Welcome To The Darcy Kuemper Show

Welcome to the Darcy Kuemper Show/photo John Royal

There were many superb things about tonight's 3-0 game one playoff win over the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins. The Aeros played the best game as a team that I've seen in a long time. Marco Scandella was superb. Justin Fontaine did what Justin Fontaine does.

But nothing compares to the playoff debut of one Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper stopped all 36 shots he faced. Some of the stops were easy, but some of those stops were those that just drop your jaw, shake your head, and wonder did you just see what you just saw. He faced one barrage late in the second period when the Aeros were up only 1-0 and the Griffins were on a 4x3 power play. Kuemper just dealt with the barrage like he was sitting on his porch swatting away some lazy flies just hovering over his head, never breaking a sweat.

Head coach John Torchetti referred to Kuemper's calmness out on the ice and how that just made things easier for the team. And there was a calmness to Kuemper, a stillness. Like a concrete bunker anchored during a hurricane with the action swirling around him. 

"He keeps things calm for us," Torchetti said. "He didn’t give a lot of rebounds, which is a big plus for us and makes our job a little bit easier."
 
Kuemper just kind of shrugged off all of the attention after the game, acting as if it was just another game in the juniors instead of a professional playoff game.

"I played quite a few playoffs games in juniors, a lot of games in juniors," Kuemper said. "I just always try to touch back on those experiences, recall those memories, what went well, what didn’t, and use those to just play my game out there."

Darcy Kuemper, just one of the guys /photo John Royal

Kuemper had some help from the team playing it's best all-around game in months. Marco Scandella put the Aeros up 1-0 with a power play goal at 11:55 of the second from up over the circle. Justin Fontaine got a breakaway at 16:52 which pretty much put the game away. Then Fontaine finished the scoring with a nearly impossible angled empty netter at 18:14 of the third.

Fontaine said he got lucky on his breakaway. But despite his statements, he looked to be in control on the entire play.

"Just kind of flying up the middle, a good look," Fontaine said. "The puck wouldn’t settle down for me, kind of made a move and missed the puck, but it ended up going in. I’ll take that for sure."

Justin Fontaine gets lucky/photo John Royal

But with the way Kuemper was playing, nothing else really seemed to matter. There was this calmness to his play, a quietness to his actions, no wasted motion. He was there at all times, just where his team needed him to be, when they needed him to be there. He said he was lucky at times, but like Fontaine on his breakaway, if there was any luck involved in any of his stops, it just wasn't evident to onlookers.

"I just want to do my part, especially when I saw the guys going early there, the way they were playing, I just wanted to do my part and not let them down," Kuemper said. "Everyone had each other’s backs, and we came away with game one."

It was fun game to watch. Tense. Lots of hitting. It was playoff hockey at its finest. Here's to a few more of these before the team's run in Houston comes to its unfortunate end. And meanwhile, welcome to a new edition of the Darcy Kuemper Show, it's a wonderful, fantastic thing to witness.

The Aeros are up 1-0 in the series, and host game two on Sunday afternoon at 5:05 before heading back to Grand Rapids for the rest of the series. 

Paul Mara with a first period hit/photo John Royal

And That's All, Folks!

The end had to this Aeros season had to come sometime. And it came tonight.

The Aeros lost 5-2 to the Barons, losing the series 3-1. I don't think anybody should be really shocked by that result. The Barons were just that good, the Aeros just that depleted. Mike Brodeur was in goal again tonight and Matt Hackett was scratched.

We'll all probably come in later with a few thoughts on this season just gone by -- I'll try to throw up more tomorrow. But this has been a really tough season for the team. Brodeur was the seventh goalie to start between the pipes for the team this season. It's not because the goalies were bad, but because they were either called up to Minnesota, disappeared to Europe, or were injured.

The team didn't have the offense it did last season, and once Casey Wellman was traded in mid-season the team's ability to score hit about 10 on the difficult scale. As it was, with the injury situation in Minnesota, and with the way that team cratered, most any Aero with any skill found himself with the Wild at some point, making it near impossible to getting any continuity with the lineups, which probably doomed the team more than anything. And frankly, I think the absence of Jed Ortmeyer and Warren Peters, who were key guys both on the ice and the locker room for this team were heavy factors in how this season ended up.

