will be bigger than the one before.

Let's hope we see more of the Hackett that saved the Aeros Tuesday night in Cedar Park.

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...

Zucker Ties AHL record, Aeros win :05 into OT

Johan Larsson and Jason Zucker shocked the Abbotsford Heat and just about everyone else inside Toyota Center with his ninth goal of the season just five seconds into overtime Sunday afternoon.

The teams traded goals in regulation, and after the Aeros wasted a power play gift late in the third period, Zucker and Larsson teamed up for the stunning finish (video below). The goal tied the AHL record for the fastest overtime goal. Zucker's goal tied the record set by Dave Saatzer of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1980, and tied by Chris Corrinet of the Portland Pirates in 2002.



The AHL schedule gods were on the Aeros side this weekend for sure. The Heat, playing its third game in three days, made just enough mistakes to let the Aeros get an extra point in the standings.

Make no mistake: The Heat is the best team the Aeros have played so far on both sides of the puck. They have points in all but two (16 of 18) of their games thus far. OKC, who is here later this week, surely has more offensive power, but the Heat are smart, well coached, have the league's top PK united and they have three (THREE!) goalies that can steal two points on any given night.

Some high-level themes that stood out for me include the Aeros giving up two goals on turnovers. Everyone we talked to after the game said exactly the same thing: The Heat wait for you to make a bad mistake, and they punish you quickly.

Hackett again solid, letting in just two goals and giving his team a chance to win. When only two go in, you have a chance to win every game. On the first Heat goal, Hack made a great save, then got a little post luck before a Charlie Coyle turnover led to a 1-1 game. Hackett was screened on the second goal after Connelly and Bagnall both turned the puck over ... and then Zucker missed a block. After all that, Estoclet gets in front of Hackett, distracting him just enough. Click below for a good view of how that play developed.

Taylor was good, too, but the Aeros wasted about 3-4 other prime chances that would have kept the Heat from getting the OT point. McIntyre missed a breakaway, and one player (I was reading something and looked up just in time to see the end of it) missed an open net after Taylor was caught out of position in the second period.

UPDATE - Thanks to the Art and Hockey blog, we find out that it was Palmer who missed the empty netter. And she got a splendid picture of the aftermath. But don't look at the hockey players, look at the fans (including one of the Anthem singers in Row 2) ... their faces say it all!

MY, oh MY! (Photo by Art and Hockey)

The goal scored at the end of the second was indeed about a half second too late. The officials got the calls right on both calls (when Mac hit the crossbar on the breakaway and the late goal at the end of the second).

As for the final sloppy power play - look, that is what you are going to get with a ton of rookies and second-year players getting a season-long baptism by fire. The younger players are the more gifted scorers, and they are going to hit one night (see Friday's late PP goal in San Antonio) and they are going to strikeout the next. What I would like to them them improve upon is the desperation to keep the puck in the zone. While I know you don't want to over commit and cause a breakaway, there are a few players that look a little laggard when it comes to keeping a play alive.

I am not going to mention names here, because I have only seen about a third of the games live this year. I think this is an effort issue and not an growing pains issue, so I will wait and see if I see any improvement from these players this weekend.

The Aeros are in the top third of the league in points and points percentage. Given the injury to their top two (arguably) playmakers and (not arguably) one of their top scorers, I think you'll take that.

So what are your thoughts on the game? The Aeros earned four out of four points this weekend and have won three in a row and four of five overall.

Off the post ... and in. (Photos by Morris Molina, Houston Aeros)

Justin Fontaine has 14 points in November. He is en fuego.

Aeros Stretch Winning Streak to ... two!

OK, I will save the sarcasm about the Aeros season-high tying two game winning streak. They have won three of four overall, and are playing much better defensively with players getting healthy and Matt Hackett getting all the playing time in goal.

Two of the wins are against the Rampage, the AHL's worst teams by points, including Friday's 2-1 win. Justin Fontaine scored the game winner on the power play late in the third period to get the two points. Fontaine is the team's player of the month so far with 12 points.

Since that 7-5 win on kids day in the Alamo City, the Aeros have not allowed more than two goals in the three games. Their scoring is down, too, and goals are going to be even harder to come by on Sunday when the Heat come to town with the league's best defense.

