One of the Aerodynamics cheers on the team in the first period.Impressive game from the Aeros tonight. I was kind of worried about tonight's game. Worried because the team was coming off another long break of not playing, but I was worried about nothing as the Aeros dominated the entire game, getting the much easier than it looked 4-1 win over the Texas Stars.
1. First, a hearty well done to all of you who actually turned out for the game. I realize the weather guys did the best possible to scare the crap out of everybody in the Houston metropolitan area over the past week, but the threat of snow was non-existent. Still, the roads were iced over for most of the day, and they weren't entirely safe, so good job.
2. That said, the announced attendance for the game was 6,277. I would say that's an overestimate by about 4,000.
3. Fantastic game by Patrick O'Sullivan tonight. He had two power play goals tonight. The first one, which made the score 1-0 in the second period, came about when Warren Peters went to the boards behind the net and dug out the puck, fed it to Jon DiSalvatore who made a great spin move to find O'Sullivan on the other side of the net, and O'Sullivan's too good a player to miss a wide open net like that.
4. Needless to say, Mike Yeo's a big fan of what O'Sullivan brings to the game, and he told us so after the game. He especially likes how, when O'Sullivan gets a scoring chance, he takes advantage of it.
5. "A guy like that: first off, on the power play, what he adds to you, both of those goals there were moments before he scored the goal where they had pressure on, but he controlled the puck, and he holds off a defender, and he takes the time to make a tape to tape pass," Yeo said. "When you do that, it relieves the pressure. Other players might just get the puck and feel the pressure and slap it to somebody else, and that gives them the opportunity to continue the pressure and the puck goes down the ice. And then obviously, when you’ve got a guy who can shoot the puck like that, you don’t need as many scoring chances to put the puck in the net."
6. We spoke to O'Sullivan after the game. He admitted that he doesn't want to be in Houston, which is what you would hope he would say. But yet he likes Houston, he likes the arena, and he really likes Mike Yeo, telling us that he's learned a lot from Yeo in the short time he's been here.
He also likes playing on the same line with Jon DiSalvatore and Cody Almond, offering up that they have great chemistry and that he's having fun.
"Johnny’s a veteran guy, and he’s been around as long as I have, playing pro," O'Sullivan said. "He’s a smart player. I think we kind of read off each other and compliment each other really well. Cody’s a good young player. He’s big and strong. He compliments us as well. We all three play a little bit of a different style. Usually when you have a good line, you need different attributes in each guy, and I think we have that. It’s been fun."
7. Tonight was another solid night from the starting line of Warren Peters, Colton Gillies, and Jed Ortmeyer. They're not glamorous like the O'Sullivan/DiSalvatore/Almond line. But these are the guys who have been setting the tone every night.
8. Yeo told us that he thought the game started to slip away from the Aeros in the second period. But that Peters, et al came in and reestablished the style of play and tempo that Yeo wanted.
9. "Especially in that second period, when I thought our game was going in the wrong direction, I thought those guys did a great job of going out and resetting the mind and the focus of what we’re trying to do," Yeo said of that line. "I thought that they really did a great job of setting a physical tone out there. When you do that against any team, it wears on you. It certainly can get in their head, and that’s got to be part of our mentality and part of our game plan. We’re a team where if we’re doing things the right way then we should take the game over in the third period, and those guys had a lot to do with that."
10. Good game from Anton Khudobin tonight as he stopped 31 of 32 shots. He obviously read Heather's letter from earlier in the week, and he took her advice to heart. Yeo told us that he saw in Khudobin's play in practice this week that Khudobin was really focused, and when you see that from him in you practice, you let him go out and play.
11. The third goal came from Jarod Palmer. That was his first goal since Heather cursed him earlier in the season when she spoke about his leading the team in scoring. And the fourth and final goal was an empty netter from Max Noreau. Noreau had another two point night as he also assisted on O'Sullivan's second power play goal. And while Noreau has been putting up points those points have come by way of assists as this was Noreau's first goal since November 26.
12. The two point game was Noreau's team leading 10th multi-point game of the season.
13. The Aeros own the Stars this season. They're now 7-1-0-0 against Texas this season, including 5-0-0-0 at Toyota Center. The Aeros have also garnered points in nine consecutive home games. and they have a power play goal in five of their last six games.
14. Jon DiSalvator's assist on Patrick O'Sullivan's first goal was DiSalvatore's 400th career point.
15. The Aeros scored three goals in the third period while taking 15 third period shots. Yeo has wanted them controlling the third period all season, and this is probably what he was talking about in terms of dominating.
16. With the win, the Aeros are 29-19-1-3 (62 points) on the season. And despite their fantastic play since Christmas, they're still locked in a tie for first place. Milwaukee has the better record due to fewer games played at 27-13-2-6. Then comes San Antonio at 30-18-2-0 and Peoria at 29-17-2-2. Then the Aeros. Oklahoma City is in fifth, one point back at 27-18-2-5 (61 points). Texas is in sixth at 26-16-3-5 (58 points), and Chicago is in seventh place at 25-22-2-4 (56 points).
That's right, there are only six points separating teams one through seven in the AHL's West Division.
17. As to that chemistry thing O'Sullivan was talking about, well...O'Sullivan and DiSalvatore might have to work without Cody Almond for awhile as he's been recalled to the Wild with Justin Falk for Saturday's game with Phoenix.
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