So that's it. The Aeros won't be playing into June this season, but if it means anything, there's this: the Aeros were the only one of the final four Calder Cup teams to actually make the playoffs this season.

Aeros Lose Game Two, Face Elimination Sunday Night

Last night it was hard to tell just how much of the loss was on the Aeros not showing up to play the game, and how much of the loss was due to the Barons being the superior team. Tonight we know the answer.

The Aeros lost Game Two of this opening round Best of Five series to the Barons by the score of 4-1. Yes, the Aeros actually did find a way to score a goal on Yann Danis. And they actually appeared to make more of an effort, holding the Barons to only 37 shots tonight while totaling a stupendous 20 shots of their own. (Cody Almond scored at 3:48 of the third period.)

But though the Aeros effort factor was noticeably improved, it just didn't matter, so superior was the play of the Barons, proving tonight, perhaps even more than last night, why it is that they're the number one seed in the Western Conference.

Matt Hackett made a valiant effort to play tonight, stopping 19 of 21 shots. But he played injured, and whatever injury he suffered last night he aggravated horribly on the second goal, leaving the ice bent at his waste, not to return.

But even if Hackett wasn't injured, it would be difficult to see the Aeros finding a way to contend on Sunday and take this series to a fourth game. And frankly, if the Aeros were able to win Sunday and take it to game four on Tuesday, does anybody think they're healthy enough, or talented enough, to make it to game five on Wednesday?

It was an ugly day in Houston today. Massive storms that caused power outages throughout the city as the afternoon moved into evening. And the Aeros game tonight was just as ugly as the weather outside.

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.

My Fearless Playoff Predictions

Are you ready for some Calder Cup hockey? Are you still shocked the Aeros made it in at the very last moment? With the playoffs starting tomorrow, I thought I would throw out some Western Conference playoff predictions. So, here goes...

1.  I see Chicago taking out San Antonio in a sweep. The Wolves have been a steady team this season, and I just think they're more talented than the Rampage.

2.  Abbotsford takes out Milwaukee in four games. Except for Jeremy Smith, I'm not sold on the Admirals. Plus, I'll always pick a team coached by former Aeros coaches (Troy Ward's the head coach and Luke Strand's a assistant and both were assistants here to Kevin Constantine). Plus, the Heat have Krys Kolanos.

3.  Toronto sweeps Rochester. I haven't really seen these teams as often as I've seen the others, so I'm just basing this on the records.

4. And for the one all Aeros fans care about, I'm seeing the Barons taking out the Aeros in four games. I don't think the Aeros have the offensive talent of the Barons, and the Barons have the psychological advantage, having lost only one game in this season's series. But I do think the Barons will be a bit rusty, and Matt Hackett can keep the Aeros in every game. I think the Aeros win one of the two in Houston before losing the series in Oklahoma City. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because nothing's more fun than covering a team on the roll in the playoffs.

Bulldogs Bite Aeros, Win 3-2 in OT

John Torchetti was rather calm and collected when he came out to address the media long, long after tonight's 3-2 OT loss to Hamilton. He wasn't so calm in the locker room, however, as shouting and things being tossed could be heard in the corridor outside the locker room.

He's probably right to be angry. The Aeros are now 0-3-2-1 for their last six games, and with this loss, though the Aeros got a point, they dropped to seventh in the standings, and the reason for those losses, according to Torchetti is rather simple: the team's not playing very good hockey.

"It’s tough," Torchettis said. "You know what, our last six games have been that way every night. I would love to give you an explanation, but it comes down to how simple we want to play. We’ve got to simplify our game."

They took the 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game when Nick Palmieri got the puck back to Chad Rau who stuck the puck into the goal. But Hamilton scored three minutes later tying the game. And like so many of the goals the Aeros have surrendered lately, it came as a result of a defensive breakdown.

"First mistake, first goal – it was two-on-two, stay in our lanes," he said. "Where were you about getting the puck to go on offense when we were not even going to get any offense from it, so we give them the middle of the ice. Just a rookie mistake."