Like Heather reported yesterday, Kuemper will be back as the back-up Sunday, but it's Hack's net for the short term with no three games in three nights for a couple of weeks.

Photo by Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com

The Heat are the first of three great teams the Aeros will host on the homestand, as Oklahoma City comes to town next week for a pair of games at Toyota Center. The NHL lockout has afforded us to see a lot of decent talent so far this year, and OKC is loaded with NHL players. The Aeros are 2-1 against OKC this year, and you'd have to think we'll see more high scoring games next weekend.

The other bit of drama this weekend is former Aeros goalie Barry Brust COULD get the start with an AHL record on the line. He's about a period away from recording the league's longest shutout streak. Personally, I think the Heat will start him tonight against San Antonio, but maybe not. The Heat got a shutout Friday night at Texas, and they may ride the hot hand saving Brust for Sunday against the Aeros.

I think most of us are kind of hoping for the latter. And if you're the Aeros, I think you want a crack at trying to break up that streak. Either way, be sure to check the box scores tonight to see if Brust gets the call in San Antonio.

Aeros Split the Weekend vs. Rockford

True to their mediocre form, the Aeros split their two games this weekend, losing at Rockford Friday and then winning the "home" game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Basically the story of the weekend was this:

Fontaine celebrates his goal on Sunday (Bruce Kluckholm)

Power play went 1-for-9 Friday, and the team whiffed on two 5-on-3s in a 2-1 loss. Then on Sunday, Matt Hackett essentially saved their bacon in an ugly win in front of more than 11,000 fans. The game Sunday wrapped up a stretch of nine games in the first 17 days of the month, and now the team will be off until Friday when they visit San Antonio.

After a fourth straight road game, the Aeros will kick of a stretch of three straight home games and five of six overall at Toyota Center.

Johan Larsson scored twice Sunday, and Justin Fontaine scored the other goal to secure a win.

Defensively, Hackett and the Aeros allowed fewer goals in the two games than they did in the 7-5 win over the Rampage last week. The Aeros improved to 3-4-0-2 in November. Not TOO bad, but they have fallen back in the pack in the Western Conference.

Hackett has started the last three games and seven of the last eight overall. He has all three wins, and Kuemper is 0-2 and has given up eight goals this month after a nice October.

Even though the power play failed them Friday, that unit has scored goals in four straight games (6x28) and has come through at least once in six of the nine games this month. And until yesterday, the PK unit has been mostly OK. Sunday marked the first time all the month they allowed more than one power play goal in the game.

Here are the highlights from the win on Sunday at the X.

View from the Pressbox: A quickie on last weekend

This story is all over the place, so please forgive the ADD.

The Aeros are several men down because of a rash of injuries to defenseman, but that did not keep them from picking up three points and moving up from 10th to 9th in the overall standings.

Hackett with a great stop - Morris Molina, Houston Aeros

Three great comebacks in all three games, but they only win one of them as John alluded to last night. But, to look on the bright side is better. The win on Saturday at OKC was most satisfying, and Sunday was an even matchup overall that just ended up going the other way because the Aeros did not get the breaks in the first eight minutes and in the shootout.

Early on (already) health is going to dictate their fate far more than any other factor in the short-term. The team is loaded and they really look like they love playing and going to battle together. I'd love to see this group play for two straight months at 95 percent healthy.

There is some definite leadership and a fighter's mentality. That will go a long way down the stretch when they are playing all those road games in late winter.

Get ready for a lot of close games and a weaker power play until Granlund returns.

Big-picture wise, the Aeros have 10 more games this month, and six of those games are against San Antonio, Rockford and Oklahoma City. Only one of those teams (Lake Erie) has scored more goals than the Aeros, but four of those teams have allowed fewer goals.

Lake Erie and Abbotsford are ahead of the Aeros in the standings, but every other team on the schedule is within a game of .500 - translation? Get ready for a lot of close games.

Right now the Aeros are on pace for 91 points. Last year, that is good enough for a  three or four seed in the Western Conference. What I want to see -  to call the Aeos an elite AHL team like I believe their coaches think they are -  is for the Aeros to start playing better at home.