The second Hamilton goal came late, late in the third period, after the Aeros, had again, taken a lead early in the period, this time with Palmieri getting the goal. But then there was another defensive breakdown hanging Hackett out to dry, and the game was tied.


Then the game goes into overtime, there's a turnover, and the game's over.


"The third goal, we turned the puck over," Torchetti said. "Instead of just passing it to the boards, we tried to pass it through the guy, and then we’re not focused because we made the turnover and we didn’t gap up. And now we’re so far back the guy just shoots it, our guy puts a stick in the way, Hack’s playing the shot, it gets deflected, there’s nothing you can do about it. It was over."


The game was about more than just the Aeros own mistakes. The game started nearly hour late because the ice compressor broke down and the ice started melting. But while Torchetti was very upset about the officiating during the late stages of the game, he did compliment the crew when it came to delaying the game and making sure it was safe to skate on the ice.


"Everyone did a good job," Torchetti said. "It is what is. Compressor goes down, you just have to make adjustments. The referees did a good job. [Official] Zac [Weibe] and Carl, Carl Sasyn [linesman] was pretty much like an ice man, so kudos to him. He did a hell of a job. He should have been double-paid tonight."

But late in the game, Cody Almond was sent flying into the boards when he was sent flying by a stick to his skates and no penalty was called. And there seemed to be some officiating confusion, as they were looking at a possible icing call on the play.

"It wasn’t icing," Torchetti said. "It hit his skate. 12,000 people seen it, except there were 12,003 people and only 12,000 seen it."

But the Aeros didn't lose this game because of the AHL's standard sub-par officiating. The Aeros lost this game because of bad hockey on their part. Sloppy defense. Sloppy puck-handling. Lack of discipline. And with the team not playing a game until Friday, they're going to be getting lots and lots and lots of practice time at SLICE.

"This is going to be the hardest week we’ve ever worked," Torchetti said. "Guarantee it. There’s no days off now. I don’t care if you’re tired. This team has to understand what discipline is because we’re not doing it right now."

But it's beginning to look like that, even if the team does begin to understand what discipline is, it's going to be too late to save a playoff spot.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

The Aeros are now 32-23-5-10 on the season with 79 points. Abbotsford is in fourth place with 80 points. Charlotte and San Antonio both won tonight with both also reaching 79 points on the season. The Checkers are in fifth place, and the Rampage move into sixth place with the Aeros now in seventh place.

Rochester, Peoria, and Lake Erie are all poised three points behind the Aeros. There are six games left in the season, but for the Aeros, time might be close to being over.

Aeros Lose Fifth In Row

Tomorrow's post in the mothership will be on the Aeros's playoff hopes seemingly slip slidin' away, to rip-off Mr. Paul Simon. The Aeros failed to win their fifth straight game, losing 4-3 in the shootout to the Lake Erie Monsters who jumped into seventh place in the playoff standings.

The Aeros gained a point, which moves them up from sixth to fifth place with 78 points. The Heat also lost in the shootout tonight, so they too have 78 points, but they've won more games, so they get the coveted fourth slot.

Frankly, I'm shocked the Aeros were able to get a point tonight. Matt Hackett didn't have much defensive help -- I was down in that corner for the Monsters second goal, and it seemed that he was screened by the entirety of both teams. And the team was inept in the shootout.

The season's not over, and the Aeros control their own destiny -- and bright side, damn it, they're in fifth place. But they have not done themselves any favors over the past two weeks. And it's possible that, come Sunday evening, the Aeros will have had several more teams leapfrog them in the standings.

Torchetti was happy to see the team get a point tonight, because, as he pointed out, they did everything possible to give away points. He made it very clear: if this team wants to make the playoffs, they have to start playing the system.

In other words, it's all in their control, and right now, it's just slip slidin' away.

Aeros Lose Again, But Still In Fourth Place (Kind Of)

Just a quick note.  The Aeros lost again, 3-2 in OT against Milwaukee, to go 0-3-1 on the road trip. The Admirals got the game-winning goal with just over three seconds left in the OT. The Aeros return to Toyota Center tomorrow night when they host the Lake Erie Monsters.