They have already lost three of five at home this year, and last year, they were 17-21. I realize they get points for getting to the fourth period, but OT and SO losses are losses.

All three games are at home this week, and the Aeros need to win two of them to stay in the upper half of the league standings. I think they can do just that if Hackett plays like he did the last two games, and the Aeros keep plugging away with their no-quit style of 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 Win, Aeros Win, The Aeros Win

I've been hearing about how bad the Aeros have looked this season. But aside from a couple of practices, I haven't seen either of the games. So I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw during tonight's 5-1 win over the Texas Stars.

First, here's Heather's gamer over at the Chronicle. It has quotes and everything.

The Aeros got the early lead, with Charlie Coyle putting the Aeros up early and with Marco Scandella Jason Zucker putting the team up 2-0 later in the first with a shot from the blue line (okay, I was down in the corner, so it looked like the blue line to me, but I didn't have a good view) tip-in of a Marco Scandella shot. The Stars made it 2-1 early in the third, but the Aeros put up three more goals and put this game out of reach.

The offense seemed to have a bit of a slow start early on in the game -- goal notwithstanding. It kind of looked as if the guys are still trying to learn each other and develop on-ice chemistry. But it looked like they began clicking as things moved on.

So here are some random thoughts.

1. I was impressed by Jason Zucker. It seemed to me, from my view down in the corner, that wherever there was action with the puck, you would find Zucker.

Zucker in action.

2. John Torchetti thought the most important thing for the Aeros was that they got a week off after losing their opening two games. It gave the team a chance to see what happens if they don't play the system. It also got him some time to sit the guys down with video so that they could watch their play. He said that this was the first time that some of the guys had ever seen themselves on video, and gives them a feel of what it'll be like on the next level.

Torchetti in action during the second period.

3. The win was good for the team, Torchetti said, because it showed the guys that the system does, indeed, work. And that if they play that system, the team wins. There's still a little too much individual play on the ice, but the improvement was notable.

4. Torchetti thinks some of the other guys have to step up and bring the tough-guy attitude. He likes that he's got Drew Bagnall -- Bagnall was in two fights during the game -- but he thinks it's better for the team if Bagnall's actually out on the ice instead of the penalty box for fighting. But it appears so far that Bagnall's the only guy who really wants to get physical.

5. The Aeros got over one hurdle by getting that first win. Now comes the team's first three-in-three. There are a bunch of guys on the Aeros who have never experienced anything like a three-in-three, and Torchetti says it's important the guys learn how to play on such days.

6. Brian Connelly was the quarterbacking the power play, and Torchetti wants him to start shooting the puck more than he is. Torchetti says that Connelly's used to being a pass-first guy on the power play, and he really wants Connelly to concentrate on taking his shot.

7. This is a big season for Matt Hackett who is hoping to make the leap to full-time action in the NHL (for the uninitiated, the NHL is supposedly the highest level of professional hockey that can be played. But the NHL has shut down the league once again. Frankly, I think the NHL is one of those myths, like Big Foot). Torchetti says the key for Hackett this season is consistency.

The team gives Matt Hackett the first of hopefully many celebratory head pats following the end of tonight's game.

8. And Wild fans, speaking of mythical beings, here's a photo of Mikael Granlund in action on the ice. Maybe someday.

There's Ugly, Then There Are The Aeros In Game One

There's ugly, and there's ugly. And damn, there was this game one 5-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Barons.

Andrew covered it pretty well below. And I'll have more in the Press tomorrow, but let's just say this: if Matt Hackett continues to be the only player showing up to play, then the Aeros Calder Cup run ends on Sunday night in Oklahoma City.

Here's how bad it was. In just over 36 minutes of play, Hackett faced 37 shots. That's over a shot a minute. That he only let in four goals was, in my estimation, rather remarkable. And I know what John Torchetti said after the game -- we were all down there -- but it sure looked like Hackett got injured before the third goal, and he really had trouble moving around before the fourth goal. Then again, when you're having to carry an entire team on your back because they're refusing to play, you're probably going to feel some pain.

Torchetti put the loss on himself, saying it's his fault for not getting the team properly prepped to play. There might be something to that, but it looked like they didn't even give a damn out on the ice. And frankly, if the Barons hadn't of taken their feet off of the gas in the third period, I could've easily seen the final score being about 10-0.

They'll give it a go again on Friday for game two. Torchetti says that Hackett's healthy and that he'll be playing. But frankly, if the rest of the team fails to show up again, it's probably not even going to matter.

Hey Look, It's Playoff Media Day

Joined some of my fellow media members out at SLICE for practice today. For what it's worth, the guys looked loose, I saw laughs and smiles, and the beginnings of playoffs beards were evident all around, except for Jon DiSalvatore, who we discovered last season can't really grow a beard, and John Torchetti, who was clean shaven.

The Aeros were a team that struggled this season. They struggled at times because of injuries in Houston. They struggled often because of injuries with the Wild. The team's best scorer was traded at mid-season and not replaced. The emotional leaders of the team, Jed Ortmeyer and Warren Peters spent most of the season with the Wild (where they weren't quite appreciated by that team's fandom).

Matt Hackett was good in goal, when he was here, but he spent lots of hours on airplanes between Houston and Minneapolis-St.Paul. But amazingly, even when Hackett was gone, the goaltending excelled. And if the Aeros are going to make a run for it this season, the key is going to be the play of Hackett. The players know it, Torchetti knows it, and Hackett knows it.

"He’s going to probably be the key [the Barons are] going to focus on as well," DiSalvatore told us today. "He’s got to be a huge leader for us in the playoffs. We’re going to lean on him. He knows what it takes to get all of the way there. It’s not going to be a surprise for him. Maybe he’ll be a little more comfortable in that setting right now. He’s a guy that’s got to be determined to outplay [Barons goalie Yann] Danis, and I think he’s up for the challenge and excited about it. It’s another year of maturity for Hackett, so I think you can expect good things out of him."

John Torchetti was big with the Hackett praise, as well: "He’s a big reason why we got in. That third period [Sunday], he won us the playoff spot. He was fantastic in every situation. And last year his experience, coming through as a rookie playing all of the way to the finals. And we all know what a hot goaltending can do to a team."

And Hackett gave his thoughts on taking what he went through last season and using this time around: "Playoffs are always the same. It’s always intense, everything’s a lot more amped. I played a lot last year. I played 24 games, something like that. I have experience. I know what to expect. Last year I was a little nervous starting off, but I’m sure I’ll be fine this year."

To a man, they're convinced that all of the roster shakeups during the season will play to their advantage. The young kids had to play in big situations, get big minutes they hadn't been expected to get. And with the rosters set, with the Wild unable to take anymore players away, the guys will get to experience some continuity.

"We’ve been talking about this all year," DiSalvatore said. "It’s been a struggle for guys that come in and out of the lineup to get comfortable. That’s what you have to do. You have to try to get guys as comfortable as possible. Guys that might not have played high-end minutes, they’re getting the opportunity. They’ve grown. We have a lot of guys who have grown and matured this year, so we feel like that experience is going to help them with this next level of pro hockey, which is playing in the playoffs. So we feel like that’s going to help them. And hopefully they feel comfortable enough, and they feel confident enough, that they can just go out and do their job."

"I just think that there’s been a lot of opportunity here this year," Drew Bagnall added. "We’ve obviously had to deal with a lot of injuries, most teams do, and we’ve had guys kind of benefit from it. They’ve been able to play in pressure situations that, maybe without those injuries they wouldn’t have been able to play in, so hopefully moving forward that can help them to contribute more in the playoffs when there is more on the line and they have to assume an even bigger role."

Bagnall also pointed to something that everybody senses. The guys love playing at Toyota Center, and they love the crowds, but as great as the crowds are -- more on that in a minute -- it's the conditions inside of Toyota Center which are the biggest help for the Aeros.

"Also, I think the fact that it’s a warmer building, it’s not an easy rink to play in, conditioning-wise, that might give us an edge, too," he said. "We’re used to it. We know the kind of preparation you need to have going in, and if we can get even that little bit of an edge on them – if they’re not ready, that could really help us. So we have to be prepared and take care of ourselves."

And the players are all depending on the folks in attendance to help out.

"I really like the fact that we got to play here at the Toyota Center," Bagnall said. "I love playing there. The atmosphere is great. We’ve had terrific support all year, and last year in the playoffs, it was almost deafening in the building, and for a  building that size to be that loud, it was really impressive."