Here's the interesting stat for the night: despite going 0-3-1 on the road trip, the Aeros are still, amazingly, in fourth place.  Sure, it's a three-way tie for fourth, but with 77 points, they're still in fourth place (if you're looking at wins, they place in sixth, behind Abbotsford and San Antonio).  And to me, this is the most amazing stat: only seven points separate the fourth place teams, with 77 points, from the Grand Rapids Griffins, who are sitting in 13th place with 70 points.

And we thought the playoff chase last season was tough.

Here's one more interesting note: if Lake Erie defeats the Aeros tomorrow, they leap from 10th place to 7th place, from out of the playoffs to making the playoffs.

The good news for the Aeros -- besides the fact that they're still tied for fourth place, is that seven of their remaining eight games are at home.

View From The Press Box: Aeros Cool Off Heat

How about that? In the space of a two-and-a-half hours the Aeros went from 10th place in the Western Conference playoff standings to sixth place. And they did so in rather impressive fashion, dominating the Abbotsford Heat and getting the 4-1 win in a game that wasn't near as close as that final score indicates.

The damage came, again, from the Aeros power play unit as the team's first two goals came off the power play. Justin Fontaine netted both of the power play goals with Jeff Taffe getting an assist on each and Kris Fredheim and Chay Genoway getting the other assists.

Jeff Taffe struck for his third point of the game early in the second when he took the pass from Genoway and stuck it past Heat goalie Leland Irving. And the Aeros final goal came off of the stick of Jon DiSalvatore who blasted a slap shot from way up above the left circle past Irving -- the assist going to, you guessed it, Taffe.

The game was marred by multiple fights -- Almond was hit with two fighting majors -- and it got really, really ugly at the start of the third period when Abbotsford's Akim Aliu went after Almond just seconds into the period. A semi-brawl ensued, and by the time the bodies were separated and the penalties were handed out, it was clear the Heat were beaten -- Aliu got 2:00 for instigating, 5:00 for fighting, and a 10:00 game misconduct, Hugh Jessiman got 2:00 for roughing and a 10:00 game misconduct while Almond got five for fighting and Carson McMillan got 2:00 for roughing (how Drew Bagnall escaped without a penalty is still surprising).

The Heat scored seconds later, but it was clear that it was way too little, too late, and that the Aeros were going to pull out this game.

Justin Fontaine looked really good for the Aeros, but the true star of the game was Taffe and the power play.

"A good power play, you have to stay with it," head coach John Torchetti said. "As long as your power play doesn't take momentum away, you've got to stay with it. And if they just stick with what we keep teaching them -- and they're doing a great job of that -- and just take what's given to you -- once you learn to just take what's given to you -- and you're going to shoot, you have to be shooting first...it starts with the shot."

Torchetti spoke glowingly about the play of Genoway, calling him a big plus who's really smart and who will be really dangerous once he learns to shoot the puck.

And speaking of dangerous, Taffe had his second four point night in his last three games, once again getting a goal and three assists. Torchetti credits this with Taffe getting more aggressive and competing for more pucks. He's challenged the vets to do more on the ice, and he says that, at times, challenging the vets and drawing more out of them on the ice hasn't been pretty because he can't always be nice, but that they have responded.

"I have a rapport with my veterans, and I trust them," Torchetti said. "We had a talk at Christmas -- now that we're down to three [veterans]...I'm going to be harder on you because I expect you to play at a level. I expect our team to still win....You're going to be pressured."

And in goal again tonight was Joe Fallon who stopped 26 of the Heat's 27 shots, including making several tough stops early in the game when the Heat seemed to be controlling the action.

"He played big," Torchetti said of Fallon. "He's getting comfortable, he's being confident. He's challenging. He's doing a good job for us."

The Aeros are now 29-20-3-9 on the season with 15 games to play. They're tied, pointswise, with four other teams who all have 70 points, but the Aeros winning percentage has them in a tie for sixth place with San Antonio, and they're only a point behind Chicago and Peoria, who both have 71 points.