"I think we have the best fans in the league," DiSalvatore said. "The support I’ve experienced here in Houston has been phenomenal. They are an extra player. I look at them as an extra player for us. They bring an energy to our team. They lift us up; they keep us going. We use them. It’s a major advantage for us to be able to start out at home and maybe jump out ahead in this series right off the bat."

 So I get the feeling they're hoping for a packed building tomorrow night.

Some More Thoughts On Last Night

My new post at the Press is up, and it expounds more on some thoughts I had after last night's game. In short, I think the loss of Jed Ortmeyer for most of the season and the lack of a reliable scorer like Patrick O'Sullivan have really hurt the team this season. I think the team's tired and the constant round trips from Houston to St. Paul and back to Houston time and time again for several of the players has worn them down.

Plus, it's just unrealistic to expect the goalies to keep pitching shut out after shut out after shut out. I know some people like to bitch and bitch about Matt Hackett, but Hackett and the rest of the goalies have done some fantastic work keeping the Aeros in games this season.

That said, the season's not over. There are still three games left.

P.S.: It was asked and answered in the comments to the post below, but...

Marco Scandella was a late scratch last night. He did skate pregame, but apparently tweaked something in his lower body and is day-to-day. And Matt Hackett did appear to get hurt during the game last night, but he was able to continue playing. I would think he'll be available for this weekend's games.

Last Night's Loss (In Some Photos)

First, here's my story in the Press on the playoffs slip slidin' away. Go click and leave a few comments if you want.

Now, what's that they say, a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, here's about six or seven thousands words for you to look at from last night. These first three photos are from Lake Erie's first goal. It's hard to blame Hackett here. He follows the puck, as, it appears, do the Aeros, ignoring the Lake Erie shooters at the net. It's not until the third photo that we actually see Tyler Cuma anywhere near the puck, and by then, it's way too late.

I chose this photo below to illustrate one of the things Hackett had to deal with the entire night -- being screened, this time by his own team, and not being able to see a damn thing happening with the puck.

As for these final three photos, you can once again see him being screened by a Lake Erie player -- I call it putting the ass to his face. Heather suggested he should've used a few poke checks and shoves, I told her he did and that this was the best separation he could get it. The amazing thing, to me, is that he still blocks the shot though it had to be have been nearly impossible for him to see anything that was happening.

The Aeros have a lot of problems heading into these last seven games, but I think we can all safely agree that the goal tending isn't one of those problems. Whether it's been Joe Fallon, Scott Greenham, or Matt Hackett, the goalies have more than done their jobs. The defense, offense, and special teams, however, seem to have disappeared.

Joe Fallon Named Player of the Week

Congrats to Aeros goalie Joe Fallon who, today, was named the AHL's Player of the Week for that incredible stretch of games he just played. He went 4-0, stopping 120 of 125 of shots. That included Saturday and Sunday when he played 130 minutes of hockey and went 13 rounds in the shootout over the two games.

Meanwhile, in related news, Fallon may be getting some rest as Matt Hackett has been returned to the Aeros from the Wild.

And Andrew, seeing as how you enjoyed the last Barry Gibb Talk Show clip I included with a Fallon post, here's another. And don't forget, everybody congratulate Joe Fallon for an incredible week of hockey.

And This Means What...

UPDATE - 


Aeros GM Jim Mill confirmed this morning that Josh Harding is injured, forcing the recall of Hackett from the Aeros. 

The timing could not have been better for Hackett. 


I know he is busting his ass out there, but at least during one part of every game, it looks like he wants to pick up one of his teammates, spin them over his head and thrown them headfirst into the short wall. 


We'll keep you posted if we find out more ... 

We were all puzzled this morning when we noticed a report from a Colorado paper that the Aeros had called up a ECHL goalie named Robby Nolan from the Colorado Eagles.  Puzzled since the Aeros had yet to announce anything, since Matt Hackett and Darcy Kuemper were both supposedly healthy, and since both Wild goalies were supposedly healthy.