If the Aeros keep playing hockey like they did tonight, aggressive, attacking the net, shooting the puck, they could still be dangerous. But this weekend could be the key as they take on a rapidly improving Rockford club on Friday, face Abbotsford again on Saturday, and Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Jon DiSalvatore said on Sunday that this is all in their control. And it is. They just have to keep winning and getting points. If the bleeding can stop in Minnesota and the guys here can actually stay here and stay healthy, then the Aeros might still be able to pull this out.

As for tonight, it was sure was a fun game to watch.

Patrick O'Shite! Rising Rivermen routing ... everyone.

There was a lot of movement this week because some teams have kept winning and losing, showing that previous slumps or surges were no fluke. The addition of Patrick O'Sullivan has been magical for the Peoria Rivermen, a team that I think could be VERY dangerous during the postseason.

Something about this just makes me sad on the inside.
The Rivermen won't lose in the first round this year. 

And what happened to the Milwaukee Admirals? Some fans of theirs think it is nothing more than a lack of maturity, and that this is just a temporary slide. Whatever it is, it doesn't look like they are going to recover in time to make the playoffs for the billionth time in a row.

With Carter Hutton, the Rockford IceHogs just don't lose any more, and the Lake Erie Monsters have become a force recently. And we have a new No. 1 this week with Toronto taking over on top as the OKC Barons, a team that recently looked to have no flaws, has been sputtering around for the better part of three weeks.

Here comes Rochester, too. David Leggio took the No. 1 goalie spot away from Drew MacIntyre and hasn't looked back. That team has a light schedule down the road and may benefit from all the true Western teams beating up on each other.

Abbotsford is slumping again, but they own the Aeros this year and will probably score four goals in the first period Tuesday night at Toyota Center. The Aeros to the Heat are like the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Aeros: When you need a win, just circle that game on the schedule.

I really struggled putting Chicago ahead of the Rampage. I think San Antonio might be the better overall team, so these two I will really watch closely the week. I just thought the Wolves had the better week, so I gave them the nod.

John Torchetti told us Sunday that he is not doing ANY scoreboard watching. Even though that is hard to believe, I almost believe it with him. It'll ALL be different tomorrow, so why bother?

Maybe that is why he still has all his hair.

PR	Team	Record	Streak	Last	+/-	For the record …
1	TOR	34-21-4-3	2-0	2-0-0-0	+1	Scrivens leading the way
2	OKC	36-17-4-4	0-1	0-2-0-1	-1	Still sputtering; 1 win in last 6
3	PEO	34-26-2-1	3-0	3-0-0-0	+5	Oh, Sullivan! Hot, hot, hot
4	CLT	32-20-3-5	1-0	1-1-0-0	-1	Lead Midwest … barely
5	CHI	33-23-2-3	1-0	2-1-0-0	+1	Had division lead for a day
6	SAT	33-24-3-1	0-1	1-1-1-0	-2	16 wins since Jan. 10
7	LEM	35-25-2-4	2-0	2-0-0-1	+3	Just keep winning. Watch out.
8	ABB	32-24-3-3	0-2	1-2-0-1	-3	Destroyed by Peoria last week
9	RCH	30-22-6-3	2-0	2-0-0-0	+2	Leggio cannot be stopped.
10	RFD	30-26-2-5	4-0	2-0-0-0	+2	Carter Hutton is a beast.
11	HOU	28-20-3-9	0-1	2-2-0-0	-2	Lease is up after this next season.
12	MKE	30-26-2-2	0-3	0-3-0-0	-5	IceHogs road kill last week
13	GRR	26-23-6-4	1-0	1-2-1-0	-	Hanging on by a thread
14	HAM	26-27-2-5	0-2	0-1-1-0	-	For whom the bell tolls…
15	TEX	27-29-2-2	1-0	1-2-0-0	-	Will miss playoffs for first time

Down the Stretch, 2012 Edition

For the first time this season, two members of the Wild/Aeros organization used the word "if" when talking Aeros and the playoffs.

I am rather confident that these two think the team will get a chance at the cup, but the word "when" was replaced with "if" during two recent conversations.

To be sure, the Aeros recent slide can be attributed to injuries with the Wild and the team constantly having to play with a short bench and many ECHL call-ups. But John Torchetti has kept this team alive, and the Aeros are mostly intact for the stretch run.

Last night the Aeros fell from fifth to seventh because the Heat and Rampage both won road games. The Aeros have three more games on the trip, and they need at least one more win for it to be a respectable trip. Two wins would be real good, and winning all three would be a  nice surprise.

This graphic will evolve as we get closer to April.  I will link to Hundred Degree Hockey's playoff projections. He actually uses maths to determine which teams will not only make the playoffs, but which teams will be seeded where. My chart just gives you an overview of who plays where and how they perform during the last 20 or so games of the season.

Enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated.

Please click on picture for a larger/clearer view of the standings. 

Western Conference Power Rankings: Ice Cold Heat

The power rankings are out for this week, and there wasn't a tremendous amount of movement overall.

Charlotte got roughed up, Houston won back to back games at Grand Rapids, so I moved Toronto and the Aeros up and sent Charlotte to the No. 4 spot. Charlotte might be the better team, but Houston has more point and took 7 of 8 points in the season series.

With a full roster in the playoffs, I like the Aeros just a tad more than Charlotte.

Yes, it IS possible. 

The Lake Erie Monsters are rolling right now and are just three points out of a playoff spot after their impressive 3-0 performance last week. They are 8-3-1-1 in about the last month or so, and they are just one bad period (at Houston on 2/4) away from a six-game winning streak.

Chicago just keeps on trucking, and the San Antonio Rampage had an impressive week before they got bombed in Grand Rapids on Sunday.


With 26 wins and 55 points, it might be a little harsh to have the Heat down in the No. 10 spot. They're in the playoffs if that started today, but they are reeling right now. They have not had back-to-back wins in 2012, and they have not had two straight wins over playoff teams since back-to-back road wins over Oklahoma City and Houston on Nov. 19 and 20. That was a long freaking time ago.

Krys Kolanos has been out of the lineup for a bit now, but they started their slide even before he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Flames.


As for the bottom-feeders, Rockford came back down to earth, and the Texas Stars continue to struggle. The Bulldogs played really well in a couple of losses last week, but they just keep going backwards. It will be tough for Grand Rapids, Rockford, Hamilton or Texas to get back in the race unless they go through a stretch where they win eight of 10 in regulation.

It is hard to believe that most teams have fewer than 30 games left on their schedule. Now things are starting to get real interesting.

Until next week ...

Western Conference Power Rankings
Edition 3, February 13, 2012

PR	Team	Record	Streak	Last	+/-	For the record …
1	OKC	32-12-2-3	2-0	2-0-0-0	-	Abused weak Abby last week
2	TOR	27-17-4-2	2-0	2-0-1-0	+1	Mark Owuya wins both in net
3	HOU	25-13-3-9	2-0	2-1-0-0	+1	Foucault and Scandella recalled
4	CLT	29-18-2-2	0-2	1-2-0-0	-2	Three huge road games this week
5	CHI	27-18-1-3	1-0	2-1-0-0	-	6 of next 7 games at home
6	SAT	27-21-2-0	0-1	3-1-0-0	+1	10-3 overall since Jan. 10
7	PEO	26-21-2-1	2-0	2-1-0-0	-1	Stortini should get suspended
8	RCH	22-19-6-3	0-1	1-2-0-0	+1	Too many goals against (151)
9	MKE	24-21-2-1	0-3	1-2-1-0	+1	5-12-2-0 in New Year
10	ABB	26-20-3-0	0-3	0-2-0-0	-2	Slip, slip sliding away
11	LEM	24-22-2-2	5-0	3-0-0-0	+3	Rissmiller is GWG machine
12	GRR	20-20-4-4	1-0	1-2-0-0	-	Net struggles w/ MacDonald up
13	RFD	21-24-1-4	0-1	1-2-0-0	-2	9 of next 14 on the road
14	HAM	21-23-1-4	1-0	1-3-0-0	-1	Bad week at very wrong time
15	TEX	21-24-2-2	0-2	1-2-1-0	-	4-8-1-0 since Jan. 13