Things have yet to be totally have been clarified, but because Wild beat writer Michael Russo is reporting that the Wild have recalled Matt Hackett even though Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding are healthy and both of them skated at practice yesterday.  So make of it what you will. because Harding tweaked something in practice yesterday.

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.

Off To Atlantic City

Matt Hackett wants you to read about heading off to the All-Star Game

If you've got the chance, John's got a new story in the Press today about Jon DiSalvatore and Matt Hackett heading off to the AHL All-Star Game after Saturday's game in San Antonio.  It's the first AHL All-Star Game for both.

And for those of you on twitter, go welcome Jon DiSalvatore who has recently joined the crowded field of Aeros, including Matt Hackett, who is reveling in the fun that is twitter, though, it must be admitted, nobody quite yet stacks up to Matt Kassian.

The Aeros Lose In The Shootout Again (Yes, I Know, Shocking)

When I was a kid there was this cartoon called The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show which was a Flintstone's spin-off centered on the teenage kids of Fred and Barney.  One of the characters on the show was this kid called Schleprock, who literally walked around with a black cloud hanging over his head.

I bring this up because I'm convinced there's a black cloud of bad luck hanging over Toyota Center whenever the Aeros are playing there.  Like tonight where, once again, the Aeros lost a game in the shootout.  The Aeros have won just one game in the shootout this season, and that win came on the road, in Peoria.  This time, the Aeros lost 4-3 in the shootout, but unlike in games past, the Aeros actually were able to make shots in the shootout -- Casey Wellman and Kris Foucault were able to hit their shots -- but the San Antonio Rampage were able make three, including one that went through the net and was originally called a no-goal but, after consultation, was changed to a goal.

John Torchetti wasn't too sure about the call however, and after the game, he stormed out of the locker room to the ice, where he had them bring him the net for his own personal inspection.  He then had a nice, calm chat with the officiating crew -- way, way, way more calmer than the little discussion that Lane Lambert had with them after Game Five last season.

So of course we asked him about that goal, and about losing again in the shootout.

"You know what, it’s over," he said.  "That’s it.  I can see a puck going through the net on a point shot, but on a shoot-out, there’s no velocity?  It’s hard to do.  I can see if [the netting's] loose, but I just wedged it to get through a puck.  But whatever, it’s a point."

[For what it's worth, when we asked him, Matt Hackett said it was a goal, and the TV replays we were able to see off of the San Antonio TV replay monitors also seemed to indicate that it was a goal.]

The shootout wouldn't have mattered if the Aeros would have been able to hold on to their 3-1 second period lead.  But they couldn't.  There were multiple special teams breakdowns, and for a while, it seemed as if the Aeros were just content to let Casey Wellman do all of the offensive damage -- and welcome back Mr. Wellman.

And thus ended another three-in-three weekend.  The Aeros were unable to get a single win, but they were able to get a point in each game.  All three games went into overtime, and the Aeros were mixing and matching the roster at all times due to the Friday morning Wild call-ups.  And Torchetti offered up praise for the play of some of the newbies.

"Kids that come up, they want to come up," he said.  "[Chris] Clackson’s got a brother that plays in Chicago, so it’s in the bloodlines.  [Mike] McKenzie’s done a great job just working hard and just competing every night, and that’s what the game comes down to."

And as for the return of Wellman, Torchetti once again gushed with praise.

"He just plays hard.  He’s just come down and he’s accepted his role being sent back, and he’s just gone back to where he was.  And that’s kudos to him.  It shows you what kind of character he has as a person."

But in the end, the point is that the Aeros were only able to get a point out of a game where they appeared set to get two points.  It's a game where, once again, they failed to get the win at home.  Maybe this is just their Schleprock season when it comes to playing games at home.  Yet things could be worse.  They're still getting points after all.  Not two points, but one.  And one's better than none.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

This was the seventh straight Aeros game decided by one goal, and the fourth of sixth games to go into overtime.  They are 3-1-1-2 for this seven game stretch.

***************************
Marco Scandella appeared to take a shot off of his knee late in the third period.  He was barely able to make it back to the bench, and immediately went to the locker room from which he did not return.  We asked Torchetti about his status after the game, but it was still too early to know anything.

And for the curious, Cody Almond is suffering from a lower body injury and Jeff Penner is suffering from an upper body injury.

***************************
Yes, this game was on television.  San Antonio television, so it was probably available on one of the various Fox Sports Southwest channels.  No, I don't know why it wasn't being televised here, and no, I don't know why Aeros games seem to have vanished from that thing known as a television.  The only games that make it on TV are those when they play San Antonio, and that means getting the San Antonio call of the game.

Hackett Called Up

UPDATE THE FURTHER (5:15):  Now Michael Russo is reporting that Hackett is on his way to Chicago, via airline, to join the Wild in case Harding is not available tomorrow.  I'm assuming this means Kuemper gets the start tonight.

UPDATE:  Joe O'Donnell says Hackett is starting tonight, and Michael Russo is writing that Harding is ill, won't travel with the team tonight, but could possibly join the Wild tomorrow, so maybe Hackett's not leaving after all.

ORGINAL:  Josh Harding is ill, so Matt Hackett is on his way to the Wild.  No word on what the Aeros will do for a back-up for Darcy Kuemper tonight -- good news is that they're up in hockey territory so hopefully they can find someone under the age of 50.

All Star Aeros

The AHL All-Star Game rosters have been named, and Jon DiSalvatore and Matt Hackett will be representing the Aeros for the game to be played in Atlantic City on January 30.

Starting tomorrow, fans will have the chance to vote on the starting lineups for the game.  And you can do that by visiting theahl.com and completing the ballot. 

Aeros Do The Patriotic Things And Lose To The Americans

The Aeros saw an awful lot of this tonight, Matt Hackett, back turned to the bench, with the Americans celebrating a goal.

The good news tonight:  the Aeros didn't lose another game in the shutout.  

The bad news:  the Aeros lost 6-3 to the Rochester Americans, the team with the worst road record in the AHL.  And if not for a burst of scoring in the first five minutes of the third period, the score would have been much, much worse.

There's not much positive to say about this game.  Matt Hackett surrendered five goals on just 18 shots, including two first period goals while facing just six shots.  The problem wasn't entirely Hackett's as his defense was, for most of his two periods in the game, non-existent.  

More than anything, this game seemed to indicate, though not stated by John Torchetti afterwards, that the rash of injuries in Minnesota, which in turn is taking Aero after Aero away from Houston, is really just messing with the team.  Jed Ortmeyer and Chad Rau are the latest guys to catch a flight up to the big club -- this time, I believe, they had to fly to Vancouver to meet up with Mike Yeo and the guys.  Cody Almond came back down, and Aaron Lee was brought in from Rio Grande Valley to fill out the roster.

But just because there are guys injured in Minnesota doesn't mean that the Aeros should just be expecting to get free minutes on the ice because nobody else on the team is available -- every healthy player suited up and played for the Aeros tonight.  Torchetti made it clear that he's not happy with some of the things he saw on ice, and he was clear that there will be some roster changes forthcoming.

"You're getting free ice," Torchetti said.  "And some guys need to get some nights off.  That's going to be the bottom line after this next game.  It doesn't matter how many guys are called up.  We'll call up some guys from the other leagues that want to play hockey every night.  Some of these guys are getting free ice."

The Aeros did score first, taking the early 1-0 lead, but less than a minute later, the Americans tied it up.  Then Rochester scored just before the end of the first period to make it 2-1.  They scored 46 seconds into the second period, then made it 4-1 eight minutes later.  And by the time the Aeros skated out for the third period, with Darcy Kuemper taking over goalie duties with the Aeros down 5-1, it really just didn't matter.

Sure the Aeros showed some life in the third and made it look halfway respectable, but in the end, respectable doesn't cut it.  

The Aeros return to action on Wednesday night when they host the Texas Stars at 7:05.  And for the interested, Wednesday night is also the Miss Aeros Bikini Contest, so come out for that if not for the hockey.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

That was the Aeros first regulation loss since losing in Toronto on December 3rd.  And it was their first regulation loss at Toyota Center since losing to Abbotsford 5-3 on November 10.  The loss also breaks a six game streak of earning a point.

With the loss the Aeros dropped into second place with a record of 16-5-2-7 (41 points).  The Barons grabbed a point in their shootout loss to Charlotte, so they're now 20-7-0-2 (42 points).